November 13, 2024 - The Lady Hornets outlasted Wayne State on Wednesday night from White Auditorium as Emporia State led for nearly 33 minutes on their way to an 87-82 win despite 13 made threes from the visiting Wildcats. 

The game got off to a quick start, with Emporia State forcing a stop on the opening possession before Faith Paramore knocked down a three to put the Hornets ahead within the first 30 seconds. Heading into the first quarter media timeout, Emporia State led Wayne State 15-8 with Paramore scoring 11 of the first 15 Lady Hornet points. The Wildcats trimmed the leading over the final 4:40 of the first, as the Lady Hornets held a 25-22 lead heading into the second.

Wayne State opened the second quarter with five points to take a 27-25 lead, their first of the game. The Lady Hornets and Wildcats traded baskets over the next few minutes, with Emporia State eventually regaining a 34-33 lead with 5:05 left in the half following a turnaround in the lane from Macey Gandee. After Emporia State built a 39-35 lead, Wayne State put together a 9-2 scoring run as they once again took a three-point lead, with a 44-41 advantage at the 2:26 mark. Over the final 2:26, the Lady Hornets returned the favor with a 9-2 scoring run of their own, which featured a layup from Katie Horyna as time expired, giving Emporia State a 50-46 lead heading into halftime.

In the first half, Emporia State shot 55.6% from the floor and 8-17 from three.

Following the break, the Lady Hornets retained their momentum, opening the third quarter with a 9-0 scoring run, as they built a 59-46 lead, their largest of the game. Despite the fast start, Emporia State shot just 3-15 over the final 8:29 of the quarter, as Wayne State closed the gap to 70-64 heading into the fourth. 

In the fourth, Emporia State's offense picked back up, pushing the Lady Hornet lead back to 78-69 with 7:21 remaining in the game. Wayne State outscored the Emporia State 5-0 over the next four minutes as the next basket for the Lady Hornets came on a driving layup from Katie Horyna with 3:10 left as Emporia State led 80-74. The Lady Hornets maintained a two possession lead until the final minute, as a Wayne State free throw closed the Emporia State lead to 82-79 with 58 seconds remaining. After the timeout, Emporia State scored late in the shot clock on a mid-range jump shot from Janiyah Alvarez with 33 seconds left to expand the lead to 84-79.

The Lady Hornets forced a turnover on the ensuing possession, and got a free throw from Faith Paramore to extend the lead to six. After a three with nine seconds remaining by the Wildcats, Paramore made two more free throws to seal the 87-82 win in the home opener.

Faith Paramore scored a game-high 23 points while shooting 4-7 from three and 7-8 from the free throw line. Paramore also had six rebounds, four steals and three assists. Katie Horyna had 18 points on 7-12 shooting and had a team-high six rebounds and six assists. Gracie Gilpin and Makenzie McDaniel each had 10 points.

Emporia State will return to action on Tuesday, November 19 for a non-conference matchup against Newman in White Auditorium. Tipoff between the Lady Hornets and Jets is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.