Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams hit the road this past weekend and copied each other’s game. Both teams narrowly lost on Thursday to Emporia, before defeating the Emporia University Jets in a strange case of déjà vu.
The men’s team was neck and neck with Emporia for the entirety of the match, down 48-44 at halftime. Things would remain close until the very end, as Pitt State trailed 78-72 with 3:04 to play in the game, but Rogers hit a 3-pointer at the 2:07 mark to make it a 78-75 game. After ESU’s Trey Redd made a driving basket, freshman Mason English countered with a triple to trim the margin to 80-78 with 34 ticks left. Dallas Bear made one of two free throws for the Hornets with 11 seconds to go for an 81-78 margin; and Rogers missed a guarded 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left sealing the ESU win.
Junior Connor Rogers and Mason English combined for 52 points to pace the Gorillas. Rogers scored 23 of his game-high 29 points in the first half, while English tallied 16 of his 23 points in the second half. Redshirt junior Donald Coats chipped in with ten points and eight rebounds for the Gorillas. English had six assists to go with his 23-point scoring production.
Saturday’s game would turn out much differently for the Gorillas, as they steamrolled the Newman Jets, 95-57. Pitt State would jump out of the gate swinging, going on a 24-2 run before taking a 51-22 lead at halftime. The points continued to flow in the second half, culminating in an easy victory.
For the Gorillas, English posted a 23-point, 10-assist double-double to lead the team in scoring and assists provided. Coats had eighteen, redshirt junior Hayden Shanks had seventeen, and Rogers had twelve, rounding out all the double-digit scorers. As a team, Pittsburg State shot .548 from the field, .444 from distance and .789 from the charity stripe while holding a 24-2 advantage on points off turnovers over Newman.
The women’s team held a thin lead over the Hornets early, outscoring them 17-14 after the first quarter. Things would continue to sway back and forth, with the Gorillas holding a 36-33 lead at halftime. Emporia would manage to tie it up at 47 apiece after the third quarter, while neither team in the fourth quarter was able to get a lead larger than four, with four ties and four lead changes dictating the final quarter. The Hornets trailed by a single point with 2.4 seconds remaining, but a last second buzzer beater by the Hornets would give them the final lead.
Freshman Kaycee McCumber collected her seventh double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Freshman Marin Adams finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and a team-high three steals. Senior Harper Schreiner and freshman Cambrie Phillips both came away with 10 points.
The women’s team struggled much more with their game against Emporia, as they trailed 33-38 at halftime against the Gorillas. It took a strong second half effort from the Gorillas to pull out with the win 81-76.
Senior guard Harper Schreiner finished with a season-high 26 points to go with nine rebounds and a trio of steals to lead the Gorillas. Pittsburg State also got key contributions from Adams with 16 points, sophomore Clara Wearingen with 14 points and McCumber with 10 points and three steals. As a team, the Gorillas converted on 24 free throws in the game and held a 25-2 advantage over Newman for points off turnovers and 15-4 in fast break points.