Wayne State used an 11-0 scoring surge midway through the second half to take the lead for good, then held off a late Emporia State rally to edge the Hornets 80-76 Friday afternoon at the Missouri Western Hillyard Tip-Off Classic Men's Basketball Tournament in St. Joseph, Missouri.  It was the season opener for both teams. 
            The Wildcats shot 61.3 percent (19-31) in the opening half, but trailed by one point at intermission 45-44 as Emporia State shot 50 percent from the field but made 10 of 11 free throw in the first 20 minutes compared to just 0-1 for WSC.
            Emporia State opened the game with an 11-9 lead four minutes into the contest, but WSC scored six straight points and used a 13-3 run to take their biggest lead of the opening half at 22-14 following a Darshan Thomas jumper at the 11:10 mark of the first half.
            WSC was still in front 32-25 following a JJ Ferrin trey with 7:21 left before halftime, but the Hornets surged late in the first half and took a 40-37 lead at the 3:04 mark and closed the half with a 45-44 advantage.
            The second half saw Emporia State maintain a slim lead until the 'Cats went on their scoring surge at the midway point of the half.
            With Emporia State holding a 60-56 cushion with 11:28 remaining, the Wildcats scored the next 11 points holding the Hornets scoreless for the next 3:41 to take a 67-60 lead. 
            The Wildcats still held a 74-65 advantage at the 5:40 mark and was in front 76-68 with 4:22 left when the Hornets made one last run at WSC.
            Emporia State scored eight straight points to knot the score at 76-76 with 31 seconds remaining.  Sophomore Matt Noll canned a jumper on the next WSC possession to give the 'Cats a 78-76 lead with 14 seconds left.  Following a missed Emporia State 3-pointer in the final seconds, Noll sank two free throws in the final second to seal Wayne State's 80-76 victory.
            The tightly-contested game featured 15 lead changes and 12 ties.
            Noll was one of four Wayne State players to reach double figures with 19 points.  He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.  Senior forward Andrew Stokes was next with 15 points followed by Ferrin scoring 14 and Thomas adding 11.
            Wayne State made 31 of 59 shots for 52.5 percent, going 7 of 16 behind the arc.  The 'Cats connected on 11 of 14 free throws.
            For Emporia State, Andrew Pengel poured in a game-high 22 points with Chris Harris adding 14 and Dallas Bear 11.
            Emporia State shot 45.6 percent from the field making 26 of 57 shots.  The Hornets were 9 for 21 from the 3-point line and 15 for 17 at the charity stripe.
            WSC held a 29-27 edge in rebounding thanks to Noll's seven rebounds with Stokes grabbing six. 
            Wayne State plays another game Saturday at the Missouri Western Hillyard Tip-Off Classic as the Wildcats face Northwest Missouri State in a 12 p.m. contest.