EMPORIA, Kan. – The East Central University women's basketball team headed up north to Emporia to face off against non-conference MIAA opponent Emporia State University. A relentless effort on the glass, aggressive three-point shooting, and standout individual performances propelled the Tigers to a 79-67 victory over the Hornets.
ECU gets back into the win column to improve to 2-2 on the season after their hard-fought win over Emporia. This win was especially meaningful for Head Coach Heather Hurt, who played her final season and began her coaching career with the Hornets.
"We played extremely hard tonight," Hurt said. "We did a great job rebounding and executing the game plan. Claira was phenomenal. Chloe had a very nice double-double. Tatum made shots and provided a spark for us off the bench. Players stepped into different roles or had to play different positions due to injuries. Really proud of our bounce back and resiliency to win on the road."
ECU came out strong, starting with an 11-0 run in the first five minutes, but Emporia responded with their own 8-0 run to narrow the gap with three minutes remaining in the first quarter. Both teams would trade buckets to equalize the game at 15 at the end of the first. It was clear that ECU came out with the mindset to shoot the three-ball this game, attempting 19 three-pointers in the first quarter alone—more than double their total from previous games.
Emporia briefly took the lead early in the second quarter, 21-16, but ECU clawed their way back to knot it at 30. With just over three minutes left to go in the half,
Claira Dannefer scored all nine of ECU's final points. Claira had 17 first-half points, shooting a perfect 5-5 from the field and 7-8 from the free-thorw line in two quarters of play.
The second half began with Emporia pushing for another early lead, but ECU responded with a trio of three-pointers—two from
Katie Edelen and one from
Eva Fernandez—to reclaim the lead at 51-44. Emporia would sink back-to-back threes to put them within one with two minutes left to go in the third, but
Tatum Havens went on her own run for the Tigers, scoring seven points in the final minutes, including a steal and an and-one play, pushing the Tigers a 59-53 lead heading into the final period.
The Tigers controlled the final frame, maintaining a double-digit lead for much of the quarter. Strong defense and efficient scoring stretched their lead to a game-high 16 points with just a minute and a half in regulation. ECU closed out the game confidently to seal the 79-67 win.
Four Tigers scored in double figures on the night.
Claira Dannefer and
Katie Edelen played all but one minute of the contest, with Dannefer posting an impressive career-high 28 points on an efficient 10-11 shooting, along with nine assists and two blocks, while Edelen added 13 points and seven rebounds.
Chloe Malone recorded her first double-double as a Tiger with 12 points and 10 rebounds, along with three assists.
Tatum Havens gave the Tigers a spark off of the bench, scoring 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting with two three-pointers on the night. She also went a strong 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.
Eva Fernandez delivered a well-rounded performance scoring nine points, grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing out six assists in 35 minutes of play.
The Tigers dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Hornets 45-29, including 15 offensive boards that generated critical second-chance opportunities. Their aggressive three-point shooting also paid off, as they attempted a season-high 30 shots from beyond the arc.
ECU (now 2-2) returns to action at home on Thursday, December 5th to take on GAC opponent Ouachita Baptist University. Tipoff is set for 5:30PM
