As promised, a follow-up to the crowning of Emporia State as Division II champions, 65-53 victors over Fort Lewis.

It was the first Division II team championship in Emporia State history and broke a string of six straight losses in national finals.

"I'm really proud of this team," coach Brandon Schneider said, "but I feel a lot of satisfaction for all the guys we've coached because they all put so much into our program and we so invested."

Past players such as Aneta Kausaite, Jurgita Kausaite, Tara Holloway, Emily Bloss, Kristie McClain, Michelle Stueve and Ida Edwards were the foundation for this title.

"This team won it but it's a program's championship," Schneider said. "I hope that everybody that ever played for us feels like they have a little part of it."

Fort Lewis forced 25 Emporia State turnovers, but it was the Hornets defense that bailed them out. Emporia held Fort Lewis to its lowest point total of the season, forcing the Skyhawks into an abysmal 28 percent shooting from the field.

“I didn’t think there were very many runs of substance, but there was one and they made it,” Fort Lewis coach Mark Kellogg said. “We could just never recover from it.”

Yah, maybe it was what the home crowd expected (“Isn’t it awesome?” Doug White asked, with the Lady Hornets five points ahead after halftime.), but Joey Berlin of the Emporia Gazzette called the victory, "The best surprise you can get."

At the beginning of the season — or, especially, about three-quarters of the way into it — did you for a single solitary second look at this Emporia State women’s basketball team and think, “This team will be a National champion?”

I didn’t. I don’t think very many people could have. That’s what makes the first NCAA Division II championship team in Emporia State history extra incredible — it’s such a surprise. Not quite completely out of nowhere, but close — sort of like your spouse buying you that car you wanted with money you didn’t know he or she had.

Who knew, back in November, that this ESU team had what it took to make all those hefty monthly payments?

The Hornets arrived home to cheers, car horns and signs:

“We are just immensely excited,” said Student Body President Jonathan Krueger, who was one of many who traveled to St. Joseph to see the game as it unfolded live. “I don’t think there’s anything that could compare right now. And to see as many students and community members that we had there, it really showed that it was something special.”

A "thank you" to Mechelle, who somehow, amidst all the time and energy she's spending covering the D-I tourney, found the space to gives us a fabulous piece on Emporia State and women's basketball history: A true hoops family shares special championship

This was not really supposed to be Emporia State’s year. Gannon, located in Erie, Pa., was the favorite, entering the tournament top-ranked and unbeaten. Emporia wasn’t a bad team, by any means, but came into the Elite Eight in St. Joseph at 27-5. It so happens the Hornets had beaten West Texas in Canyon – where all the Schneider children were born and went to high school – along the way.

Bob and Barbara -- “I never feel my mom gets enough credit in all this; she’s been the rock for everybody,” Brett says -- have had plenty of basketball to keep track of even with Bob retired from coaching.

They followed Emporia State, of course, and also Memphis, where Brett is now an assistant coach. Wednesday, Memphis had a recruit on campus visiting, and Brett couldn’t watch the televised Division II semifinals pitting Emporia State and Gannon.

Sister Brooke sent some text messages about how the game was going, and it wasn’t good. Emporia State was down by 18 points with just over 8 ½ minutes left in the game. How do you come back from that deficit against the top-ranked team in Division II, a team that hadn’t experienced losing this season?