December 4, 2025 – The Lady Hornets put together a fourth quarter surge to force overtime, before falling 77-69 on the road at Northwest Missouri on Thursday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the first quarter, the Lady Hornets and Bearcats traded baskets throughout the frame. Northwest Missouri held the largest lead in the first, as a three by Yosten put the hosts ahead 19-13 in the final minute.
Katiya Casey closed the period with the Lady Hornets first three of the game, as the score was 19-16 through one.
The second period proved to be a struggle offensively for both the Lady Hornets and Bearcats, as the two teams combined to shoot just 4-24 from the floor, with Emporia State tallying just one field goal. Entering the halftime break, the Lady Hornet trailed 26-20.
Following the break, Northwest Missouri restored their offense in the first half of the quarter, scoring the first seven points and outscoring the Lady Hornets 17-8 over the first five minutes of the second half. The lead grew to as much as 47-28 before Emporia State found their rhythm to close the deficit. The Lady Hornets outscored the Bearcats 14-5, including the final eight of the third to make the score 52-42 heading to the fourth.
The momentum carried over into the fourth for the Lady Hornets, as they scored 12 of the first 16 points in the frame, trimming the Bearcat lead to 56-54. Following consecutive baskets by the Bearcats, Emporia State scored eight of the final ten points, which included a layup by Casey with seven seconds remaining to tie the game 62-62. Emporia State got a stop on the final possession to force overtime.
In the extra period, a layup from
Kaitlyn Sanders at the 4:05 mark put the Lady Hornets ahead for the first time since the first quarter. However, after the basket by Sanders, Emporia State struggled over the final four minutes, as the Bearcats outscored the Lady Hornets 15-5 as Emporia State fell 77-69 in overtime in their MIAA opener.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
Kaitlyn Sanders led all scorers with 26 points while adding four rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Macey Gandee and
Gracie Gilpin joined Sanders in double figures with 14 and 11 points each.
As a team, the Lady Hornets shot 45.5% compared to just 36.2% by the Bearcats, but Northwest Missouri held a 50-33 rebounding advantage, including a 24-5 edge in second chance points. Emporia State just 13-27 from the free throw line, while the Bearcats shot 19-24 in their opportunities from the stripe.
UP NEXT
The Lady Hornets will be back in action on Saturday, December 6 as they return home for a matchup against Missouri Western. Tipoff from White Auditorium between the Griffons and Emporia State is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
