Women's Basketball | 2/24/2026 2:37:00 PM

GAME 27
Emporia State (14-12, 8-9 MIAA) at Missouri Western (11-15, 7-10 MIAA)
Wednesday, February 25, 2026 • 5:30 p.m. • St. Joseph, Mo. • Looney Fieldhouse
Series Record: ESU leads 61-42 Last Meeting: at ESU 69, MWSU 59 (12/6/25)
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: Northwest Missouri • February 28 • 1:30 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • WL White Auditorium

GETTING READY FOR MARCH   
The Lady Hornets will battle for seeding in the MIAA Tournament when they travel to St. Joseph, Mo. to take on Missouri Western.

ABOUT THE LADY HORNETS
Emporia State is 14-12, 8-9 in the MIAA.  They are third in the MIAA in three-point percentage defense and offensive rebounds. Gracie Gilpin is third in the MIAA in three-pointers made and averages 13.3 points per game. Kaitlyn Sanders is fifth in the MIAA at 15.5 points per game off the bench.  

ABOUT THE GRIFFONS
Missouri Western is 11-15, 7-10 in the MIAA and have won five of their last six. They lead the MIAA in steals and made three pointers. Ana Oliveira Dias is second in the MIAA in steals while Mia Morel is third in the league in scoring.

ABOUT THE COACHES
MJ Baker is 14-12 in her first season with the Lady Hornets and is 65-58 in her fourth year as a head coach at a four year institution. She has won 348 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.  She is 1-0 against Missouri Western.
Luke Scheidecker is 11-15 in his first year at MWSU. He is 0-1 against Emporia State.

SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State holds a 61-42 overall advantage however Missouri Western had won seven straight before the Lady Hornets win earlier this year. The Lady Hornets and Griffons have met 14 times in the post season with Emporia State leading 7-4 in MIAA Tournament action and 3-0 in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Hornets won four straight MIAA Tournament championship games against the Griffons from 1998-2001.

LAST TIME VS MISSOURI WESTERN
A strong second quarter helped propel the Lady Hornets to a 69-59 win on Saturday afternoon over Missouri Western in their MIAA home opener. Missouri Western built a 12-4 advantage with just over four minutes remaining in the first frame. Over the final four minutes, the Lady Hornets closed on 13-4 scoring run to take a 17-16 lead into the second quarter. Emporia State out-scored the Griffons 21-4 to start the second before a three in the final seconds cut the Lady Hornet lead to 38-23 entering the break.  The teams played to a 15-15 tie in the third quarter and Missouri Western used a 13-4 run over the first six minutes of the fourth to get within 57-51 with 4:02 remaining. With the lead at 61-55 at the 1:21 mark, a three by Gracie Gilpin put the Lady Hornets ahead by nine. The Lady Hornets would make five of their final six free throw attempts to ice the 69-59 win for Emporia State. Macey Gandee led all scorers with 20 points while Kaitlyn Sanders and Katiya Casey had 12 and 11 points each. Kaylin Noonan had a career high ten rebounds for the Lady Hornets.

LAST TIME OUT
The Lady Hornets never trailed on Saturday and withstood eleven Newman threes to down the Jets 71-59 from White Auditorium.
Emporia State held a 14-9 advantage over Newman heading to the second frame when Newman's three-point shooting began to show. The Jets hit four of seven from beyond the arc in the second and  cut the trimmed the advantage to one point on multiple occasions, but the Lady Hornets ended the first half with a 33-27 lead. The Lady Hornets scored eight of the first eleven points of the third to build their first double-digit lead of the afternoon, a 41-30 advantage. Later in the quarter, with Emporia State leading 46-36, Gracie Gilpin drilled her fourth three of the game to give her 18 on the day. With the triple, Gilpin also surpassed 1,000 points in her career. Gilpin would add another two points in the final minute of the third as Emporia State took a 51-39 lead into the final quarter. In the fourth, Emporia State eventually built their largest lead of the day, a 65-47 advantage with just over three minutes remaining on their way to sealing the 71-59 win over the Jets. 
Emporia State outrebounded the Jets 49-29 which included a 19-6 edge on the offensive glass. Gracie Gilpin led all scorers with 22 points while Kaitlyn Sanders had 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

UP NEXT
The Lady Hornets return to White Auditorium for Senior Day against Northwest Missouri. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 28.

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