<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=wbball&amp;id=12775">BOX SCORE</a>

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Fort Hays State women's basketball team used a dominant second half to defeat second-ranked Minnesota State by double figures on Saturday (Nov. 11), 83-67. Two Tigers set new career highs in the win, with Katie Wagner&nbsp;putting up 32 points and Brooke Loewe&nbsp;tallying 15 points, all in the second half.

The Tigers (2-0) never trailed for the second game in a row, with the Tigers scoring the first points 75 seconds in on a Wagner free throw. Both teams struggled from the floor out of the gates, with each hitting just four field goals in the opening frame. Fort Hays State led 14-9 after the first thanks to four free throws and a pair of triples from Wagner and Ellie Stearns.

Fort Hays State pushed the lead to 11 before the under-five media timeout in the second quarter, but the Mavericks (2-3) fought back to close back within five at halftime, 29-24. Wagner (18 points) and Stearns (seven points) combined for 25 of FHSU's 29 points over the opening 20 minutes.

The rest of the squad kicked things into gear out of the locker room, with FHSU hitting more than half of its shots in the second half (15-of-28, 53.6 percent). Five different Tigers scored at least five points in the second half, including 15 second-half points on 6-of-8 shooting from Loewe.

Minnesota State pulled within one possession early in the third quarter, but a nine-point Tiger run late in the frame pushed the advantage to 15 points. Wagner opened the run with two free throws before Loewe buried a 3-pointer following a Wagner offensive rebound. Loewe dropped in a fast-break layup the next trip down the floor before Stearns also scored in transition, giving the Tigers points on four-straight possessions and a 57-42 lead.

Back-to-back 3-pointers from Emma Ruddle&nbsp;helped the Tigers build a 20-point lead early in the fourth quarter, 69-49.Wagner climbed two spots on the all-time scoring list at Fort Hays State thanks to her career day, moving into 15th with 1,205 career points to pass Kelly Priest (1997-01 and Jill Faxon (2013-17).

Olivia Hollenbeck recorded a pair of blocks in the win, passing Tatyana Legette (2015-19) to move into fifth in career blocks with 127.The Tigers finished the game shooting 41.7 percent from the floor (25-of-60) and 34.8 percent from behind the arc (8-of-23). Fort Hays State attempted 35 free throws on the day, its most in a game in nearly two years (36 vs. Cameron, 11/20/21).Fort Hays State limited the Mavericks to 31.6 percent shooting from the floor (25-of-79), while MSU outrebounded the Tigers by 10, 53-43. Minnesota State collected 25 offensive rebounds, compared to 14 for the Tigers, while both teams managed 15 second-chance points.

Stearns finished the game with 15 points, one off her career-high, while Sydney Golladay&nbsp;distributed six assists to lead the team. Wagner and Loewe dished out five assists each, while Loewe led the team with three steals.

Fort Hays State will return to action next weekend when they travel to Colorado to take on Colorado Mesa on Sunday (Nov. 19, 3 p.m. CT/2 p.m. MT) in Lakewood (hosted by Colorado Christian) and MSU Denver on Monday (Nov. 20, 3 p.m. CT/2 p.m. MT) in Denver.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699751142616.jpeg" alt="Fort Hays State's Katie Wagner brings the ball up the floor in an NCAA basketball game vs. Minot State in St. Joseph, Mo., Friday, November 10, 2023. (FHSU Athletics photo/Ryan Prickett)" />
 <figcaption>Fort Hays State's Katie Wagner brings the ball up the floor in an NCAA basketball game vs. Minot State in St. Joseph, Mo., Friday, November 10, 2023. (FHSU Athletics photo/Ryan Prickett)</figcaption>
 </figure>FHSU Athletics<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=wbball&amp;id=12775">BOX SCORE</a>ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Fort Hays State women's basketball team used a dominant second half to defeat second-ranked Minnesota State by double figures on Saturday (Nov. 11), 83-67. Two Tigers set new career highs in the win, with Katie Wagner&nbsp;putting up 32 points and Brooke Loewe&nbsp;tallying 15 points, all in the second half.<div><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1662749184&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/fhsu-womens-basket-ball-coach-talia-karhs-post-game-11-11-23" title="Talia Kahrs postgame vs, #2 Minnesota State (Nov. 11, 2023)" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Talia Kahrs postgame vs, #2 Minnesota State (Nov. 11, 2023)</a></div></div>The Tigers (2-0) never trailed for the second game in a row, with the Tigers scoring the first points 75 seconds in on a Wagner free throw. Both teams struggled from the floor out of the gates, with each hitting just four field goals in the opening frame. Fort Hays State led 14-9 after the first thanks to four free throws and a pair of triples from Wagner and Ellie Stearns.Fort Hays State pushed the lead to 11 before the under-five media timeout in the second quarter, but the Mavericks (2-3) fought back to close back within five at halftime, 29-24. Wagner (18 points) and Stearns (seven points) combined for 25 of FHSU's 29 points over the opening 20 minutes.The rest of the squad kicked things into gear out of the locker room, with FHSU hitting more than half of its shots in the second half (15-of-28, 53.6 percent). Five different Tigers scored at least five points in the second half, including 15 second-half points on 6-of-8 shooting from Loewe.<div><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1662749202&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/fhsu-womens-basketball-vs-minnesota-st-highlights-11-11-23" title="Fort Hays State WBB Highlights vs. #2 Minnesota State (Nov. 11, 2023)" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Fort Hays State WBB Highlights vs. #2 Minnesota State (Nov. 11, 2023)</a></div></div>Minnesota State pulled within one possession early in the third quarter, but a nine-point Tiger run late in the frame pushed the advantage to 15 points. Wagner opened the run with two free throws before Loewe buried a 3-pointer following a Wagner offensive rebound. Loewe dropped in a fast-break layup the next trip down the floor before Stearns also scored in transition, giving the Tigers points on four-straight possessions and a 57-42 lead.Back-to-back 3-pointers from Emma Ruddle&nbsp;helped the Tigers build a 20-point lead early in the fourth quarter, 69-49.Wagner climbed two spots on the all-time scoring list at Fort Hays State thanks to her career day, moving into 15th with 1,205 career points to pass Kelly Priest (1997-01 and Jill Faxon (2013-17).Olivia Hollenbeck recorded a pair of blocks in the win, passing Tatyana Legette (2015-19) to move into fifth in career blocks with 127.The Tigers finished the game shooting 41.7 percent from the floor (25-of-60) and 34.8 percent from behind the arc (8-of-23). Fort Hays State attempted 35 free throws on the day, its most in a game in nearly two years (36 vs. Cameron, 11/20/21).Fort Hays State limited the Mavericks to 31.6 percent shooting from the floor (25-of-79), while MSU outrebounded the Tigers by 10, 53-43. Minnesota State collected 25 offensive rebounds, compared to 14 for the Tigers, while both teams managed 15 second-chance points.Stearns finished the game with 15 points, one off her career-high, while Sydney Golladay&nbsp;distributed six assists to lead the team. Wagner and Loewe dished out five assists each, while Loewe led the team with three steals.Fort Hays State will return to action next weekend when they travel to Colorado to take on Colorado Mesa on Sunday (Nov. 19, 3 p.m. CT/2 p.m. MT) in Lakewood (hosted by Colorado Christian) and MSU Denver on Monday (Nov. 20, 3 p.m. CT/2 p.m. MT) in Denver.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏀 Wagner's double-double leads Tiger women past No. 2 Minnesota State

By AVERY OSEN Associated Press

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Gino Garcia hit a game-winning 30-yard field goal with 3 seconds to play and Texas Tech upset No. 19 Kansas 16-13 on Saturday as the Jayhawks struggled after losing quarterback Jason Bean in the first half.

Behren Morton completed passes of 16, 14 and 32 yards as Texas Tech went 63 yards in 20 seconds to set up the game-deciding kick.

“Those were day one installs,” Morton said. “Jerand (Bradley) went up and got that last ball and I just tried to put it where only he could get it.”

Tahj Brooks ran for 133 yards and a touchdown as the Red Raiders (5-5, 4-3 Big 12) came back after Kansas (7-3, 4-3) tied the game on a 22-yard field goal by Seth Keller with 26 seconds left in regulation.

“We go up against our defense every day so I had faith they'd do the job,” Brooks said. “They came up big for us with those stops.”

Texas Tech stopped Kansas after they had several chances to score inside the 10-yard line and take the lead.

