Emporia State Lady Hornets defeated No. 25 nationally ranked Pittsburg State at White Auditorium on Jan. 17. PSU entered the game with an overall record of 12-4.
ESU took an early four-point lead with a 16-12 score after the first quarter. Going into the half, the Hornets continued their push leading 33-24.
Despite a late 21-15 run for the Gorillas in the fourth quarter, the Hornets came out victorious with a final score of 71-59.
Leading the team in the victory was senior guard Katie Horyna with a total of 17 points. Senior forward Faith Paramore added another 16 points for ESU.
Another top performer for the Hornets was new transfer Gracie Gilpin. Gilpin is a sophomore guard transfer from Cowley Community College where she averaged a total of 11.5 points per game and shot .321 from the three point line. Gilpin contributed another 16 points to the Hornets’ victory.
Even with a Hornets win, the Gorillas outshot the Hornets in field goal percentage, shooting a .415 and holding ESU to a .377. However, the Hornets claimed three-point shots outscoring PSU .250 to .150.
The Lady Hornets are now 9-8 overall and 6-5 in conference play. Recent MIAA polls have ESU ranked at No. 9 in the conference.
ESU will now face Nebraksa Kearney on Jan. 25 in Kearney, NE. The Lopers are ranked No. 6 in MIAA play with an overall record of 12-5.