Joplin, Mo. – The Missouri Southern women's basketball team out scored visiting Emporia State 38-27 in the second half and took out the Lady Hornets 62-55 today on Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
 
Southern (10-8, 7-3 MIAA) got a solid game from Chelsey Henry as she scored 19 points and went 6-9 from the free throw line. Dru Clark scored 14 and had three assists and two steals, while Desirea Buerge had 12 points and 11 rebounds to go with two blocks. Jenson Maydew scored eight and Julianna Wadsworth added seven.
 
Emporia (12-4, 7-2 MIAA) had three score in double-figures, led by 13 points from Emily Miller.
 
Emporia jumped out to an 11-4 lead early on in the first, but the Lions went on a 7-0 run, capped by a pair of freebies from Clark with 3:57 left to get within one (11-10). The Lady Hornets stopped the run with a pair of buckets to go up 15-10 after one quarter.
 
ESU had an 18-12 lead two minutes into the second quarter, but the Lions went on a quick 6-0 run, capped by a free throw from Clark to tie it at 18 with 5:29 left.
 
A jumper from Clark with two minutes left got the Lions back to within three (25-22) and a layup from Henry with 32 seconds left provided the halftime score of 28-24.
 
Free throws from Wadsworth and Henry to start the half tied the score at 28 with 9:07 left in the third.  A three from Henry with 5:40 to go gave the Lions a 33-32 lead and another three from Buerge with 4:45 left pushed the Lions' lead to four (36-32).
 
A steal and a fast-break layup from Henry with 2:27 to go put the Lions up 40-35 and forced an Emporia timeout. The Lions would lead 40-39 after three.
 
A layup from Buerge with 8:41 on the clock put the Lions up 43-39 and a three-point play from Henry with 7:36 left gave the Lions a 46-41 lead. A bucket from Buerge the next trip down put the Lions up 48-41 and forced an ESU timeout.
 
A quick 6-0 run from Emporia got the Lady Hornets within one (48-47) and forced a Lions timeout and a layup after a Southern turnover gave ESU a 49-48 lead with 4:07 to go. ESU led 51-50, but a layup from Maydew and free throws from Henry gave the Lions a 52-51 lead with 2:30 left.
 
A layup from Maydew gave the Lions a 54-53 lead with 1:23 left and a fast-break bucket after a steal from Clark with 1:01 made it 56-53. A pair of free throws from Wadsworth gave the Loins a 59-55 lead with 29 seconds left and two free throws from Clark with 14 seconds left gave Southern a 61-56 lead and the Lions made their free throws down the stretch.
 
The Lions shot just 21 percent from the field in the first half, but rebounded to shoot 50 percent in the second half, while limiting the Lady Hornets to just 25 percent from the field in the second half. Southern forced 20 turnovers and scored 19 points off the miscues.
 
The Lions will be back in action on January 24 when Southern travels to Northeastern State for a 5:30 battle with the RiverHawks.