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EMPORIA, Kan. -- Ebonie Williams hit a jumper with 4.4 seconds remaining at Emporia State to give the Lady Blues a 53-52 win Wednesday and minutes after their game ended they learned that Pittsburg State lost and Washburn won at least a share of the MIAA regular season title.

To go with Washburn's title, senior Stevi Schultz scored her 1,000th point. Washburn will look to win its eighth MIAA title outright as it wraps up the regular season Saturday at 1:30 p.m. against Lincoln. A win would do so in the game that will stand as Senior Day for Washburn's four seniors.

The No. 12 Lady Blues improved to 24-4 overall and 17-2 in the league. The No. 20 Lady Hornets fell to 18-7 and 13-6 in the league. Pittsburg State lost at Fort Hays State Wednesday to drop to 17-3 in the MIAA, wrapping up its conference season with only a chance to tie Washburn in the standings. The Lady Blues will be the No. 1 seed in the tournament and play the No. 8 seed at 12 p.m. on March 1 in Kansas City, Mo.

The Lady Blues had been held scoreless since the 6:07 mark of the second half as ESU went on an 11-0 run to take a 52-51 lead with 1:04 left. Williams missed a shot on Washburn's next possession and then the Lady Hornets missed a free throw with 16 seconds left and Washburn called its final timeout after Laura Kinderknecht pulled in the rebound.

Williams brought the ball up and hit the winning shot with 4.4 seconds remaining on the clock. ESU called its final timeout and then Heather Robben missed a lay-up as time expired.

Williams led Washburn with 15 points as she went 6 of 15 from the field. She also led with five assists. Tiara George came off the bench for 12 points off a 6 of 11 performance and Cassie Lombardino made 5 of 10 shots for 10 points. Sierra Moeller led Washburn with seven rebounds.

Washburn shot 54 percent in the opening half but was held to 30 percent shooting in the second half. George hit a lay-up at the 11:44 mark that gave Washburn a game-high 13-point lead but the Lady Blues missed 11 shots after that. The Lady Hornets cut the lead to six during that drought before George hit a shot at 7:15 and then again at 6:07 to give the Lady Blues a 10-point lead.

That turned out to be Washburn's last points until Williams' heroics. ESU scored 11 straight after Kelsey Balcom's free throws with 1:04 gave the Lady Blues the one-point lead.

Washburn ended the game shooting 41 percent while the Lady Hornets shot 33 percent. ESU edged the Lady Blues in rebounding 39-35 and went to the free throw line 17 times, making 11, while Washburn went 2 of 6 from the line. Washburn had nine turnovers while ESU had eight.

Schultz' 3-pointer at the 13:12 mark of the first half put her over 1,000 points. The senior became the 21st Lady Blue to reach 1,000 points and the first since Corkey Stiger did so in 2008.

There were three ties and five lead changes in the first half. Both team led by as much as five. An 8-0 run for the Lady Hornets gave them a 20-15 lead at the 7:29 mark. The Lady Blues built their five-point lead when Williams hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute. The first completed a 6-0 run that put Washburn up 29-24 and then after ESU answered with a 3-pointer of its own, Williams hit one with 25 seconds left to give her 11 points and put into double figures for the 24th time this year.

Washburn led 32-29 at halftime and held the lead until the 1:04 mark of the second half.

Merissa Quick led the Lady Hornets with 16 points and Robben and Jocelyn Cummings also reached double figures.


Notes: Washburn improved to 42-43 all-time against Emporia State...this is the first time this series was decided by one point since 2003-04 in a 51-50 Washburn win in Emporia...Washburn shot a season-low six free throws with a season-low two makes...Stevi Schultz scored five points to give her 1,003 in her four years...Washburn won its eighth MIAA regular season title and first since 2009-10...counting four Central States Intercollegiate Conference titles, this is Washburn's 12th regular season conference title.