FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
HAYS, Kan. – An impressive defensive effort, a career day from Tatyana Legette and a clutch three-pointer added up to an upset victory of top-ranked Emporia State Saturday afternoon (Dec. 10) inside Gross Memorial Coliseum, 54-51. It was the second-straight year FHSU defeated a top-ranked Lady Hornet team at home and just the second win over the No. 1 team in the country in the program’s NCAA history. The Tigers improve to 8-2 on the year and level out their MIAA record at 2-2. It was Emporia State’s first loss of the year, falling to 9-1 overall and 1-1 in the league.
After the Tigers built a double-digit lead on multiple occasions, the Hornets rallied to close the gap to two with 102 seconds to play on a pair of free throws, 51-49. Kacey Kennett then hit a huge three-pointer from the right wing out of a timeout, stretching the lead to five. Two free throws from ESU’s Kelly Moten made it a one-possession game before a Tiger turnover gave the visitors a chance to tie. Kyrstie Miller’s long-range attempt bounced off the rim and into a mass of players, eventually ruled a jump ball with possession going to the Tigers. ESU made another steal following the next inbounds pass and had two chances to tie, but both three-pointers were off the mark. Nikola Kacperska happily grabbed the final rebound as the buzzer sounded, solidifying the three-point win.
The Tigers held one of the strongest offenses in the country to its lowest regular season scoring output since the 2013-14 season (44 at Northeastern State, 1/22/14). The Hornets entered the game with the ninth-best field goal percentage in the country (47.5 percent) and were held to just 26.3 percent on the day. FHSU wasn’t much better from the field (28.6 percent), but the home team made 22-of-28 free throws to seal the win.
Legette led the team with a personal-best 23 points, posting her second double-double of the year with 10 rebounds. The sophomore was 6-of-9 from the field, with the rest of the team combining to finish 8-of-40. Kennett finished with six points on a pair of three-pointers, including the biggest of her young collegiate career with 73 seconds left.
The Lady Hornets took care of business during the early going, scoring the first eight points and holding FHSU scoreless until just before the five-minute mark. The Tigers closed the gap to one, 10-9, before the visitors stretched the lead to four at the end of the first quarter, 16-12. Legette took over in the second quarter, scoring the final 11 points for the Tigers and helping them take their first lead of the night one minute, 13 seconds before halftime. In fact, the sophomore outscored entire Hornet team in the frame, 11-9.
ESU tied things up twice in the third quarter but was unable to grab the lead at any point after halftime. The Tigers finished the third period on a 9-2 run, going 7-for-7 from the free throw line over the last 72 seconds. The lone FHSU bucket came on a layup from Kacperska after Emma Stroyan found her open under the basket.
The Tigers will take a break from conference play when they host Tabor College at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Gross Memorial Coliseum.