“We battled and found a way to tie it up late but credit them for driving down the field,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said. “Our defense found a way to get stops and responded well when challenged. Offensively, I don’t think we ever fully got set today.”

Texas Tech opened a 10-0 lead in the first quarter as Brooks scored early in a 5-yard TD run. Garcia added a 32-yard field goal late in the quarter.

The Red Raiders extended their lead to 13-0 early in the third quarter on Garcia's second field goal before Kansas got back in the game on a Devin Neal 60-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

The Jayhawks marched 71 yards later in the fourth quarter and got within three points on a 24-yard field goal by Keller. He tied the game late but Texas Tech found a way to win as Morton was 19 of 25 for 176 yards.

Bean went down with an injury in the second quarter and returned for just one drive the rest of the game. Cole Ballard finished up and was 9 of 20 for 124 yards and an interception.

Texas Tech is a win away from being bowl eligible.

“We haven't been able to win on the road this year, we've played well, but haven't got many wins to show for it,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. “Kansas is a good team and now we need one more win to make it to a bowl.”

Texas Tech: Their run game was too much for the Jayhawk defense to handle in the first half, but their offense struggled in the second half before the winning drive in the final minute.

Kansas: Without their quarterback, Kansas struggled to move the ball and had its Big 12 Conference hopes smashed.

Texas Tech: Returns home to face UCF next Saturday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699751560725.png" alt="Kansas running back Devin Neal breaks free in an NCAA football game against Texas Tech in Lawrence, Kan., Saturday, November 11, 2023. (Kansas Athletics photo)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas running back Devin Neal breaks free in an NCAA football game against Texas Tech in Lawrence, Kan., Saturday, November 11, 2023. (Kansas Athletics photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>By AVERY OSEN Associated PressLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Gino Garcia hit a game-winning 30-yard field goal with 3 seconds to play and Texas Tech upset No. 19 Kansas 16-13 on Saturday as the Jayhawks struggled after losing quarterback Jason Bean in the first half.Behren Morton completed passes of 16, 14 and 32 yards as Texas Tech went 63 yards in 20 seconds to set up the game-deciding kick.“Those were day one installs,” Morton said. “Jerand (Bradley) went up and got that last ball and I just tried to put it where only he could get it.”Tahj Brooks ran for 133 yards and a touchdown as the Red Raiders (5-5, 4-3 Big 12) came back after Kansas (7-3, 4-3) tied the game on a 22-yard field goal by Seth Keller with 26 seconds left in regulation.“We go up against our defense every day so I had faith they'd do the job,” Brooks said. “They came up big for us with those stops.”Texas Tech stopped Kansas after they had several chances to score inside the 10-yard line and take the lead.“We battled and found a way to tie it up late but credit them for driving down the field,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said. “Our defense found a way to get stops and responded well when challenged. Offensively, I don’t think we ever fully got set today.”Texas Tech opened a 10-0 lead in the first quarter as Brooks scored early in a 5-yard TD run. Garcia added a 32-yard field goal late in the quarter.The Red Raiders extended their lead to 13-0 early in the third quarter on Garcia's second field goal before Kansas got back in the game on a Devin Neal 60-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.The Jayhawks marched 71 yards later in the fourth quarter and got within three points on a 24-yard field goal by Keller. He tied the game late but Texas Tech found a way to win as Morton was 19 of 25 for 176 yards.Bean went down with an injury in the second quarter and returned for just one drive the rest of the game. Cole Ballard finished up and was 9 of 20 for 124 yards and an interception.Texas Tech is a win away from being bowl eligible.“We haven't been able to win on the road this year, we've played well, but haven't got many wins to show for it,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. “Kansas is a good team and now we need one more win to make it to a bowl.”THE TAKEAWAYTexas Tech: Their run game was too much for the Jayhawk defense to handle in the first half, but their offense struggled in the second half before the winning drive in the final minute.Kansas: Without their quarterback, Kansas struggled to move the ball and had its Big 12 Conference hopes smashed.UP NEXTTexas Tech: Returns home to face UCF next Saturday.Kansas: Plays host to Kansas State.

🏈 Texas Tech upsets No. 19 Kansas on a late game-winning field goal

Emporia State (7-3, 6-3 MIAA) at Fort Hays State (7-3, 6-3 MIAA) Saturday, November 11 - 1 p.m. Hays, Kan. - Lewis Field

Radio:&nbsp;KJLS (103.3)&nbsp;<a href="https://mix103fm.com/">CLICK HERE TO LISTEN</a> Video:&nbsp;The MIAA Network&nbsp;<a href="https://themiaanetwork.com/fhsutigers/">CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)</a>

Fort Hays State Football hosts Emporia State for the final game of the 2023 regular season on Saturday. Kickoff from Lewis Field Stadium in Hays is set for 1 p.m. Both teams enter the game at 7-3 overall and 6-3 in the MIAA, currently tied for fourth in the MIAA standings. Both are receiving votes in the latest AFCA national poll.

Fort Hays State has already secured its eighth winning season under head coach Chris Brown, who owns an overall record of 81-54 in his 12th&nbsp;season guiding the Tigers. FHSU has won at least seven games under Brown seven times and are looking to reach eight for the sixth time under his guidance. Eight wins used to be the program record for a season until Brown put together five consecutive teams from 2015 to 2019 that either reached or topped that mark.

The Tigers will be looking to snap a two-game skid to the Hornets. Emporia State won both the 2021 and 2022 meetings between the teams. This is the 96th&nbsp;meeting between the teams in a series that goes all the way back to 1923. FHSU has played Emporia State more than any other team in program history. FHSU has 37 wins in the all-time series.

The Tigers are coming off a loss to then No. 11 ranked Central Missouri last week in Warrensburg. The result gave UCM at least a share of the MIAA title when Pittsburg State lost at Missouri Western. UCM is now the highest nationally ranked MIAA team at No. 7, while Pittsburg State sits at No. 8 and Missouri Western is now No. 21. The Hornets posted a win at home over Missouri Southern last week.

Despite coming up short against the nation's top offense last week, Fort Hays State still owns the best defense in the MIAA at just 281.7 yards per game. FHSU has held seven of its 10 opponents to less than 300 yards of total offense this season, which includes four opponents to less than 200 yards. The Tigers will have a strong challenge on their hands once again this week with an Emporia State team that averages 493.1 yards of total offense per game.

For the Tiger defense, John Johnson&nbsp;leads the team in tackles with 76 after a career-high 15 last week at Central Missouri. Makel Williams&nbsp;ranks second with 64 tackles and is tied with Kobe Rome&nbsp;for the team lead in interceptions, each with three. Myles Menges&nbsp;is the team leader in sacks with 6.5 after producing 6.0 over the past four games. Parrish Terry&nbsp;leads in tackles for loss with 10.0.

