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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 10 Emporia State
explodes in second half for 83-70 win over Lions Emporia, Kan. - The Missouri Southern Lions held a three-point halftime edge, but the No. 10-ranked Emporia State Lady Hornets exploded for 56 points in the second for an 83-70 win Wednesday evening (Jan. 7) at White Auditorium in Emporia, Kan. The Lions led 35-34 early in the second half when the Lady Hornets scored 10 straight points to go up 44-35 with 14:03 left. India Wood brought the Lions to within seven at 46-39 before the Lady Hornets went on a 10-2 spurt backed by threes from Lacy Corker and Sophia Lenard to lead 56-42 at the 10:59 mark. The Lady Hornets led 61-49 when the Lions made a push to trim the lead to 65-58 on a three from Jolea Apon. Michelle Hedgecock then brought the Lions as close as they had been since the 15:09 mark with a layup that made it 68-62 with 4:28 left. But Allie Renberg quickly countered with a layup of her own to increase the lead back to 70-62 and the Lady Hornets made 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory. The Lions jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead in the first half as they forced five turnovers in the first 4:09 of the contest. Apon later hit a trey and Myosha Barnes nailed a pair of free throws to expand the lead to 12-5 with 13:15 left in the opening half. Lenard helped the Lady Hornets even the score by scoring all nine points during a 9-2 ESU run that tied the score at 14-14. The lead then changed hands four more times during the hotly contested first half before the Lions took a 30-27 lead at the half. Apon led the Lions (9-4, 3-3 MIAA) with a career-best 18 points and tied her career-high with four threes. Barnes scored 17, including hitting 9-of-12 at the charity stripe. Wood added 10 and had a team-high four assists. Lindsey Davis led the Lions with six rebounds. Cassondra Boston scored a game-high 26 points, with 20 coming in the second half. Boston also made 12-of-14 from the free-throw line. Lenard finished with 17 while Ida Edwards added 15 for the Lady Hornets (12-2, 6-1 MIAA). The Lady Hornets' second-half outburst was sparked by a blazing 61.5 percent (16-of-26) shooting performance in the second half after shooting only 39.1 percent (9-of-23) in the opening half. The Lions rebounded from a tough shooting effort in the first half with a 45.2 percent (14-of-31) shooting clip in the second half. Things won't get any easier for the Lions as they will now host the No. 3-ranked Washburn Lady Blues on Saturday night (Jan. 10) at 5:30 p.m. inside of the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The Lions and Lady Blues split the season series last year, with each squad winning on the road.
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