The Rockhurst Hawks (5-3) meet the Emporia State Hornets (5-5) for the third year in a row at 2:00 p.m. Thursday (December 31) at the W.L. White Auditorium in Emporia, Kansas.

The Hornets defeated the Hawks, 92-63, last year at Emporia State. The Hornets lead the all-time series, 45-30.

"Emporia has a nice team that was playing well prior to the holiday break," said Rockhurst coach Drew Diener. "Like the other MIAA teams we have faced, they are well coached and battle tested. With only two non-conference games left, we need to continue to prep ourselves for our league schedule. This game will force us to play sharp."

Freshman guard Austin LeVan leads the Hawks in scoring (17.5). LeVan ranks sixth in scoring, third in 3-point field goals made (3.4), 10th in 3-point field goal percentage (49.1) and sixth in free throw percentage (90.9) in the GLVC. Junior guard Malachi Nix ranks 13th in scoring (15.3), first in assists (5.4) and eighth in steals (1.75) in the GLVC.

Sophomore forward Alex Hagan ranks first in field goal percentage (69.7) and is tied for 12th in rebounding (6.3) in the GLVC. Junior forward Adam Fatkin ranks sixth in field goal percentage (58.5) in the GLVC. The Hawks lead the GLVC in field goal percentage defense (39.6) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.0).

LeVan and Dominique Washington combined for 61 points to power Rockhurst to a 96-71 victory over Ottawa on Dec 16 at Rockhurst. LeVan scored 22 of his game-high 31 points in the first half. He shot 12-of-17 from the field, including seven-of-nine from behind the 3-point line, along with getting eight rebounds. Washington scored 30 points on 13-of-16 shooting. Nix posted 12 points, eight assists and five rebounds.

Game Links:
Live Video: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/esu/
Live Audio: http://citylinktv.com/channel/emporia-mix-104-9/
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/emporia/mbball/