On offense, Jack Dawson&nbsp;has thrown for 2,470 yards this season with 24 touchdowns. Trevor Watts&nbsp;has been his top target, hauling in 64 passes for 675 yards. Jayden Horace&nbsp;has been the top scoring target of the receivers with 10 touchdowns to go with 509 receiving yards. Bryson Smith&nbsp;(367) and Cale Cormaney&nbsp;(358) give the Tigers four receiving targets with at least 350 receiving yards this season. In the ground game, Shane Watts&nbsp;leads the Tigers with 667 yards followed by Travis Dixon&nbsp;with 403. The Watts brothers have combined for 1,589 all-purpose yards this season.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699480423159.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FHSU AthleticsEmporia State (7-3, 6-3 MIAA) at Fort Hays State (7-3, 6-3 MIAA) Saturday, November 11 - 1 p.m. Hays, Kan. - Lewis FieldRadio:&nbsp;KJLS (103.3)&nbsp;<a href="https://mix103fm.com/">CLICK HERE TO LISTEN</a> Video:&nbsp;The MIAA Network&nbsp;<a href="https://themiaanetwork.com/fhsutigers/">CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)</a>Fort Hays State Football hosts Emporia State for the final game of the 2023 regular season on Saturday. Kickoff from Lewis Field Stadium in Hays is set for 1 p.m. Both teams enter the game at 7-3 overall and 6-3 in the MIAA, currently tied for fourth in the MIAA standings. Both are receiving votes in the latest AFCA national poll.Fort Hays State has already secured its eighth winning season under head coach Chris Brown, who owns an overall record of 81-54 in his 12th&nbsp;season guiding the Tigers. FHSU has won at least seven games under Brown seven times and are looking to reach eight for the sixth time under his guidance. Eight wins used to be the program record for a season until Brown put together five consecutive teams from 2015 to 2019 that either reached or topped that mark.The Tigers will be looking to snap a two-game skid to the Hornets. Emporia State won both the 2021 and 2022 meetings between the teams. This is the 96th&nbsp;meeting between the teams in a series that goes all the way back to 1923. FHSU has played Emporia State more than any other team in program history. FHSU has 37 wins in the all-time series.The Tigers are coming off a loss to then No. 11 ranked Central Missouri last week in Warrensburg. The result gave UCM at least a share of the MIAA title when Pittsburg State lost at Missouri Western. UCM is now the highest nationally ranked MIAA team at No. 7, while Pittsburg State sits at No. 8 and Missouri Western is now No. 21. The Hornets posted a win at home over Missouri Southern last week.Despite coming up short against the nation's top offense last week, Fort Hays State still owns the best defense in the MIAA at just 281.7 yards per game. FHSU has held seven of its 10 opponents to less than 300 yards of total offense this season, which includes four opponents to less than 200 yards. The Tigers will have a strong challenge on their hands once again this week with an Emporia State team that averages 493.1 yards of total offense per game.For the Tiger defense, John Johnson&nbsp;leads the team in tackles with 76 after a career-high 15 last week at Central Missouri. Makel Williams&nbsp;ranks second with 64 tackles and is tied with Kobe Rome&nbsp;for the team lead in interceptions, each with three. Myles Menges&nbsp;is the team leader in sacks with 6.5 after producing 6.0 over the past four games. Parrish Terry&nbsp;leads in tackles for loss with 10.0.On offense, Jack Dawson&nbsp;has thrown for 2,470 yards this season with 24 touchdowns. Trevor Watts&nbsp;has been his top target, hauling in 64 passes for 675 yards. Jayden Horace&nbsp;has been the top scoring target of the receivers with 10 touchdowns to go with 509 receiving yards. Bryson Smith&nbsp;(367) and Cale Cormaney&nbsp;(358) give the Tigers four receiving targets with at least 350 receiving yards this season. In the ground game, Shane Watts&nbsp;leads the Tigers with 667 yards followed by Travis Dixon&nbsp;with 403. The Watts brothers have combined for 1,589 all-purpose yards this season.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏈🎧 LISTEN - Tigers close out regular season Saturday against Hornets

Voice of the Chiefs Mitch Holthus talks about the win over the Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany and discusses how they are handling the bye week.

The Holthus Hotline airs Saturday's at 8:00 a.m. on 96.9, KFIX.

Voice of the Chiefs Mitch Holthus talks about the win over the Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany and discusses how they are handling the bye week.The Holthus Hotline airs Saturday's at 8:00 a.m. on 96.9, KFIX.<div><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1661759661%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-GxPmrVprHKo&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/holthus-hotline-nov-11-2023/s-GxPmrVprHKo" title="Holthus Hotline (Nov. 11, 2023)" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Holthus Hotline (Nov. 11, 2023)</a></div></div>

🎧 Holthus Hotline with Voice of the Chiefs Mitch Holthus

EMPORIA, Kan. – Fort Hays State Men's Basketball opened its 2023-24 season with a 70-66 win over Southwestern Oklahoma State in the MIAA-GAC Challenge. After falling down by double digits early in the game, the Tigers used a big second-half surge to get past the Bulldogs.

Southwestern Oklahoma built a 13-point lead twice early, the latest at 20-7 with 11:54 to go before halftime. From that point, FHSU closed out the first half on a 21-11 run to get back within three at halftime. SWOSU led 31-28 at the break.

The Tigers came out of halftime with purpose, going on a 10-0 run to flip the game into a seven-point lead, 38-31. The Tigers went on to lead the remainder of the game, even though SWOSU made it interesting late. A steal and a layup with under 20 seconds remaining brought the Bulldogs back within two, but Elijah Nnanabu&nbsp;put the game away by hitting a pair of crucial free throws with 14 seconds remaining. That would be the final scoring of the game as a SWOSU 3-point field goal on their next possession fell off the mark.

Tiger newcomers Shaun Riley&nbsp;and R.J. Crawford&nbsp;led the Tigers with 15 points each, while Nnanabu finished with 14. Riley picked up a double-double in his first game as a Tiger, adding a team-high 10 rebounds. Kaleb Hammeke&nbsp;also reached double figures in scoring with 12 points.

After shooting just 39.3 percent from the field in the first half, the Tigers heated to 50 percent in the second half and finished at 45 percent for the game. SWOSU finished at 44.6 percent from the field. Both teams scored 58 points on field goals, but FHSU made four more free throws in the game (12-8) to triumph.

The Tigers will face Arkansas Tech on Saturday in their second game of the weekend. Tipoff is set for 5:45 p.m. in Emporia.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699689374395.jpeg" alt="Fort Hays State forward Shaun Riley (23) drives to the basket against Southwestern Oklahoma State's Ben Smith (10) in the second half of an NCAA basketball game in Emporia, Kan, Friday, November 10, 2023. (FHSU Athletics photo/Ryan Prickett)" />
 <figcaption>Fort Hays State forward Shaun Riley (23) drives to the basket against Southwestern Oklahoma State's Ben Smith (10) in the second half of an NCAA basketball game in Emporia, Kan, Friday, November 10, 2023. (FHSU Athletics photo/Ryan Prickett)</figcaption>
 </figure>FHSU AthleticsEMPORIA, Kan. – Fort Hays State Men's Basketball opened its 2023-24 season with a 70-66 win over Southwestern Oklahoma State in the MIAA-GAC Challenge. After falling down by double digits early in the game, the Tigers used a big second-half surge to get past the Bulldogs.Southwestern Oklahoma built a 13-point lead twice early, the latest at 20-7 with 11:54 to go before halftime. From that point, FHSU closed out the first half on a 21-11 run to get back within three at halftime. SWOSU led 31-28 at the break.<div><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1662173433&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/mark-johnson-postgame-vs-sw-oklahoma-state-nov-10-2023" title="Mark Johnson Postgame vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State (Nov. 10, 2023)" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Mark Johnson Postgame vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State (Nov. 10, 2023)</a></div></div>The Tigers came out of halftime with purpose, going on a 10-0 run to flip the game into a seven-point lead, 38-31. The Tigers went on to lead the remainder of the game, even though SWOSU made it interesting late. A steal and a layup with under 20 seconds remaining brought the Bulldogs back within two, but Elijah Nnanabu&nbsp;put the game away by hitting a pair of crucial free throws with 14 seconds remaining. That would be the final scoring of the game as a SWOSU 3-point field goal on their next possession fell off the mark.<div><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1662173502&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/fhsu-men-basketball-highlights-vs-sw-oklahoma-state-nov-102023" title="Fort Hays State MBB Highlights vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State (Nov. 10, 2023)" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Fort Hays State MBB Highlights vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State (Nov. 10, 2023)</a></div></div>Tiger newcomers Shaun Riley&nbsp;and R.J. Crawford&nbsp;led the Tigers with 15 points each, while Nnanabu finished with 14. Riley picked up a double-double in his first game as a Tiger, adding a team-high 10 rebounds. Kaleb Hammeke&nbsp;also reached double figures in scoring with 12 points.After shooting just 39.3 percent from the field in the first half, the Tigers heated to 50 percent in the second half and finished at 45 percent for the game. SWOSU finished at 44.6 percent from the field. Both teams scored 58 points on field goals, but FHSU made four more free throws in the game (12-8) to triumph.The Tigers will face Arkansas Tech on Saturday in their second game of the weekend. Tipoff is set for 5:45 p.m. in Emporia.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏀 Early second half surge pushes Tiger men past SWOSU in season opener

Class 6A Blue Valley 42, Olathe North 21 Derby 23, Manhattan 21 Gardner-Edgerton 28, BV Northwest 6 Washburn Rural 35, Wichita East 14

Class 5A BV Southwest 38, Shawnee Heights 10 Goddard-Eisenhower 35, Maize 14 Kapaun Mount Carmel 57, Maize South 47 Mill Valley 72, Seaman 42

Class 4A Andover Central 28, McPherson 21 St. Thomas Aquinas 38, Basehor-Linwood 7 Tonganoxie 57, Atchison 50 Wamego 49, Wellington 0

