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November 14, 2026 - The Emporia State men battled back from a double-digit second half deficit on their way to a 72-68 win over Bemidji State on Saturday afternoon at the Hillyard Tipoff Classic.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Bemidji State opened with possession after winning the tip, but the Hornets opened the scoring as Treyvon Taylor came up with a steal and a layup to put ESU on the board. Both sides struggled to get things going offensively in the first five minutes, as the score favored the Beavers 6-4 at the 14:52 mark for the first media timeout. 

The game stayed within one possession for much of the first half, but Bemidji State opened up their largest first half lead at the 1:22 mark as a John Pecarich made score 26-19 in favor of the Beavers. Jack Weigus followed with five points in the final minutes as ESU trimmed the deficit to two before a layup in the final seconds made the halftime score 28-24. 

Emporia State shot just 11-35 in the first 20 minutes, including 1-10 from three as their first make came from Weigus at the 25 second mark of the first half.

After the halftime break, Bemidji State expanded on their lead over the first six minutes, eventually building their largest lead over the Hornets with 14:16 remaining as ESU trailed 48-38. The Hornets were able to put together their biggest run of the day right after, as nine points by Chris Harris on a pair of three-point plays and a three-point jumper along with a three by Karlis Vavers powered a 12-0 run to put Emporia State ahead 50-48 with 11:25 to play.

Minutes later, the Hornets built their largest lead of the day, as they held a 56-51 advantage with 8:51 remaining. However, Bemidji State put together a scoring run of their own, scoring eight of the next ten points on their way to a 59-58 lead with 4:55 to play. 

The Hornets would respond with the next six points over two minutes, as a pair of Vavers' free throws restored the five-point lead, as Emporia State led 64-59 with 2:44 on the clock. The Beavers closed the gap to one point twice in the final two minutes. First, with the score at 64-63, the Hornets got a three from Jack Weigus with 1:25 remaining to push the lead to four. 

The Beavers would then pull back within one on a Pecarich three with 25 seconds left. Emporia State would split their next trip to the free throw line, doubling their advantage as Bemidij State gained possession down two. BSU's shot attempt was blocked out of bounds by Treyvon Taylor, and on the ensuing inbounds pass, Jack Weigus came away with a steal before being fouled. Weigus then made both at the stripe to seal the 72-68 win for Emporia State. 

A LOOK AT THE STATS
Emporia State shot 39.4 percent from the floor and just 4-20 from three on the night, but made 16-18 free throws. The Hornets committed just four turnovers while forcing 17 from the Beavers which proved crucial, as Emporia State outscored Bemidji State 23-4 in points off turnovers. 

Chris Harris led the Hornets with 23 points on 7-16 shooting, while converting all eight free throws. Treyvon Taylor had 14 points along with a team-high seven rebounds. Jack Weigus joined Harris and Taylor in double figures with 11 points, with ten of his total coming in the final two minutes of each half.

UP NEXT
Emporia State will return to Emporia for their home opener on Tuesday, November 17 as they take on Kansas Christian College at White Auditorium. Tipoff between the Hornets and Eagles is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.