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Date: January 28, 2018
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: Emporia, KS

Bolivar, Mo. - Southwest Baptist (10-9, 4-6 MIAA) heads out on the road to Emporia, Kansas where they will face off against the Emporia State Hornets (8-11, 3-7 MIAA).

Previewing the Bearcats
The Bearcats sport a 10-9 (4-6 MIAA) record in the 2017-18 season. They are on a current three game slide as they have dropped contests to Lindenwood, Lincoln, and Washburn in that span. SBU is paced by senior forward Logan Hovey who averages a team high and third best in the MIAA conference 18.5 points per game and seventh best 7.4 rebounds per game. Marlon Alcindor averages double figure scoring with 11.8 points per game. Chris Rossow leads the team in the assists category with 3.9 a game, and Damian Prgomet throws in 7.5 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game. As a team, the Bearcats are scoring 76.7 points per game, which is eighth best in the MIAA conference, and shoot a second best in the MIAA and eighth best in the NCAA 42.0% from behind the arc while giving up 72.7 points per game on 42.3% shooting from opponents. The 42.3 field goal percentage defense ranks third in the MIAA.

Previewing the Hornets
Emporia State comes into the game with a 8-11 (3-7 MIAA) record. Their last time out Central Missouri took down the Hornets on Wednesday by a 77-59 margin. At the forefront of the Hornets attack are Brandon Hall and Stephaun Limeul. Hall leads the team in points and rebounds with 14.5 and 3.4 respectively. Limeul is the second leading scorer with 11.5 points per game and the top rebounder with 8.0. Limuel also shoots 68.7% from the floor and 51.6% on threes. The Hornets score 72.5 points per game on 44.1% shooting. They give up 72.8 points and have the second worst field goal percentage defense in the conference at 47.5%. 

The Coaches
SBU head coach Clark Sheehy is in his fourth season on the SBU bench, holding a 46-59 (23-47 MIAA) record while at SBU. Coach Sheehy holds a career coaching record of 227-160 across twelve seasons while coaching six different All-Americans and over 20 athletes that have moved on to play professional basketball. In their last 15 games, Sheehy has guided SBU to a 9-6 record. 

Shaun Vandiver is in the midst of his seventh season coaching the Hornets. In his seven seasons, Vandiver has compiled a 86-104 record and a 45-77 record in the MIAA. Emporia State has been Vandiver's first head coaching job as he came to Hornets after serving as an assistant at Boise State. 

All-Time Series
Southwest Baptist has the edge in the all time series over Emporia State, winning 29 games to the ESU's 22. The Bearcats and Hornets last squared off in February 2017 with the Hornets coming out on top, 71-69. 

Bearcats Last Outing
(1/24/18) - Topeka, Kan. - Outside of an early 2-0 deficit, the top team in the MIAA, the Washburn Ichabods, lead 39 of the game's 40 minutes on their way to securing an 89-60 over Southwest Baptist. The loss makes the Bearcats record now 10-9 (4-6 MIAA) while Washburn goes to 15-4 (9-1 MIAA). 

Logan Hovey had the high in points and rebounds for SBU with 13 points on 42.9% (6-14) from the field and four rebounds. Karim Mouliom came off the bench and added 11 points, and Damian Prgomet chipped in 10 points and three blocks from his starting role. Chris Rossow and Darnell Latham Jr. each had three assists in the game as well. For the night, the Bearcats converted 42.9% (21-49) of their field goals, 18.2% (2-11) of their bombs from deep, and 64.0% (14-25) at the line. 

The first half began with Washburn scoring 10 of the game's first 12 points. SBU responded with back to back buckets from Theo Oghide and Hovey to make the score the 10-6. By the 9:28 mark though, the Ichabods had gained a 22-12 advantage. SBU cut the lead under double digits immediately on a free throw from Latham Jr. However, that's as close as the Bearcats would come the rest of the half as Washburn outscored SBU 24-16 over the last nine minutes.

The second half the Ichabods picked up right where they left off. Four minutes into the half the Ichabods had 25 point lead over SBU. SBU would cut that lead to 19 a couple times. The last time being a layup from Kai Woodfall to make the score 68-49 with 7:15 left. The Bearcats did shoot well in the second half as they made half of their field goal attempts. Unfortunately, Washburn still outscored them 43-32 in the half to claim the 89-60 win. 

Hornets Last Outing
(January 24, 2018) - The Emporia State men went over ten minutes without a field goal as a four point first half deficit ballooned to 23 points in the second half of a 77-59 loss to Central Missouri on Wednesday night in White Auditorium.
 
The Mules used a 12-1 run early in the first half to take a 22-8 lead on Jakob Lowrance's old-fashioned three-point play with 13:36 left.  Grant Shell hit a pair of free throws with 4:12 left and then buried a three-pointer with 3:32 to go in the first half to pull Emporia State within 32-28.  That would be the last field goal of the half for the Hornets as the Mules closed the period on a 7-2 run to take a 39-30 lead into the locker rooms. 
 
The Hornets would be held scoreless in the second half until Shell hit two free throws with 13:29 left that broke a 15-0 run by the Mules.  The field goal drought stretched for another 29 seconds until Shell jumper with 13:00 minutes left to make it 55-34.  Emporia State went on a 13-2 run and cut the deficit to 12 on a three-pointer from Stephaun Limuel with 6:38 remaining.  The teams traded three-pointers with Lowrance hitting one for UCM before Brandon Hall answered with one of his own to make it 65-53 with 5:57 left.  Lowrance hit another three-pointer and the Mule hit four straight free throws to go back up 72-53 with 3:24 left before cruising to the 18 point victory.
 
Grant Shell led Emporia State with 15 points but was the only Hornet in double figures.