Class 3A Andale 50, Wichita Collegiate 25 Cheney 23, Clay Center 21 Holton 35, Frontenac 22 Topeka Hayden 64, Parsons 19

Class 2A Hoisington 49, Southeast Saline 42 Nemaha Central 53, Osage City 27 Norton 14, Ellsworth 0 Sabetha 49, Humboldt 18

Class 1A Conway Springs 28, Marion 20 Jefferson North 52, Olpe 0 Medicine Lodge 48, Valley Heights 30 Pittsburg Colgan 33, St. Mary’s 8

8-Player, Div I Cair Paravel 48, Chase County 23 Ell-Saline 44, Hoxie 42 Lyndon 58, West Elk 12 Wichita County 56, Rawlins County 34

8-Player, Div II Axtell 54, Osborne 6 Frankfort 38, Hanover 12 South Central 58, Minneola 12 Victoria 66, Dighton 20

6-Player Ashland 50, Northern Valley 38 Cheylin 54, Ingalls 8 Cunningham 70, Pawnee Heights 6 Tescott 52, Waverly 45, OT

Class 6A Blue Valley 42, Olathe North 21 Derby 23, Manhattan 21 Gardner-Edgerton 28, BV Northwest 6 Washburn Rural 35, Wichita East 14Class 5A BV Southwest 38, Shawnee Heights 10 Goddard-Eisenhower 35, Maize 14 Kapaun Mount Carmel 57, Maize South 47 Mill Valley 72, Seaman 42Class 4A Andover Central 28, McPherson 21 St. Thomas Aquinas 38, Basehor-Linwood 7 Tonganoxie 57, Atchison 50 Wamego 49, Wellington 0Class 3A Andale 50, Wichita Collegiate 25 Cheney 23, Clay Center 21 Holton 35, Frontenac 22 Topeka Hayden 64, Parsons 19Class 2A Hoisington 49, Southeast Saline 42 Nemaha Central 53, Osage City 27 Norton 14, Ellsworth 0 Sabetha 49, Humboldt 18Class 1A Conway Springs 28, Marion 20 Jefferson North 52, Olpe 0 Medicine Lodge 48, Valley Heights 30 Pittsburg Colgan 33, St. Mary’s 88-Player, Div I Cair Paravel 48, Chase County 23 Ell-Saline 44, Hoxie 42 Lyndon 58, West Elk 12 Wichita County 56, Rawlins County 348-Player, Div II Axtell 54, Osborne 6 Frankfort 38, Hanover 12 South Central 58, Minneola 12 Victoria 66, Dighton 206-Player Ashland 50, Northern Valley 38 Cheylin 54, Ingalls 8 Cunningham 70, Pawnee Heights 6 Tescott 52, Waverly 45, OT

🏈 Friday's Sectional Playoff results

WARRENSBURG, Mo. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team concluded the 2023 season Friday (Nov. 10) with a four-set loss on the road against No. 21 Central Missouri, 25-13, 25-15, 19-25, 25-22. The Tigers battled back after losing the first two sets to lead in the third set wire-to-wire and led for much of the fourth set before falling by three.

Central Missouri never trailed in the opening set, with the Tigers taking their first lead early in the second set. After swinging at a .057 clip across the opening two sets, Fort Hays State bounced back to post an attack percentage of .353 in the third set and .220 in the fourth frame.

Fort Hays State scored the first three points in the third set, later leading by as many as eight.&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/gracie-rains/7500">Gracie Rains</a>&nbsp;contributed five kills during the frame, with&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/taylor-hawkins/7497">Taylor Hawkins</a>&nbsp;totaling four kills. Olson helped the Tigers reach set point with a kill before&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/ashlyn-reeves/7536">Ashlyn Reeves</a>&nbsp;ended the frame with her second kill of the set.

The Tigers led by as many as six midway through the fourth set, 13-7, before the Jennies battled back to tie things up at 18. The teams traded points before UCM broke open a 22-22 tie by scoring the final three points of the evening.

Hawkins paced the Tigers with 14 kills and three blocks, while&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/emily-ellis/7495">Emily Ellis</a>&nbsp;contributed 11 kills and two blocks, including one solo swat.&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/caiya-stucky/7503">Caiya Stucky</a>&nbsp;tossed up 42 assists, with&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/riley-tinder/7504">Riley Tinder</a>&nbsp;leading the way with 16 digs.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699688975628.jpeg" alt="FHSU Athletics photo/Ryan Prickett" />
 <figcaption>FHSU Athletics photo/Ryan Prickett</figcaption>
 </figure>FHSU AthleticsWARRENSBURG, Mo. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team concluded the 2023 season Friday (Nov. 10) with a four-set loss on the road against No. 21 Central Missouri, 25-13, 25-15, 19-25, 25-22. The Tigers battled back after losing the first two sets to lead in the third set wire-to-wire and led for much of the fourth set before falling by three.Central Missouri never trailed in the opening set, with the Tigers taking their first lead early in the second set. After swinging at a .057 clip across the opening two sets, Fort Hays State bounced back to post an attack percentage of .353 in the third set and .220 in the fourth frame.Fort Hays State scored the first three points in the third set, later leading by as many as eight.&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/gracie-rains/7500">Gracie Rains</a>&nbsp;contributed five kills during the frame, with&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/taylor-hawkins/7497">Taylor Hawkins</a>&nbsp;totaling four kills. Olson helped the Tigers reach set point with a kill before&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/ashlyn-reeves/7536">Ashlyn Reeves</a>&nbsp;ended the frame with her second kill of the set.The Tigers led by as many as six midway through the fourth set, 13-7, before the Jennies battled back to tie things up at 18. The teams traded points before UCM broke open a 22-22 tie by scoring the final three points of the evening.Hawkins paced the Tigers with 14 kills and three blocks, while&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/emily-ellis/7495">Emily Ellis</a>&nbsp;contributed 11 kills and two blocks, including one solo swat.&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/caiya-stucky/7503">Caiya Stucky</a>&nbsp;tossed up 42 assists, with&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/riley-tinder/7504">Riley Tinder</a>&nbsp;leading the way with 16 digs.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏐 Tigers fall to No. 21 Jennies in four

&nbsp; BETHANY, Okla. - In a heart-wrenching GAC/MIAA Tournament clash, the No. 3 seed Fort Hays State Tigers faced a tough challenge against the No. 2 Rogers State Hillcats in a contest that unfolded with raw intensity and nail-biting drama.

The initial half showcased a relentless effort from the Tigers, launching seven shot attempts while the Hillcats could only get off four. However, despite the efforts, the scoreboard remained untouched, with Fort Hays State and Rogers State locked in a tense 0-0 standoff.

As the second half commenced, the stakes soared, and the players demonstrated unwavering determination. Shots were fired, attacks were mounted, but the Hillcats' goalkeeper, Declan Viljoen, and Tiger's graduate student, Ben Dixon, showcased their shot-stopping prowess, denying any breakthroughs. The defensive fortitude from both sides was admirable, creating a deadlock that only heightened the anticipation. The regulation time ended with no victor, setting the stage for an intense overtime period.

In the first overtime period, there was a moment that etched in agony for the Tigers. The Hillcats' Hugo Martin found an opening and netted the overtime goal. The Tigers had two chances to even the scoring in OT with two shots from forward Elias Ovelar Semeniuk.&nbsp;As the final whistle blew, the Tigers, despite their valiant efforts, found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreline.&nbsp;

The Tigers mustered a total of 15 shots, with 8 on target, showcasing their offensive intent. The goalkeeping heroics of Ben Dixon, who faced a barrage of shots, were commendable throughout the match. Possession seesawed between the teams, with Rogers State having the ball for 47% of the match, leaving our Tigers with 53% control.

