Men's Basketball | 2/24/2026 2:52:00 PM

GAME 27
Emporia State (9-17, 5-12 MIAA) at Missouri Western (18-10, 10-7 MIAA)
Wednesday, February 25 • 7:30 p.m. • St. Joseph, Mo. • Looney Fieldhouse
Series Record: MWSU leads 50-38 • Last Meeting: MWSU 84, at ESU 74 (Dec. 6, 2025)
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: Northwest Missouri • 3:30 p.m. • February 28 • Emporia, Kan. • WL White Auditorium

MADNESS STARTS EARLY 
Emporia State travels to Missouri Western in a must win game for ESU's MIAA Tournament chances.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 9-17, 5-12 in the MIAA and have played the fifth toughest schedule in the country. They are third in the MIAA in three-pointers per game. Chris Harris averages 12.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Trey Redd leads the MIAA in assist to turnover ratio and needs 11 assists to move into the ESU single season top ten. 

ABOUT THE GRIFFONS
Mo. Western is 18-10, 10-7 in the MIAA. They lead the MIAA in free throws and turnovers per game and have the fewest fouls called against them in the league. Marko PAvlovic is second in the MIAA in rebounding.

ABOUT THE COACHES
Tom Billeter is 510-309 in his 28th season as a head coach and is 20-35 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 2-1 against Missouri Western at Emporia State and went 0-2 against the Griffons while at Augustana.
Brooks McKowen is 18-10 in his first year at Missouri Western and 227-158 in his 13th year overall. He is 1-0 against Emporia State.

SERIES HISTORY WITH THE GRIFFONS
This will be the 89th meeting between Emporia State and Missouri Western with the Griffons holding a 50-38 overall advantage.  The Hornets had won three straight in the series before the Griffons win earlier this season. When Tom Billeter was at Augustana he went 13-8 against Brooks McKowen at Upper Iowa. 

LAST TIME VS MISSOURI WESTERN
The Emporia State men put together a blistering scoring run to begin the second half, which gave the Hornets a brief 56-51 lead, before falling 84-74 to Missouri Western.
Emporia State got off to a slow start against the visiting Griffons, trailing 9-2 four minutes into the contest. The largest lead for the visitors came with just over five minutes remaining in the first half, as Missouri Western's advantage swelled to 37-18 over the Hornets. Emporia State used a 13-6 run to get within 43-31 at the half.
Emporia State began the second half on a 12-2 scoring run that was capped off by an Andrew Pengel corner three to pull within 45-43 with 15:08 left. After the teams traded baskets the Hornets found another run, scoring ten of the next 12, including a Jack Weigus three to force a timeout by the Griffons with the Hornets leading 56-51 at the 10:30 mark.
Missouri Western used a 12-4 run to take a 63-60 lead with 7:44 remaining. Emporia State used a 6-1 run to tie the game at 72 with 2:51 left on a pair of Trey Redd free throws. Noah King hit a three-pointer 16 seconds later to start a 12-4 game ending run by Western.
Emporia State shot 48.2% from the floor and held the Griffons to just 38.6%, but the Griffons held a sizable advantage from the free throw line, going 31 of 40 from the charity stripe compared to just 13 of 14 by the Hornets. Treyvon Taylor was the leading scorer for the Hornets with 16 points while grabbing nine rebounds. Chris Harris joined Taylor in double figures with 11 points.

LAST TIME OUT
After four lead changes in the first four minutes, the Hornet men never looked back as they led for nearly 38 minutes in a dominating 92-63 win over Newman on Saturday afternoon. After an Andrew Pengel three at the 16:33 mark, Emporia State never looked back. Emporia State's advantage first reached double-digits at the 12:46 mark, as a Chris Harris three put the Hornets ahead 22-12 and forced a timeout by the visitors. Emporia State controlled the last seven minutes of the first half, putting together a 17-3 scoring run as Emporia State led 47-25 at halftime. Following the break, the Hornet lead never dipped below 20 points and grew to as much as 36 points with just under seven minutes left. Trey Redd picked up a steal and slam and was followed by Andrew Pengel's fourth three to build an 82-46 lead. The Hornets closed out the final minutes on their way to a 92-63 win over Newman.
Andrew Pengel led four Hornets in double figures with 20 points while shooting 4-8 from three. Dallas Bear had four threes of his own and 14 points with Treyvon Taylor and Chris Harris chipping in 13 and 12 respectively. Emporia State shot 54.3% from the floor, their third-highest mark of the season.

UP NEXT
The Hornets play host to NW Missouri on Saturday at White Auditorium. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m.

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