The Lady Hornet basketball team captured their fourth straight MIAA Tournament title with an 80-66 victory over Pittsburg State Sunday afternoon in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Gorillas, coming off an MIAA Tournament record of 16-made three-pointers in Saturday’s game, went 2-13 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes. Emporia State shot 48 percent in the half. At the break, the score read 37-33, in favor of the Hornets.

The score would remain tight until the beginning of the final quarter. ESU went on a 7-1 run to end the third, extending their lead to 59-53. A 10-4 run with 6:22 remaining pushed their lead into double digits. The Hornets would outscore PSU, 21-13, in the quarter to seal the win.  Pittsburg State shot 29 percent from three for the game and 39 percent overall.

Kathryn Flott, junior forward,  recorded 17 points and 13 rebounds on her way to the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player honors. 

Kelly Moten, junior guard, chipped in with 17 points of her own as Sandra Ngoie, senior forward, contributed another 14 points in the Hornet win. Both Moten and Ngoie earned All-Tournament team honors.

Emporia State is now 40-13 all-time in the MIAA Tournament, good for the highest win percentage in event history. With the victory, the Lady Hornets secured the MIAA’s automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament and earned a 1-seed in the Central Region.

The Lady Hornets (26-5, 17-5) will take on 8-seeded Northern State (23-7, 17-5) at 2:30 p.m. Friday in John Lance Arena at Pittsburg.