EMPORIA, Kan. – The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team led by as many as 11 points in the first half but Emporia State University rallied for a 58-51 victory Wednesday (Jan. 18) at William L. White Auditorium.
The Gorillas (3-14, 1-8 MIAA) led 25-14 on a 3-pointer by Jaxon Holden with 6:11 to play in the first half but the Hornets (9-8, 5-3 MIAA) held Pitt State scoreless for 8:22 of game clock to get back into the game. ESU outscored the Gorillas 9-0 before a Holden dunk gave Pitt State a 27-23 lead with 17:44 remaining in the second half.
The Gorillas still led 39-35 with 10:45 to play in the game, but the Hornets countered with another 9-0 run to go up 44-39 on Tyler Jordan's dunk with 8:10 to go.
Pitt State closed within one point of ESU three times down the stretch, but the Gorillas could not catch the Hornets down the stretch. ESU scored nine of the game's final 12 points over the final 4:58.
Josh Pedersen scored a game-high 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds to pace the Hornets, who overcame a six for 24 (25%) shooting slump in the first half. ESU made 15 of 31 second-half attempts.
Elijah Gaines paced the Gorillas with 12 points, while Holden added 10. R.J. Pair also finished with nine points for Pitt State.
The Gorillas will return to action Saturday (Jan. 21) when they travel to Topeka to face MIAA rival Washburn University at 7 p.m. (CST).
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