February 25, 2026 – The Hornet men shot nearly 70% in the first half, but struggled offensively in the second as they fell 92-78 on the road against Missouri Western on Wednesday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The scoring started slowly for Emporia State through the first five minutes, as the Griffons held a 16-9 advantage at the 15:01 mark. The Hornets picked up their offense over the next fine, making seven of their next eight shots, including a
Dallas Bear three with 10:00 on the clock to cut the Missouri Western lead to 26-24.
Emporia State continued their hot shooting into the halftime break, making ten of their last 15 attempts in the first half, capping a 20-29 shooting performance in the first 20 minutes to lead 50-48 over the Griffons at halftime.
The Hornets' 50 first-half points are the most Emporia State has scored in a half this season.
Following the break, Emporia State and Missouri Western each scored 11 points over the four minutes, with
Chris Harris' fourth three of the game giving the Hornets a 61-59 lead with 16:04 remaining. However, after the Harris triple, Emporia State missed their next six attempts as the Griffons put together an 11-2 scoring run to take a 70-63 lead.
Treyvon Taylor converted a layup with 10:02 left to cut the deficit to five, but Taylor's bucket proved to be just one of five field goals made in the final 16 minutes. Missouri Western was able to expand on their lead late in the game as the Hornets eventually fell 92-78.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
Emporia State shot 69% in the first half, but just 29.6% in the final 20 minutes.
Treyvon Taylor had a team-high 20 points, including 5-5 from the free throw line.
Andrew Pengel (16 points) and
Chris Harris (15) joined Taylor in double-figures, with Harris going 4-7 from three, his third game with four or more this season. Harris also led the Hornets with seven rebounds.
UP NEXT
Emporia State will wrap up the season on Saturday, February 28 against Northwest Missouri from White Auditorium. Tipoff between the Hornets and Bearcats is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
NOTES
With the loss, Emporia State has been eliminated from contention for the MIAA Tournament.