February 15, 2025 – The Hornet men shot over 50% in the game, but were unable to contain the Lopers on the road, falling 87-75 against Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday.
The game started with the Hornets and Lopers trading baskets through the first four minutes, with Nebraska-Kearney holding a slim 10-9 lead over Emporia State at the 15:42 mark of the first half. The Lopers built their largest first half lead over the next two minutes, scoring nine straight points to take a 19-9 lead over the Hornets.
Emporia State answered back with a 10-2 scoring run of their own, trimming the Loper lead to 21-19 coming out of the under ten media timeout. Nebraska-Kearney maintained the lead throughout the remainder of the first half, with the Hornets trimming the deficit to as little as one on a three from
Brayson Laube at the 3:11 mark, making the score 35-34. Emporia State went into the halftime break trailing 42-39.
In the first half, the Hornets 46.7% and 5-12 from three while the Lopers shot 59.3% from the floor and 6-11 from three. Emporia State also narrowly trailed on the glass, with Nebraska-Kearney holding a 16-14 rebounding edge in the first 20 minutes.
Following the break, a three-point play by
Chris Harris brought the score level at 42-42 at the 19:48 mark. The Lopers restored a five-point lead, 56-51 over the Hornets, at the 15:09 mark before Emporia State put together eight straight points, taking a 59-56 lead, their first advantage since leading 5-3 in the first two minutes.
The Lopers were able to respond, scoring 11 of the next 13 points and building a 67-61 lead with 9:07 remaining. Emporia State was able to cut the deficit to one-possession just one more time on a layup from Laube with 4:55 left, making the score 73-70.
Nebraska-Kearney again extended out their lead, building an 82-72 advantage with just over two minutes remaining, the first double-digit deficit of the game for the Hornets. The Hornets were unable to mount a comeback in the final minutes, falling to the Lopers 87-75.
Arhman Lewis led Emporia State with 16 points while Malik Edwards and
Brayson Laube had 15 and 13 points respectively. The Hornets shot 15-25 in the second half but committed seven turnovers. The Lopers shot 14-29 from the floor and 13-18 from the free throw line. Emporia State was outrebounded 19-11 in the second half.
The Hornets will be back in action on Saturday, February 22 as they take on Newman in Wichita. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
