EMPORIA, Kan. -- Emporia State charged back from an 18-point first-half deficit to hold off Pitt State down the stretch and claim a 82-81 victory Wednesday (Feb. 16) at William L. White Auditorium.
Pitt State (13-10, 9-10 MIAA) led 40-22 with 4:30 to play in the first half, but the Gorillas couldn't sustain their quick early pace.
Emporia State (12-13, 9-10 MIAA) rallied to tie the game at 61-61 with 8:23 to play in the game and the Hornets eventually pushed in front in the game's waning minutes.
The Hornets' Michael Tyler made a pair of free throws with 13.3 seconds remaining to give ESU an 82-78 lead.
Pitt State's Adrian Herrera, who hit six 3-pointers in the contest, dropped in a guarded trey with 1.3 seconds left to provide the game's final margin.
Logan Jones and Drake Green added 13 points apiece for the Gorillas while JaVon McGee finished with a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Xavier Burnette scored a game-high 19 points for Emporia State, which shot 56.3 percent from the field (27 of 48) in the game. Tyler added 14, while Robert Moores chipped in with 12 and Adam Holthaus added 10 for the Hornets.
Pitt State will return to action Saturday (Feb. 19) when the Gorillas host Washburn at 3:30 p.m. (CST) at John Lance Arena.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and KOAM. All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
