Women's Basketball | 3/4/2026 5:35:00 PM

GAME 30
Emporia State (15-14, 8-11 MIAA) vs. Central Missouri (23-5, 17-2 MIAA)
MIAA Tournament First Round
Wednesday, March 5, 2026 • 12:00 p.m. • Kansas City, Mo. • Municipal Auditorium
Series Record: Series Tied 45-45 Last Meeting: at ESU 76, UCM 70 (1/17/26)
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Up Next: Winner in Semis • March 7• 12:00 p.m. • Kansas City, Mo. • Municipal Auditorium

WE MEET AGAIN   
The Lady Hornets take on top seeded Central Missouri in the MIAA Quarterfinals. It is the 13th meeting between the two in the MIAA Tournament, the most played match up in tourney history.

ABOUT THE LADY HORNETS
Emporia State is 15-14, 8-11 in the MIAA.  They are third in the MIAA in offensive rebounds. Gracie Gilpin is third in the MIAA in total three-pointers made and averages 13.3 points per game. 

ABOUT THE JENNIES
Central Missouri is 23-5, 17-2 in the MIAA and have won 11 straight since losing at ESU. The Jennies lead the MIAA in rebound and scoring margins. Reese Schaaf and Taylor Weishaar were both first-team All-MIAA selections.

ABOUT THE COACHES
MJ Baker is 15-14 in her first season with the Lady Hornets and is 66-60 in her fourth year as a head coach at a four year institution. She has won 349 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 1-1 against Central Missouri.
Dave Slifer is 461-199 in his 22nd year at UCM and 845-298 in his 36th season overall. He is 32-42 all-time against Emporia State, 22-23 at UCM.

SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series is tied at 45-45. The home team has won the last seven meetings on campus. The Lady Hornets hold an 8-4 advantage in MIAA Tournament play and are 3-0 against the Jennies in the NCAA Tournament.  This is their third meeting in the MIAA Quarterfinals with ESU winning the previous three,most recently a 74-69 win in overtime in 2011.

LAST TIME VS CENTRAL MISSOURI
In a game of runs, the Lady Hornets came out on top against the visiting Jennies for a 76-70 win to complete their homestand. Central Missouri closed the first quarter with five straight points, to take a 22-20 lead into the second frame. The Lady Hornets outscored the Jennies 9-2 to end the second quarter and take a 35-32 lead into the break. UCM outscored Emporia State 14-6 over the first five minutes of the third quarter, taking a 46-41 lead. The Lady Hornets then put together a 14-4 run to end the third, including a steal and layup from Kaitlyn Sanders in the final seconds to go ahead 55-50. Emporia State scored nine of the first 13 points of the fourth quarter, expanding their lead to 64-54, which forced a Central Missouri timeout. The Lady Hornets built their largest lead of the game with 4:00 left on a layup from Kaylin Noonan to make the score 68-57. Central Missouri clawed back, eventually closing the gap to 72-70 with 39 seconds left after six points in 13 seconds. The Lady Hornets closed out the game by converting all four free throws to seal the 76-70 win.  Kaitlyn Sanders led the Lady Hornets with 22 points. Vanessa Coleman joined Sanders in double-digits with 18 points  while Micah Hannah had nine rebounds and six assists. 

LAST TIME VS. THE JENNIES IN THE MIAA TOURNAMENT
The season came to a close for the Lady Hornets in the first round of the 2025 MIAA Tournament, as Emporia State fell 70-59 against Central Missouri.
 The Jennies closed the first quarter an 8-0 run, as the Lady Hornets missed their final five attempts of the quarter and trailed 19-12 heading to the second. The scoring run for Central Missouri continued into the second, as six straight points for the Jennies made the score 25-12, the largest lead for Central Missouri in the game. Emporia State responded with ten of the next 12 points, trimming the Jennies' lead to 27-22 with 3:15 remaining before halftime. Like the first, the Lady Hornets missed their final five shots of the quarter as Central Missouri built a 35-24 lead heading to the halftime break.
In the third quarter, the Lady Hornets went 6-15 from the floor and forced four Central Missouri turnovers as they closed the deficit to 47-41 heading to the fourth quarter.
Central Missouri opened the fourth quarter, with a 9-2 scoring run to take a 56-43 lead. Emporia State would cut the lead to as little as eight points, as a three by Gracie Gilpin with 2:30 left made the score 60-52. The Jennies made eight of their ten free throw attempts in the final two minutes. Gracie Gilpin scored a team-high 17 points, shooting 5-8 from three. Katie Horyna had 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

LAST TIME OUT
The Lady Hornets used a 12-2 run over the final 4:42 to post a 46-44 win over Northeastern State in the first round of the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City, Mo.
The teams combined to go 16 of 59 for just 27.1% in the opening 20 minutes.  The RiverHawks used an 8-0 run near the end of the first quarter to take a 15-8 lead after one and led 22-17 at the break.  Emporia State hit just two of 12 shots from the field while Northeastern State was four of 14 as the teams each scored 12 points. The RiverHawks led 34-29 and scored the first points of the furth on a Makala Bingley three-pointer to take an eight point lead. The teams traded scores over the next five minutes as two McKenzie Smith free throws gave NSU a 42-34 lead with 4:42 left.  Katiya Casey came off the bench to hit a three -pointer and Macey Gandee scored on a put back with 3:59 left to get the Lady Hornets within three points. Vanessa Coleman made it a one point game with a put back at the 3:10 mark and Casey hit her second three-pointer with 2:32 left to cap a 10-0 run and give Emporia State a 44-42 lead. Deyanna Douglas scored inside for the RiverHawks with 1:29 left to tie the game but Casey scored on a pull up in the paint 16 seconds later to give the Lady Hornets a 46-44 lead. Douglas was called for an offensive foul with 52 seconds left to give the ball back to ESU.  Gilpin's shot at the end of the shot clock was off and Douglas grabbed the rebound for Northeastern State with 19 seconds left. Emporia State nearly forced a turnover with 3.6 seconds left but the RiverHawks were able to get a timeout.  Gabrielle Tilley's three-pointer was off and Casey grabbed the rebound as time expired.
Gracie Gilpin led Emporia State with 14 points while Macey Gandee scored 11 points with nine rebounds, five steals and five blocks.  Katiya Casey had eight points in ten minutes.

UP NEXT
The winner will take on either Missouri Southern or Northwest Missouri at noon on Saturday, March 7 in Kansas City, Mo. in the MIAA Semifinals.

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