February 14, 2026 – In a game where neither team led by more than nine points and featured nine lead changes, the Lady Hornets outlasted the Lopers 78-75 on the road Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Three lead changes within three minutes as the Lady Hornets held a slim 9-7 on a
Gracie Gilpin triple. Gilpin's three also moved her into third place by herself on the career three pointers made list 212 during her time at Emporia State.
After the Lopers pulled level, Emporia State scored nine of the next 12 points to take an 18-12 lead before holding a 22-18 edge heading to the second.
In the second quarter, Emporia State eventually built their largest lead of the game, a 34-25 advantage with 4:26 remaining in the first half. The Lopers closed the Lady Hornet lead to 38-35 heading into the break.
Both teams shot an even 50% from the floor in the first half, but Emporia State went just 1-9 from beyond the arc.
Following the break, both teams started slowly on the offensive end before four more lead changes which resulted in a 46-45 Emporia State lead at the 5:11 mark. Nebraska-Kearney tied the game on three occasions in the last three minutes of the quarter, but the Lady Hornets held a narrow 58-57 lead heading to the fourth.
The final two lead changes happened early in the fourth before Emporia State built their largest lead of the second half on a pair of
Gracie Gilpin free throws with 2:20 remaining to make the score 69-62.
Nebraska-Kearney closed the lead to just three points with 38 seconds remaining, but Emporia State made five of six free throws in the final 30 seconds to help seal a 78-75 win over the Lopers.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
Despite making just three triples in the game, Emporia State shot a season-best 50.9% from the floor. Five different Lady Hornets scored in double figures, with
Gracie Gilpin leading Emporia State with 19 points. After setting a new season-high in the last game against Fort Hays State,
Makenzie McDaniel scored 15 points.
UP NEXT
The Lady Hornets return home on Saturday, February 21 for a matchup against Newman from White Auditorium. Tipoff between the Jets and Emporia State is set for 1:30 p.m.
