Women's Basketball | 2/20/2026 6:11:00 PM

GAME 26
Emporia State (13-12, 7-9 MIAA) vs. Newman (7-18, 1-15 MIAA)
Saturday, February 21, 2026 • 1:30 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • WL White Auditorium
Series Record: ESU leads 24-6 Last Meeting: ESU 69, at NU 63 (2/22/25)
Radio: KFFX 104.9FM
Internet Audio: kvoe.com | Television: None | Internet Video: The MIAA Network
Live Stats | Ticket Info | Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: at Missouri Western • February 25 • 5:30 p.m. • St. Joseph, Mo. • Looney Fieldhouse

PENULTIMATE WEEK   
The Lady Hornets return to White Auditorium to take on Newman. Emporia State will wrap up the regular season with two of their last three games at home.

ABOUT THE LADY HORNETS
Emporia State is 13-12, 7-9 in the MIAA.  They are second in the MIAA in three-point percentage defense and fourth in the league in assists. Gracie Gilpin leads the MIAA in three-pointers made and averages 12.9 points per game. Kaitlyn Sanders is sixth in the MIAA at 15.8 points per game off the bench.  

ABOUT THE JETS
Newman is 7-18 overall and 1-15 in the MIAA. They lead the MIAA in three-point attempts. Alexis Martin is second in the league in made three-pointers.

ABOUT THE COACHES
MJ Baker is 13-12 in her first season with the Lady Hornets and is 64-58 in her fourth year as a head coach at a four year institution. She has won 347 games as a collegiate coach and comes to Emporia State after an eight year run at Eastern Florida State College.  She went 183-58 with three conference championships and three trips to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament during her time at EFSC.  This is her first meeting with Newman.
Amy Briggs is 16-65 in her third season at Newman. She is 2-2 against Emporia State.

SERIES HISTORY
The Lady Hornets lead the series 24-6 with four of the six losses coming in Wichita. The visiting team has won the last four meetings.

LAST TIME VS NEWMAN
The Lady Hornets got off to a strong start and led for nearly 38 minutes as they took down Newman 69-63 in Wichita. The Jets scored the first three points before Emporia State put together a 14-2 scoring run. The Lady Hornets closed out the quarter with a Makenzie McDaniel layup to lead 21-8 heading into the second. Emporia State shot 50% from the field while limiting Newman to just 19.2% in the first half as the Lady Hornets took a 36-18 lead into the halftime break. Newman improved to nearly 60% shooting in the third quarter, out-scoring Emporia State 23-18 in the period as the Lady Hornets held a 54-41 lead heading to the fourth. The Jets opened the fourth quarter on a 10-0 scoring run as they trimmed the Lady Hornet lead to 54-51. After two Newman free throws to cut the lead to one, Emporia State scored five of the next seven to boost their lead back to 59-55 with 5:09 remaining. A Jet three with 2:10 remaining cut Emporia State's advantage to 61-60. Katie Horyna scored the next four points from the free throw line to make it 65-60, and despite another Newman three, the Lady Hornets closed out the game with four Gracie Gilpin free throws to clinch the win. Gracie Gilpin led all scorers with 23 points and was joined in double figures by Makenzie McDaniel with 16 points.

LAST TIME OUT
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 Saturday afternoon in Kearney, Neb.  There were three lead changes within three minutes as the Lady Hornets held a slim 9-7 on a Gracie Gilpin triple. 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. Emporia State 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. 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.
Emporia State shot a season-best 50.9% from the floor. Gracie Gilpin led the Lady Hornets with 19 points, Makenzie McDaniel scored 15 points, Micah Hannah had 14 points and a career high 12 rebounds, while Vanessa Coleman and Kaitlyn Sanders each scored 11 points.

UP NEXT
The Lady Hornets head to St. Joseph, Mo. to take on Missouri Western in their final regualr season road trip. Tip-off from the Looney Complex is set for 5:30 p.m. 

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