This loss marks the end of the season for FHSU Men's Soccer as they finish the season 8-8-2 and 7-3-2 in the GAC.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699688796973.jpeg" alt="FHSU Athletics photo/Ryan Prickett" />
 <figcaption>FHSU Athletics photo/Ryan Prickett</figcaption>
 </figure>FHSU Athletics&nbsp; BETHANY, Okla. - In a heart-wrenching GAC/MIAA Tournament clash, the No. 3 seed Fort Hays State Tigers faced a tough challenge against the No. 2 Rogers State Hillcats in a contest that unfolded with raw intensity and nail-biting drama.The initial half showcased a relentless effort from the Tigers, launching seven shot attempts while the Hillcats could only get off four. However, despite the efforts, the scoreboard remained untouched, with Fort Hays State and Rogers State locked in a tense 0-0 standoff.As the second half commenced, the stakes soared, and the players demonstrated unwavering determination. Shots were fired, attacks were mounted, but the Hillcats' goalkeeper, Declan Viljoen, and Tiger's graduate student, Ben Dixon, showcased their shot-stopping prowess, denying any breakthroughs. The defensive fortitude from both sides was admirable, creating a deadlock that only heightened the anticipation. The regulation time ended with no victor, setting the stage for an intense overtime period.In the first overtime period, there was a moment that etched in agony for the Tigers. The Hillcats' Hugo Martin found an opening and netted the overtime goal. The Tigers had two chances to even the scoring in OT with two shots from forward Elias Ovelar Semeniuk.&nbsp;As the final whistle blew, the Tigers, despite their valiant efforts, found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreline.&nbsp;The Tigers mustered a total of 15 shots, with 8 on target, showcasing their offensive intent. The goalkeeping heroics of Ben Dixon, who faced a barrage of shots, were commendable throughout the match. Possession seesawed between the teams, with Rogers State having the ball for 47% of the match, leaving our Tigers with 53% control.This loss marks the end of the season for FHSU Men's Soccer as they finish the season 8-8-2 and 7-3-2 in the GAC.&nbsp;&nbsp;

⚽ Tiger men fall to Hillcats in overtime thriller in GAC/MIAA semis

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Fort Hays State women's basketball team opened the 2023-24 season and the Talia Kahrs&nbsp;era with a 79-54 win over Minot State Friday afternoon (Nov. 10) in the Central Region Showcase. The Tigers (1-0) hit better than 50 percent from the floor (32-of-63) and had six players score eight or more points in the victory.

Olivia Hollenbeck&nbsp;opened the game with a layup after winning the opening tip, giving the Lincoln, Neb. native 1,000 career points as a Tiger. She is the 25th player in program history to reach the milestone. Hollenbeck finished the day 5-for-5 from the floor, scoring 11 points alongside five rebounds and one block.

More than half of FHSU's points came off the bench (41 bench points), including a game-high 12 points from Clary Donica&nbsp;and 10 from Ellie Stearns. FHSU held Minot State (1-3) without a double-digit scorer and limited the Beavers to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor (18-of-54).Both teams got off to a slow start, combining to shoot less than 30 percent from the floor in the opening quarter. Fort Hays State led 13-7 after the first 10 minutes, but MSU closed within one possession after opening the second quarter with a 3-pointer. The Tigers scored the next seven points to push the lead to double figures, including another Hollenbeck layup and a 3-pointer from Megan Earney.

Fort Hays State later closed the first half by scoring the final seven points, including five from Sydney Golladay&nbsp;and two from Stearns, giving the Tigers a 38-24 lead at halftime.

The Tigers would maintain their double-digit advantage the rest of the afternoon, eventually leading by as many as 33 points following a stick-back layup from Mallory Cowman late in the third quarter. Fort Hays State was nearly perfect out of the locker room, knocking down 10-of-13 from the floor during the third stanza. Donica (3-for-3), Katie Wagner&nbsp;(2-for-2) and Emma Ruddle&nbsp;(2-for-2) combined to go a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor during the period.

Minot State won the fourth quarter, 19-14, but enough damage had been done over the first 30 minutes to give the Tigers a comfortable winning margin.

Fort Hays State dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Beavers 43-28. The Tigers collected 14 offensive rebounds, including three each from Donica and Kate Dilsaver, helping the Tigers to 21 second-chance points. FHSU outscored Minot State in the paint, 42-20.

Brooke Loewe&nbsp;led the team in assists, dishing out five assists to go along with four points, two rebounds and one steal. Golladay added four assists while tying with Stearns and Landon Forbes&nbsp;with two steals.

The Tigers poured in 9-of-29 from behind the arc (31.0 percent), including a 3-for-5 effort from Ruddle.

Fort Hays State will wrap up the weekend inside the St. Joseph Civic Arena Saturday (Nov. 10) with a matchup against No. 2 Minnesota State beginning at 2:45 p.m.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699688488503.jpeg" alt="Fort Hays State forward Olivia Hollenbeck goes in for a layup in the first half of an NCAA women's basketball game vs. Minot State in St. Joseph, Missouri, Friday, November 10, 2023. (FHSU Athletics photo/Ryan Prickett)" />
 <figcaption>Fort Hays State forward Olivia Hollenbeck goes in for a layup in the first half of an NCAA women's basketball game vs. Minot State in St. Joseph, Missouri, Friday, November 10, 2023. (FHSU Athletics photo/Ryan Prickett)</figcaption>
 </figure>FHSU AthleticsST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Fort Hays State women's basketball team opened the 2023-24 season and the Talia Kahrs&nbsp;era with a 79-54 win over Minot State Friday afternoon (Nov. 10) in the Central Region Showcase. The Tigers (1-0) hit better than 50 percent from the floor (32-of-63) and had six players score eight or more points in the victory.<div><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1662066996&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/11-10-23-fhsu-womens-coach-talia-kahrs-post-game-interview" title="Talia Kahrs Postgame vs. Minot State (Nov. 10, 2023)" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Talia Kahrs Postgame vs. Minot State (Nov. 10, 2023)</a></div></div>Olivia Hollenbeck&nbsp;opened the game with a layup after winning the opening tip, giving the Lincoln, Neb. native 1,000 career points as a Tiger. She is the 25th player in program history to reach the milestone. Hollenbeck finished the day 5-for-5 from the floor, scoring 11 points alongside five rebounds and one block.More than half of FHSU's points came off the bench (41 bench points), including a game-high 12 points from Clary Donica&nbsp;and 10 from Ellie Stearns. FHSU held Minot State (1-3) without a double-digit scorer and limited the Beavers to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor (18-of-54).Both teams got off to a slow start, combining to shoot less than 30 percent from the floor in the opening quarter. Fort Hays State led 13-7 after the first 10 minutes, but MSU closed within one possession after opening the second quarter with a 3-pointer. The Tigers scored the next seven points to push the lead to double figures, including another Hollenbeck layup and a 3-pointer from Megan Earney.Fort Hays State later closed the first half by scoring the final seven points, including five from Sydney Golladay&nbsp;and two from Stearns, giving the Tigers a 38-24 lead at halftime.<div><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1662067047&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/11-10-23-fhsu-wbkb-vs-minot-state-highlights" title="Fort Hays State WBB Highlights vs. Minot State (Nov. 10, 2023)" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Fort Hays State WBB Highlights vs. Minot State (Nov. 10, 2023)</a></div></div>The Tigers would maintain their double-digit advantage the rest of the afternoon, eventually leading by as many as 33 points following a stick-back layup from Mallory Cowman late in the third quarter. Fort Hays State was nearly perfect out of the locker room, knocking down 10-of-13 from the floor during the third stanza. Donica (3-for-3), Katie Wagner&nbsp;(2-for-2) and Emma Ruddle&nbsp;(2-for-2) combined to go a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor during the period.Minot State won the fourth quarter, 19-14, but enough damage had been done over the first 30 minutes to give the Tigers a comfortable winning margin.Fort Hays State dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Beavers 43-28. The Tigers collected 14 offensive rebounds, including three each from Donica and Kate Dilsaver, helping the Tigers to 21 second-chance points. FHSU outscored Minot State in the paint, 42-20.Brooke Loewe&nbsp;led the team in assists, dishing out five assists to go along with four points, two rebounds and one steal. Golladay added four assists while tying with Stearns and Landon Forbes&nbsp;with two steals.The Tigers poured in 9-of-29 from behind the arc (31.0 percent), including a 3-for-5 effort from Ruddle.Fort Hays State will wrap up the weekend inside the St. Joseph Civic Arena Saturday (Nov. 10) with a matchup against No. 2 Minnesota State beginning at 2:45 p.m.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏀 FHSU women open season with win, Hollenbeck reaches 1,000 points

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Tylor Perry scored 15 of his game-high 18 points in the second half and Kansas State cruised to its first win in two starts, beating Bellarmine 83-75 in its home opener on Friday night.

The Wildcats bounced back from a 82-69 loss to USC in Las Vegas Monday night, their first loss in a season opener since 2020.

Kansas State built a 15-point lead at intermission as Cam Carter scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half and had four steals. Perry knocked down three 3-pointers and all six of his free-throw attempts in the final 20 minutes and finished with five assists and a steal. Arthur Kaluma and Darrin Ames each contributed 12 points and Ames added a team-high six assists to go with three steals.

