Men's Basketball | 1/9/2026 1:30:00 PM

GAME 15
Emporia State (4-10, 0-5 MIAA) vs. NEb.-Kearney (8-8, 1-4 MIAA)
Saturday, January 10 • 1:36 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • WL White Auditorium
Series Record: UNK leads 26-25 • Last Meeting: at UNK 87, ESU 75 (Feb. 15, 2025)
Radio: KFFX 104.9FM 
Internet Audio: kvoe.com | Television: The Spot | Internet Video: The MIAA Network
Live Stats | Ticket Info | Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: #1 Washburn • 7:30 p.m. • January 15 • Emporia, Kan. • WL White Auditorium

IN THE SPOT LIGHT 
Emporia State takes on Neb.-Kearney in the MIAA  TV Game of the Week.



ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 4-10, 0-5 in the MIAA. Chris Harris leads the Hornets at 13.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Four of their losses have been by five points or less. 

ABOUT THE LOPERS
Neb.-Kearney is 8-8, 1-4 in the MIAA. Ja'Bryant Hill is their leading scorer at 17.2 points per game to lead four Lopers in double figures while Anthony Swift averages 6.6 boards per game.

ABOUT THE COACHES
Tom Billeter is 505-302 in his 28th season as a head coach and is 15-28 in his second season at Emporia State after going 394-224 in 21 years at Augustana. With the Vikings he won the 2016 National Championship, went to nine NCAA Tournaments, won three regular season NSIC Championships, two NSIC Tourney Championships, and 18 consecutive winning seasons.  He is 0-2 against the Lopers at Emporia State while he is 4-5 against UNK overall.
Marty Levinson is 20-24 in his second year at Neb.-Kearney and 115-78 in seven years overall. He is 2-0 against Emporia State.

SERIES HISTORY WITH THE LOPERS
This will be the 52nd meeting between the two teams with UNK leading 26-25 all-time. Emporia State leads 11-9 in MIAA play and has won five of the last eight games in the series.

LAST TIME VS NEB.-KEARNEY
The Hornet men shot over 50%, but were unable to contain the Lopers on the road, falling 87-75 at Neb.-Kearney.
Neb.-Kearney held a 10-9 lead at the 15:42 mark of the first half then scored nine straight to take a 19-9 lead. Emporia State answered back with a 10-2 scoring run of their own, trimming the Loper lead to 21-19. The Hornets went to the break trailing 42-39. Emporia State used an 8-0 run to take a 59-56 lead but UNK answered with an 11-2 run to take a 67-61 lead with 9:07 remaining. A 9-2 run gave the Lopers an 82-72 advantage with just over two minutes remaining before closing out the 87-75 win. Arhman Lewis led Emporia State with 16 points while Malik Edwards and Brayson Laube had 15 and 13 points respectively. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Hornet men battled back from a double-digit second half deficit before falling 73-70 against Fort Hays State. There were 11 lead changes in the first half before a three from Jack Weigus put the Hornets up 32-31 entering halftime. The Tigers opened the second half on an 8-1 run and took their biggest lead at 57-46 with 8:17 left.  The Hornets chipped away and cut the deficit to 72-70 with five seconds left on a Justin Mack putback. Kyle Grill hit one of two free throws with 2.5 seconds left to leave the door open but ESU was unable to convert on full court pass play. Chris Harris scored a career-high 24 points and tied Treyvon Taylor with eight rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Hornets continue their homestand on Thursday, January 15 against top ranked Washburn. Tip-off for the Turnpike Tussle is set for 7:30 p.m.