The Emporia State menâs basketball team earned its fourth win of the season Saturday at White Auditorium, regrouping to defeat Central Missouri 73-64 after a rough shooting performance to begin the contest.
Holding an 18-10 advantage at the 9:49 mark in the first half, the Hornets suddenly disappeared on offense, going nearly seven minutes without scoring a field goal. Additional struggles on UCMâs end limited the damage, but the Mules would grab a brief 26-24 lead on the back of a 6-0 run with a minute remaining before the break.
ESU sophomore forward Ben Smith sent the Hornets into the locker room leading by one, cashing a buzzer-beating three-pointer to bring the score to 27-26. Emporia State shooters combined to make less than 30% of their attempts in the first half, knocking down five shots from long range but only three from inside the arc.