The Lady Hornets beat their rivals, the Washburn Ichabods with a final score of 98-61, Saturday afternoon in White Auditorium. Emporia State outscored the Ichabods on senior day by 31 in the final 20
minutes.
The Lady Hornets had a 36-30 advantage at the break. The 62 points scored in the second half was more than ESU scored in total points in their first meeting with Washburn this season.
Seven Hornet players finished with double figures. Kelly Moten, junior guard, who lead all scorers with 22 points, moved to 19th on ESU’s all-time scoring list with her performance. She would also add six assists, five steals and three blocks in what was her second-straight 20-plus point game.
“She looked like a WNBA player playing against high school kids,” said Ron McHenry Washburn’s head coach.
ESU’s made 28-30 shots from the foul line.
“Our team has an attacking mentality,” said Kelsey Barnwell, senior guard. “When we get inside we either lay it up or pass to an open teammate. Today, we were able to knock down a bunch of those kinds of shots.”
The Lady Hornet’s used lock-down defense to complement their offensive performances. The Ichabods shot 33 percent for the game and 29 percent shooting after the break. They were outscored 31-7 in the fourth quarter.
“That was probably as a complete game as we’ve had,” said Jory Collins, ESU head coach. “They made some plays, but obviously offensively in the second half we came out and just were attacking and had a really aggressive mindset and made shots.”
The Lady Hornets have now won nine straight games against the Ichabods, but Collins still feels excitement and a sense of accomplishment with each win.
“Sure, it feels great each and every time we beat a rival,” Collins said. “You look at the history of this matchup and just how consistently good each team has been and you realize what an accomplishment this kind of streak is.”
Barnwell contributed 10 points to the ESU win.
“It was so much fun,” Barnwell said. “Everyone wants to go out on top like this. It was an awesome game.”
Sandra Ngoie, senior forward, said the game had an added feel of
redemption.
“I’m not as sad as I was during my last senior night,” Ngoie said, referring to a 79-55 loss she experienced as a member of George Mason’s women’s basketball team last season. “It was emotional, but it was a happy emotional.”
The Lady Hornets are preparing for postseason play. ESU will take on Central Oklahoma at 8:15 p.m. today at the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City.
