February 15, 2025 – The Lady Hornets trailed by double-digits in the second half and nearly completed the comeback before falling 73-71 on the road against Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday afternoon.
The game started with the Lopers scoring the first five points, which proved to be the largest lead for either team in the first half. Emporia State answered back with five straight points, and then eventually took their first lead at the 6:06 mark of the first quarter on a three by
Gracie Gilpin, making the score 8-7.
Both teams traded baskets over the final six minutes of the quarter, with the Lopers eventually holding a 21-18 lead through the first.
In the second quarter, the Lady Hornets brought the score level on three occasions before a three-point play by
Janiyah Alvarez with 1:17 remaining in the first half put Emporia State ahead 32-31. The Lopers scored on the next possession before a three by
Elizabeth Tjaden put the Lady Hornets ahead 35-33. Nebraska-Kearney made a three in the final seconds before halftime as the Lady Hornets entered the break trailing 36-35.
Emporia State shot 14-30 in the first half and 5-13 from three while limiting the Lopers to 14-38 shooting and just 4-19 from three. Nebraska-Kearney held a 23-19 rebounding advantage over the Lady Hornets.
Following the break, the Lopers opened the second half on a 12-2 scoring that lasted just over four minutes before a three by
Jayla Cornelius ended the run at the 5:39 mark of the third. The Hornets worked to close the Loper lead, eventually trimming the deficit to 56-54 on a jump shot by Cornelius with eight seconds left. Nebraska-Kearney got a three at the buzzer by Aschoff to make the score 59-54 heading to the final quarter.
The Lady Hornets opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 scoring run, taking a 62-59 lead over the Lopers with 8:24 remaining. The lead would change hands over the next three minutes, before Emporia State took their largest lead of the game with 4:34 left, as a layup by Cornelius made the score 68-64.
Nebraska-Kearney scored the next five points, before a three by
Gracie Gilpin with 3:19 remaining put the Lady Hornets back in front 71-69. The three by Gilpin proved to. Be the final points for Emporia State for the remainder of the game.
The Lopers pulled level with 2:44 left and retook the lead 73-71 with a layup in the final 20 seconds. Emporia State got a look from three by Horyna in the final seconds that came off the rim as the Lady Hornets fell 73-71 on the road.
Gracie Gilpin led all scorers with 23 points, shooting 7-12 from the floor and 6-9 from three.
Jayla Cornelius scored 12 while
Makenzie McDaniel and
Macey Gandee each had ten of their own.
Katie Horyna had seven points and a career-high nine assists.
Emporia State will be back in action on Saturday, February 22 as they travel to take on Newman. Tip off between the Hornets and Jets is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in Wichita.