Bash Wieland had 17 points, seven boards and three assists to lead Bellarmine (0-2), beginning its fourth season as a Division I program. Langdon Hatton added 14 points and Ben Johnson 12.

Kansas State will play host to South Dakota State Monday. Bellarmine continues its four-game road trip to open the season when it plays at Chattanooga Tuesday. The Knights will play their first home game Nov. 20 against Morehead State.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699750024348.jpeg" alt="Kansas State's Cam Carter goes in for a dunk in the second half of an NCAA basketball game with Bellarmine in Manhattan, Kan., Friday, November 10, 2022. (Kansas State Athletics photo)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas State's Cam Carter goes in for a dunk in the second half of an NCAA basketball game with Bellarmine in Manhattan, Kan., Friday, November 10, 2022. (Kansas State Athletics photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Tylor Perry scored 15 of his game-high 18 points in the second half and Kansas State cruised to its first win in two starts, beating Bellarmine 83-75 in its home opener on Friday night.The Wildcats bounced back from a 82-69 loss to USC in Las Vegas Monday night, their first loss in a season opener since 2020.Kansas State built a 15-point lead at intermission as Cam Carter scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half and had four steals. Perry knocked down three 3-pointers and all six of his free-throw attempts in the final 20 minutes and finished with five assists and a steal. Arthur Kaluma and Darrin Ames each contributed 12 points and Ames added a team-high six assists to go with three steals.Bash Wieland had 17 points, seven boards and three assists to lead Bellarmine (0-2), beginning its fourth season as a Division I program. Langdon Hatton added 14 points and Ben Johnson 12.Kansas State will play host to South Dakota State Monday. Bellarmine continues its four-game road trip to open the season when it plays at Chattanooga Tuesday. The Knights will play their first home game Nov. 20 against Morehead State.

🏀 Perry's 15-point second half carries Kansas State past Bellarmine

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Top-ranked Kansas has cruised to a pair of easy wins in a season that hasn't even begun.

At least, not as far as Bill Self is concerned.

After romping past North Carolina Central earlier in the week, the Jayhawks cruise to a 99-61 victory over Manhattan on Friday night. In both of the games, Kansas took a big early lead, shot the ball well and made life miserable for its opponents on defense.

“Now the season starts,” Self said. “We played fairly well getting through them but now we have to really hunker down.”

That's because the Jayhawks (2-0) have No. 16 Kentucky next in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball">the Champions Classic on Tuesday night</a>. Then they head to the Maui Invitational, where a stacked field includes No. 3 Purdue, No. 5 Marquette, No. 9 Tennessee, No. 11 Gonzaga, Syracuse and Tennessee. And soon after returning home, sixth-ranked and defending national champ UConn visits Allen Fieldhouse.

“It'll be a totally different animal than what we've experienced so far,” Self said, “but we'll be very excited about it.”

The Jayhawks got contributions from just about everyone on Friday night. Hunter Dickinson had 18 points and eight rebounds, Kevin McCullar Jr. and Johnny Furphy added 15 points apiece, and KJ Adams Jr. finished with 14 points. Elmarko Jackson added 10 assists and nine points.

“We're super athletic. You look at our roster, you have a lot of guys that can make a lot of different plays," McCullar said. We've got guys that can make high-impact plays and that gives us energy and life when we're playing at home."

Seydou Traore had 16 points to lead Manhattan (1-1), which trailed 17-4 in the opening minutes and 44-19 by halftime.

Unlike their opener, when the Jayhawks were lights-out from beyond the arc against North Carolina Central, they relied on their bruising interior players to beat up the Jaspers on Friday night.

The 6-foot-7 Adams, who played an undersized post most of last season, took advantage of the 7-2 Dickinson eating up space in the paint all night. The attention drawn by the Michigan transfer allowed Adams to get loose for six dunks, including one for the Jayhawks' first points and another on an ally-oop slam late in the first half.

“That's a pretty exciting way to play,” Furphy admitted. “It brings a lot of energy, definitely.”

The Jayhawks' massive size advantage paid off on defense, too. They had nine blocks by the time they hit the locker room, and that contributed to 9-for-33 first-half shooting by the Jaspers that allowed the game to get out of hand.

“It felt good," said Furphy, who scored his 15 points in just 20 minutes of floor time. “I think it's really exciting when we generate our offense from the defensive end. I think that's kind of the best way to play.”

Manhattan has a new coach in John Gallagher and almost an entirely new team, including seven freshmen and eight transfers. The growing pains were evident against the best team the Jaspers will likely face all season.

Kansas dominated across the board, out-rebounding the Jaspers 45-32, outscoring them in the paint 50-20 and shooting 57% percent from the field. If not for 14 turnovers, and some second-half defensive lapses, Self would have had little to critique.

Manhattan: Hosts Division II member Felician on Thursday night.

Kansas: vs. Kentucky on Tuesday night in Chicago.

<figure>
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 </figure>LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Top-ranked Kansas has cruised to a pair of easy wins in a season that hasn't even begun.At least, not as far as Bill Self is concerned.After romping past North Carolina Central earlier in the week, the Jayhawks cruise to a 99-61 victory over Manhattan on Friday night. In both of the games, Kansas took a big early lead, shot the ball well and made life miserable for its opponents on defense.“Now the season starts,” Self said. “We played fairly well getting through them but now we have to really hunker down.”That's because the Jayhawks (2-0) have No. 16 Kentucky next in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball">the Champions Classic on Tuesday night</a>. Then they head to the Maui Invitational, where a stacked field includes No. 3 Purdue, No. 5 Marquette, No. 9 Tennessee, No. 11 Gonzaga, Syracuse and Tennessee. And soon after returning home, sixth-ranked and defending national champ UConn visits Allen Fieldhouse.“It'll be a totally different animal than what we've experienced so far,” Self said, “but we'll be very excited about it.”The Jayhawks got contributions from just about everyone on Friday night. Hunter Dickinson had 18 points and eight rebounds, Kevin McCullar Jr. and Johnny Furphy added 15 points apiece, and KJ Adams Jr. finished with 14 points. Elmarko Jackson added 10 assists and nine points.“We're super athletic. You look at our roster, you have a lot of guys that can make a lot of different plays," McCullar said. We've got guys that can make high-impact plays and that gives us energy and life when we're playing at home."Seydou Traore had 16 points to lead Manhattan (1-1), which trailed 17-4 in the opening minutes and 44-19 by halftime.Unlike their opener, when the Jayhawks were lights-out from beyond the arc against North Carolina Central, they relied on their bruising interior players to beat up the Jaspers on Friday night.The 6-foot-7 Adams, who played an undersized post most of last season, took advantage of the 7-2 Dickinson eating up space in the paint all night. The attention drawn by the Michigan transfer allowed Adams to get loose for six dunks, including one for the Jayhawks' first points and another on an ally-oop slam late in the first half.“That's a pretty exciting way to play,” Furphy admitted. “It brings a lot of energy, definitely.”The Jayhawks' massive size advantage paid off on defense, too. They had nine blocks by the time they hit the locker room, and that contributed to 9-for-33 first-half shooting by the Jaspers that allowed the game to get out of hand.“It felt good," said Furphy, who scored his 15 points in just 20 minutes of floor time. “I think it's really exciting when we generate our offense from the defensive end. I think that's kind of the best way to play.”BIG PICTUREManhattan has a new coach in John Gallagher and almost an entirely new team, including seven freshmen and eight transfers. The growing pains were evident against the best team the Jaspers will likely face all season.Kansas dominated across the board, out-rebounding the Jaspers 45-32, outscoring them in the paint 50-20 and shooting 57% percent from the field. If not for 14 turnovers, and some second-half defensive lapses, Self would have had little to critique.UP NEXTManhattan: Hosts Division II member Felician on Thursday night.Kansas: vs. Kentucky on Tuesday night in Chicago.

🏀 Dickinson, Adams help No. 1 Kansas power past Manhattan

Fort Hays State vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State Friday, November 10 - 7:45 p.m. Emporia, Kan. - White Auditorium

Fort Hays State vs. Arkansas Tech Saturday, November 11 - 5:45 p.m. Emporia, Kan. - White Auditorium

Fort Hays State Men's Basketball opens its 2023-24 regular season with a pair of games against opponents from the Great American Conference this Friday and Saturday in Emporia, Kan. The Tigers take on Southwestern Oklahoma State on Friday at 7:45 p.m., then Arkansas Tech on Saturday at 5:45 p.m.

