The Lady Hornets will advance in the MIAA tournament after a fourth quarter comeback over Northeastern State in Kansas City, winning 46-44.

This marks the first time the Hornets have advanced to the second round of the MIAA Tournament since 2024. 

The game started slowly, with a shooting average of 27.1% in the first 20 minutes. Northeastern went on an 8-0 run at the end of the first quarter. At the end of the half, the Hornet women still trailed 17-22. 

With little action in the third quarter, brought on by both teams struggling to hit their shots, the Hornets continued to trail 34-29 going into the fourth. 

The RiverHawks made a key three at the start of the fourth, allowing them to lead by eight. In the next five minutes, both teams scored consistently and the lead did not change. With 4:42 on the clock, junior guard Katiya Casey came off the bench and immediately scored a three pointer, followed by senior forward Macey Gandee scoring in the paint. 

Now down only three points, Lady Hornet freshman forward Vanessa Coleman narrowed the RiverHawks lead to just one point with a put back and 3:10 left in the game. At the 2:32 mark Casey hit another three, ending a 10-0 run for the Lady Hornets who scored enough to lead 44-42. After an in-the-paint bucket from the RiverHawks, Casey hit a jumper and retained the Hornet’s two point lead. 

Northeastern faced an offensive foul with 52 seconds left of play and gave ESU possession of the ball. 

Emporia and Northeastern both missed shots during the last seconds of play and Casey rebounded a stray RiverHawk shot to close out the game.

The Lady Hornets will now go on to play the Jennies of Central Missouri at noon on Thursday, March 5 in the MIAA Quarterfinals at Municipal Auditorium. 

The Jennies sit with a 23-5 overall record and 17-2 in conference play for the 2025-26 season. In their latest match up with the Jennies, ESU came out on top after losing to them on the road on New Year’s Day. The Lady Hornets took home a 76-70 win in the Jan. 17 header at White Auditorium. 

In the 2025 MIAA Tournament, the Lady Hornets fell to the Jennies in the first round, sustaining a 59-70 loss to close out the 2024-25 season.