18 January 2024
EMPORIA (KSNT) – Emporia State basketball fans were a part of two loud, fun basketball games.
Both the men’s and women’s teams beat Pitt State on Wednesday night. The men won, 70-61. The women also won, 71-59.
Men’s recap:
The Hornets (12-6, 5-5 MIAA) started the game on the right foot with a 7-0 lead. Pitt State cut the lead to three shortly after, but that’s as close as it got in the first half. ESU led 32-24 at the half.
The Gorillas opened the second half with a 6-0 run. Owen Long ended it with a 3-pointer to keep the Hornets’ lead just out of reach. The Gorillas stayed about five points off of the lead, but Emporia State grew its lead when three-point shooting got hot. The Hornets ended the game on a 7-0 run to get to the nine-point win.
Women’s recap:
The Lady Hornets got head coach Brian Ostermann his first top-25 win.
Emporia State (9-7, 6-4 MIAA) went on an early 11-2 run to force Pitt State to play catch-up. The Gorillas cut the Lady Hornet lead to 18-16 in the first two minutes of the second quarter, but that was the smallest the lead got for the rest of the half. ESU led 33-24 at the half.
No. 25 Pitt State tried to catch up in the second, but Emporia State answered every few scores with a big run. The Lady Hornets end it with a 12-point win.
Next, both teams host Missouri Southern on Sunday.