This will be the fourth time out of the last five seasons that FHSU opens its season with Southwestern Oklahoma State and Arkansas Tech. Emporia State has done the same as ESU will be the last of the four schools to host the season-opening weekend among the four teams.&nbsp; FHSU has seen success against SWOSU and ATU during this gathering between the teams, going 5-1 since 2019. FHSU defeated both teams in Russellville, Arkansas (2019) and Hays (2021) before splitting in Weatherford, Oklahoma (2022). Last year FHSU fell to SWOSU in the season opener by three points, but bounced back for a nine-point win over Arkansas Tech.

Emporia has been a place of success for the Tigers. FHSU has won nine of its last 10 games played in White Auditorium, all of which were against Emporia State. FHSU has won its last two games in the facility.

The Tigers are coming off a 21-9 season in 2022-23. They went 15-7 in MIAA to tie for third place with Emporia State. The Tigers saw their season close in the MIAA Tournament semifinals against Central Oklahoma. Northwest Missouri State, Central Oklahoma, and Emporia State are all among the NABC Top 25 to start the 2023-24 season, while Fort Hays State is receiving votes.

Southwestern Oklahoma State is in its first season under head coach Brett Weiberg. He is a familiar name to the Tigers after serving as head coach of Missouri Western for five seasons from 2013 to 2018. The Bulldogs are coming off a 12-16 record in 2022-23. Ben Smith is their top returning scorer at 15.0 points per game.

Arkansas Tech was picked second in the Great American Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Wonder Boys went 16-15 overall last year. They are guided by Mark Downey, also a familiar name to the Tigers, after coaching Northeastern State for three seasons from 2017 to 2020. Taelon Peter is the top returning scorer for ATU at 15.5 points per game.

Kaleb Hammeke&nbsp;is the top returning scorer for the Tigers at 16.4 points per game. An All-MIAA First Team and NABC All-District Second Team selection for the Central Region as season ago, Hammeke also led the Tigers in assists at 3.6 per game, while shooting 81.2 percent from the free-throw line. Returning all-conference performers joining Hammeke are Elijah Nnanabu and Bjarni Jonsson, who each earned honorable mention selections last year. Jonsson was named to the conference's All-Defensive Team for a second straight year as well. Six newcomers join eight returners (six that played last year) to make up FHSU's 14-man roster.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
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 </figure>FHSU AthleticsFort Hays State vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State Friday, November 10 - 7:45 p.m. Emporia, Kan. - White AuditoriumRadio:&nbsp;KJLS (103.3)&nbsp;<a href="https://mix103fm.com/">CLICK HERE TO LISTEN</a> Video:&nbsp;The MIAA Network&nbsp;<a href="https://themiaanetwork.com/fhsutigers/">CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)</a>Fort Hays State vs. Arkansas Tech Saturday, November 11 - 5:45 p.m. Emporia, Kan. - White AuditoriumRadio:&nbsp;KJLS (103.3)&nbsp;<a href="https://mix103fm.com/">CLICK HERE TO LISTEN</a> Video:&nbsp;The MIAA Network&nbsp;<a href="https://themiaanetwork.com/fhsutigers/">CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)</a>Fort Hays State Men's Basketball opens its 2023-24 regular season with a pair of games against opponents from the Great American Conference this Friday and Saturday in Emporia, Kan. The Tigers take on Southwestern Oklahoma State on Friday at 7:45 p.m., then Arkansas Tech on Saturday at 5:45 p.m.This will be the fourth time out of the last five seasons that FHSU opens its season with Southwestern Oklahoma State and Arkansas Tech. Emporia State has done the same as ESU will be the last of the four schools to host the season-opening weekend among the four teams.&nbsp; FHSU has seen success against SWOSU and ATU during this gathering between the teams, going 5-1 since 2019. FHSU defeated both teams in Russellville, Arkansas (2019) and Hays (2021) before splitting in Weatherford, Oklahoma (2022). Last year FHSU fell to SWOSU in the season opener by three points, but bounced back for a nine-point win over Arkansas Tech.Emporia has been a place of success for the Tigers. FHSU has won nine of its last 10 games played in White Auditorium, all of which were against Emporia State. FHSU has won its last two games in the facility.The Tigers are coming off a 21-9 season in 2022-23. They went 15-7 in MIAA to tie for third place with Emporia State. The Tigers saw their season close in the MIAA Tournament semifinals against Central Oklahoma. Northwest Missouri State, Central Oklahoma, and Emporia State are all among the NABC Top 25 to start the 2023-24 season, while Fort Hays State is receiving votes.Southwestern Oklahoma State is in its first season under head coach Brett Weiberg. He is a familiar name to the Tigers after serving as head coach of Missouri Western for five seasons from 2013 to 2018. The Bulldogs are coming off a 12-16 record in 2022-23. Ben Smith is their top returning scorer at 15.0 points per game.Arkansas Tech was picked second in the Great American Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Wonder Boys went 16-15 overall last year. They are guided by Mark Downey, also a familiar name to the Tigers, after coaching Northeastern State for three seasons from 2017 to 2020. Taelon Peter is the top returning scorer for ATU at 15.5 points per game.Kaleb Hammeke&nbsp;is the top returning scorer for the Tigers at 16.4 points per game. An All-MIAA First Team and NABC All-District Second Team selection for the Central Region as season ago, Hammeke also led the Tigers in assists at 3.6 per game, while shooting 81.2 percent from the free-throw line. Returning all-conference performers joining Hammeke are Elijah Nnanabu and Bjarni Jonsson, who each earned honorable mention selections last year. Jonsson was named to the conference's All-Defensive Team for a second straight year as well. Six newcomers join eight returners (six that played last year) to make up FHSU's 14-man roster.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏀🎧 LISTEN - Tiger men open season in Emporia against pair of GAC teams

Fort Hays State Women's Basketball (0-0, 0-0 MIAA) at 2023 NCAA Division II Central Region Showcase St. Joseph, Mo. • Civic Arena

vs. Minot State (1-2, 0-0 NSIC) Friday, November 10 • 2:45 p.m. Radio:&nbsp;KJLS (103.3)&nbsp;<a href="https://mix103fm.com/">CLICK HERE TO LISTEN</a> Video:&nbsp;The MIAA Network&nbsp;<a href="https://themiaanetwork.com/fhsutigers/">CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)</a>

vs. No. 2 Minnesota State (2-1, 0-0 NSIC) Saturday, November 11 • 2:45 p.m. Radio:&nbsp;KFIX (96.9) <a href="https://kfix.com/">CLICK HERE TO LISTEN</a> Video:&nbsp;The MIAA Network&nbsp;<a href="https://themiaanetwork.com/fhsutigers/">CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)</a>

The Fort Hays State women's basketball team will open the 55th season in program history this weekend (Nov. 10-11) with a pair of regional matchups in St. Joseph, Mo. at the 2023 NCAA Division II Central Region Showcase. The Tigers will kick off the new year Friday against Minot State before battling second-ranked Minnesota State on Saturday afternoon. Both contests are slated to begin at 2:45 p.m. inside the St. Joseph Civic Arena.

The 2023-24 season will be the first under head coach Talia Kahrs, who was introduced as the seventh head coach in program history on April 13, 2023. No stranger to Tiger basketball, Kahrs has been a part of the program for each of the last 15 seasons, including three as a player, one as a student-assistant and 11 as an assistant coach. She helped the Tigers to 293 wins as an assistant coach, including 12-consecutive 20-win seasons, which is the longest active streak in Division II.

The Tigers return 12 letterwinners from last year's team that went 20-12 overall, including all five starters and two All-MIAA performers in&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/katie-wagner/7531">Katie Wagner</a>&nbsp;(first team) and&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/olivia-hollenbeck/7525">Olivia Hollenbeck</a>&nbsp;(third team). FHSU added a trio of true freshmen this year, all three of which were All-State selections in Kansas. Fort Hays State returns nearly all of its offensive efficiency from last season, with the Tigers bringing back players responsible for 96.2 percent of last year's points, 97.7 percent of last year's rebounds and 97.8 percent of last year's assists.

Fort Hays State is 36-18 all-time in season openers. The Tigers have dominated non-conference opponents of late, with FHSU winning 87 of the last 91 non-conference, regular season contests.

