January 17, 2026 – A pair of clutch threes by
Jack Weigus, including one at the final buzzer, helped the Hornet men complete a 16-point second half comeback with an 89-88 overtime win against Central Missouri on Saturday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Central Missouri came out firing in the first five minutes, shooting 7-9 from the floor and 4-6 from three to build an 18-6 lead over Emporia State just over five minutes into the game. Emporia State finally strung together some offense over the next four minutes, putting together a 13-5 scoring run to pull within 23-19 of the Mules.
The run was short-lived, as Central Missouri outscored the Hornets 20-10 over a seven-minute span over the next seven minutes, putting the Mules ahead 43-29 for their largest lead of the first half.
Emporia State would end the first half on the right note, scoring nine of the last 11 points to make the score 45-38 in favor of the Mules at the halftime break.
Following the break, the offense for Emporia State struggled, converting just two of their eight shots to begin the second half. The slow start helped the Mules build a 55-42 advantage at the first media timeout with 15:00 left on the clock. The three-point shooting continued to carry the Central Missouri offense after the timeout, as a Kyran Tilley three gave the Mules their largest lead of the game 60-44, as the visitors were 11-21 from three to that point.
However, Emporia State responded over the next 4:32, outscoring the Mules 18-5 which included four triples and three from
Dallas Bear to cut the Central Missouri lead to 65-62 with 9:25 remaining.
Central Missouri briefly put together a 70-64 lead before the Hornets fought back again with an 8-2 scoring run, capped by a
Trey Redd layup with just under four minutes left to tie the game 72-72.
The lead for the Mules grew back to four points with 1:21 remaining, as four consecutive free throws gave Central Missouri a 78-74 lead. With 1:09 remaining,
Jack Weigus split a pair at the line, making the score 78-75, and after a Mules turnover,
Jack Weigus hit his fourth triple of the game with 26.4 remaining to pull the Hornets level.
The Mules had two cracks to win it on their final possession, but both came up empty to send the game into overtime.
In the extra period, Emporia State struggled to convert their early chances, coming up empty on their first possession despite five cracks at the basket. Central Missouri eventually built up an 86-81 lead with 1:16 remaining.
Chris Harris hit a crucial three on the ensuing possession, cutting the deficit to 86-84 with 1:07 to play. Central Missouri committed a critical offensive foul on the next possession, and
Dallas Bear tied the game with a fadeaway in the lane.
The Mules converted on the final offensive look to retake the lead with an 88-86 advantage with just 7.3 second left. After a timeout,
Trey Redd went nearly the length of the court before kicking out to
Jack Weigus in the corner who delivered the game-winner with his fifth three of the game.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
Emporia State shot 48.4% from the floor, including north of 50% in both the first and second half. The Hornets 11-29 from three, their fifth game with double-digits from beyond the arc this season.
Jack Weigus led four Hornets in double figures with a career-high 23 points and five threes, including the final three points in both regulation and overtime.
Chris Harris had 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Dallas Bear and
Trey Redd had 16 and 13 points respectively, with Redd posting a team-high six assists.
UP NEXT
Emporia State will be back in action on Thursday, January 22 in Tahlequah against Northeastern as they begin a southern swing with four games away from home. Tipoff between the Hornets and Riverhawks is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
