Both Griffon teams played Emporia State at home on Sunday, Jan. 13 (the game was delayed one day due to weather). The women won 68-66, thanks to a shot by Melia Richardson with 0.8 seconds remaining in the game. The Griffons set the tone early with their defense in the first quarter, holding Emporia State to 11 percent shooting and just nine points in the first quarter. Both teams picked up the scoring pace in the second quarter, shooting a combined 61 percent as the Griffons took a 27-26 lead into halftime.
Richardson led all scorers in the first half with 10 points. The Griffons outscored the Lady Hornets 18-14 in the third quarter to take a five-point lead into the final quarter. Emporia State used an 11-2 run to take its first lead of the second half with 4:29 to play. Katrina Roenfeldt’s free throw gave the Griffons the 66-64 lead with 28 seconds remaining, but Emporia State tied the game at 66 with 19 seconds left.
Men came up short 85-79. Their record stood at 8-9, 2-4 in the MIAA after the Emporia game. The Griffons struggled offensively down the stretch in the second half, as the Hornets outscored the Griffons 21-9 over the final seven minutes of the game. Emporia State was lights out from the opening tip, jumping out to a 16-point lead in the first nine minutes. The Griffons began to chip away at the deficit halfway through the first half, using a 20-9 run to trail by just one point at halftime. Tyrell Carroll kept the Griffons in the game in the first half. Carroll had 17 points on 64 percent shooting going into halftime. Alex Martin’s layup with just under nine minutes to play gave the Griffons their largest lead of the second half at 68-58, but the Hornets regained the lead on a three pointer with 4:26 remaining. Tyus Millhollin hit Bryan Hudson on a layup to bring the Griffons within just two at 78-76 with under 90 seconds left. On the next possession, Emporia State’s Aaron McGee pulled down a crucial offensive rebound and converted the layup to stretch the lead back to four. The Griffons shot 48 percent from the field in the loss.
As Griff Gab went to press, the Griffons were set to play Northwest Missouri State at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19 in the Looney Complex. Results of those games will be in next week’s edition.
The teams play at Fort Hays State on Jan. 24 and University of Nebraska Kearney on Jan. 26. The next home game is Thursday, Jan. 31 against Missouri Southern. The games against Pittsburg State on Saturday, Feb. 2 will be Military Appreciation Day.