Emporia State women edge Fort Hays State in MIAA women’s final
Kelly Moten made a go-ahead layup with 31 seconds left in the game, then hit two game-clinching free throws with seven seconds left as No. 10 Emporia State beat No. 4 Fort Hays State 49-46 in the MIAA women’s championship game Sunday in Kansas City, Mo.
The Hornets have won the conference tournament three straight seasons.
Emporia State (25-4) led by 34-23 early in the second half, but Fort Hays State steadily chipped away at the lead. Kathryn Flott’s three-pointer with 3:04 left game Emporia State a 45-41 lead, but the Hornets went 2 1/2 minutes without scoring as Fort Hays State grabbed a one-point lead.
Moten, the tournament’s most outstanding player, finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Nikola Kacperska led the Tigers with 19 points, and Kate Lehman added 13 points and 13 rebounds. Emporia State’s Merissa Quick joined those three on the all-tournament team, the third time Quick has been chosen to the squad.
Both teams received berths in the NCAA Division II Central Regional in Hays starting Friday. Fort Hays State is the top seed and will play Minnesota-Mankato. Emporia State is the No. 2 seed and will face Arkansas Tech. Pittsburg State, seeded third, will play Northern State.
Fort Hays State (28-3) won both regular-season meetings between the two teams, accounting for half of Emporia State’s losses this season.
EMPORIA STATE (25-4): Moten 16, Flott 9, Quick 8, Barnwell 4, LAckey 3, Miller 5, Kramer 4. Totals 18-55 8-9 49.
FORT HAYS STATE (28-3): Kacperska 19, Lehman 13, Mason 2, Shaw 1, Lunsford 0, Faxon 11. Totals 19-62 5-12 46.
Halftime — ESU 30-21. 3-pointers — ESU 5-19 (Flott 3, Lackey, Miller), FHS 3-17 (Kacperska 2, Faxon). Rebounds — ESU 44 (Moten 12), FHS 31 (Lehman 13). Assists — ESU 9 (Moten 5), FHS 6 (Shaw 3). Fouls — ESU 13, FHS 12.
Pittsburg State wins men’s title — Pittsburg State won its first MIAA men’s championship, beating Missouri Southern 91-65 in the final. The Gorillas built a 19-point halftime margin and where never threatened in the second half.
Junior Trey Starks, who was chosen most outstanding player, hit 8 of 11 shots and scored 24 points for the Gorillas, who shot 51.6 percent (32 of 62) for the game.
PITTSBURG STATE (20-11): Gustafson 14, Branch 10, Gregory 6, Kjer 5, Flynn 4, Starks 24, Jones 16, Dieng 8, Hays 2, Fernandez 2. Totals 32-62 21-25 91.
MO. SOUTHREN (20-11): Wright 18, Prince 11, Renfroe 11, Cornelius 7, Barlow 5, Miller 4, Clark 3, Brown 2, Luster 2, Atkinson 2. Totals 20-42 18-28 65.
Halftime — PSU 44, MS 28. 3s — PSU 6-10 (Gustafson 2, Starks 2, Kjer, Jones), MS 7-16 (Wright 5, Cornelius, Clark). Rebounds — PSU 33 (Gregory 10), MS 24 (Renfroe 5). Assists — PSU r 4). Assists — PSU 12 (Branch, Gregory, Jones 2), MS 8 prince, Barlow 2).
This story was originally published March 8, 2015 at 7:13 PM with the headline "Emporia State women edge Fort Hays State in MIAA women’s final."