The Tigers were picked fourth in both MIAA preseason polls. FHSU has been no lower than fifth in the preseason conference rankings each of the last 12 years.

Wagner averages a double-double against Minnesota State, putting up 20 points, 13.5 rebounds and two assists per game in two career matchups.

Hollenbeck enters her fourth year with the Tigers with 998 points, needing just two points to become the 25th 1000-point scorer in program history.

Fort Hays State went 2-0 in its last trip to Civic Arena, with the Tigers knocking off Minnesota Duluth (59-51) and Concordia-St. Paul (67-54) in the 2019 Hillyard Tip-Off Classic.

This is the first-ever matchup between Fort Hays State and Minot State, while the Tigers are 2-2 all-time against Minnesota State. The Mavericks are 2-0 against FHSU in the regular season, while Fort Hays State has a pair of postseason victories against MSU in the NCAA DII Central Region Tournament. The Tigers are 49-18 all-time against current NSIC teams. After Friday's contest with the Beavers, FHSU will have played every Northern Sun program except Minnesota Crookston and U-Mary.

No. 15 Minnesota State handed No. 3 Fort Hays State a 65-63 home loss early last season (11/18/22) after Destinee Bursch poured in a high-arching shot over the top of two outreached defenders from just in front of the Maverick bench as time expired to secure the victory. Jessie Sallach&nbsp;had tied things up with a 15-foot jumper with 3.4 seconds left before the Mavericks clinched the win at the buzzer. Wagner paced the Tigers with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Ellie Stearns&nbsp;hit 3-of-7 from behind the arc.

Minot State is off to a 1-2 start after a narrow loss against No. 3 Tampa, a win over Florida Tech and a loss against No. 8 Angelo State. The Beavers were picked to finish 15th in the Northern Sun after going 12-16 overall last season, including an 8-14 mark in NSIC contests. Emma Mogan was picked as an NSIC Preseason Player to Watch after averaging 6.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game a year ago. Sydney Gustavsson leads the teams in points through three games, averaging 13.7 per night.

Minnesota State was picked No. 2 in both the preseason WBCA Coaches Poll and the preseason D2CSC Media Poll after going 26-5 overall last season and winning the NSIC South at 19-3. The Mavericks are 2-1 so far this season, including wins over Florida Tech and Texas A&amp;M-Kingsville and a five-point loss to No. 24 Texas Woman's University. MSU is averaging 76.7 points per game so far this year thanks to a 43.6 field goal percentage. Destinee Bursch leads the team with 15.7 points per game, with Natalie Bremer close behind with an average of 14.0 points per night.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
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 </figure>FHSU AthleticsFort Hays State Women's Basketball (0-0, 0-0 MIAA) at 2023 NCAA Division II Central Region Showcase St. Joseph, Mo. • Civic Arenavs. Minot State (1-2, 0-0 NSIC) Friday, November 10 • 2:45 p.m. Radio:&nbsp;KJLS (103.3)&nbsp;<a href="https://mix103fm.com/">CLICK HERE TO LISTEN</a> Video:&nbsp;The MIAA Network&nbsp;<a href="https://themiaanetwork.com/fhsutigers/">CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)</a> vs. No. 2 Minnesota State (2-1, 0-0 NSIC) Saturday, November 11 • 2:45 p.m. Radio:&nbsp;KFIX (96.9) <a href="https://kfix.com/">CLICK HERE TO LISTEN</a> Video:&nbsp;The MIAA Network&nbsp;<a href="https://themiaanetwork.com/fhsutigers/">CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)</a> The Fort Hays State women's basketball team will open the 55th season in program history this weekend (Nov. 10-11) with a pair of regional matchups in St. Joseph, Mo. at the 2023 NCAA Division II Central Region Showcase. The Tigers will kick off the new year Friday against Minot State before battling second-ranked Minnesota State on Saturday afternoon. Both contests are slated to begin at 2:45 p.m. inside the St. Joseph Civic Arena.The 2023-24 season will be the first under head coach Talia Kahrs, who was introduced as the seventh head coach in program history on April 13, 2023. No stranger to Tiger basketball, Kahrs has been a part of the program for each of the last 15 seasons, including three as a player, one as a student-assistant and 11 as an assistant coach. She helped the Tigers to 293 wins as an assistant coach, including 12-consecutive 20-win seasons, which is the longest active streak in Division II.The Tigers return 12 letterwinners from last year's team that went 20-12 overall, including all five starters and two All-MIAA performers in&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/katie-wagner/7531">Katie Wagner</a>&nbsp;(first team) and&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/olivia-hollenbeck/7525">Olivia Hollenbeck</a>&nbsp;(third team). FHSU added a trio of true freshmen this year, all three of which were All-State selections in Kansas. Fort Hays State returns nearly all of its offensive efficiency from last season, with the Tigers bringing back players responsible for 96.2 percent of last year's points, 97.7 percent of last year's rebounds and 97.8 percent of last year's assists.Fort Hays State is 36-18 all-time in season openers. The Tigers have dominated non-conference opponents of late, with FHSU winning 87 of the last 91 non-conference, regular season contests.The Tigers were picked fourth in both MIAA preseason polls. FHSU has been no lower than fifth in the preseason conference rankings each of the last 12 years.Wagner averages a double-double against Minnesota State, putting up 20 points, 13.5 rebounds and two assists per game in two career matchups.Hollenbeck enters her fourth year with the Tigers with 998 points, needing just two points to become the 25th 1000-point scorer in program history.Fort Hays State went 2-0 in its last trip to Civic Arena, with the Tigers knocking off Minnesota Duluth (59-51) and Concordia-St. Paul (67-54) in the 2019 Hillyard Tip-Off Classic.This is the first-ever matchup between Fort Hays State and Minot State, while the Tigers are 2-2 all-time against Minnesota State. The Mavericks are 2-0 against FHSU in the regular season, while Fort Hays State has a pair of postseason victories against MSU in the NCAA DII Central Region Tournament. The Tigers are 49-18 all-time against current NSIC teams. After Friday's contest with the Beavers, FHSU will have played every Northern Sun program except Minnesota Crookston and U-Mary.No. 15 Minnesota State handed No. 3 Fort Hays State a 65-63 home loss early last season (11/18/22) after Destinee Bursch poured in a high-arching shot over the top of two outreached defenders from just in front of the Maverick bench as time expired to secure the victory. Jessie Sallach&nbsp;had tied things up with a 15-foot jumper with 3.4 seconds left before the Mavericks clinched the win at the buzzer. Wagner paced the Tigers with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Ellie Stearns&nbsp;hit 3-of-7 from behind the arc.Minot State is off to a 1-2 start after a narrow loss against No. 3 Tampa, a win over Florida Tech and a loss against No. 8 Angelo State. The Beavers were picked to finish 15th in the Northern Sun after going 12-16 overall last season, including an 8-14 mark in NSIC contests. Emma Mogan was picked as an NSIC Preseason Player to Watch after averaging 6.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game a year ago. Sydney Gustavsson leads the teams in points through three games, averaging 13.7 per night.Minnesota State was picked No. 2 in both the preseason WBCA Coaches Poll and the preseason D2CSC Media Poll after going 26-5 overall last season and winning the NSIC South at 19-3. The Mavericks are 2-1 so far this season, including wins over Florida Tech and Texas A&amp;M-Kingsville and a five-point loss to No. 24 Texas Woman's University. MSU is averaging 76.7 points per game so far this year thanks to a 43.6 field goal percentage. Destinee Bursch leads the team with 15.7 points per game, with Natalie Bremer close behind with an average of 14.0 points per night.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏀🎧 LISTEN - FHSU women open 55th campaign at Central Region Showcase

By BRETT MARSHALL Western Athletic Conference

It’s something that Tony Crough could only envision when he took over the head coaching reins at Hays High School six years ago.

At the time, the Indians’ football fortunes had fallen off and Crough came with a winning pedigree at previous stops.

Over the past four seasons, the Indians have either won the Western Athletic Conference outright or shared it each year, and the recently completed 2023 was another where they held the outright title.

The recent title didn’t come without its challenges, and Crough would be the first to tell you this.

Early in the season, the Indians lost a critical home game in overtime, 24-21, to Garden City. In a twist of irony, Garden City is where Crough cut his teeth on the game, playing for legendary coach Dave Meadows, graduating in 1999 and having played in the 1998 Class 6A state championship game at quarterback.

The Indians rebounded with wins over Dodge City after having a narrow victory over another WAC rival, Great Bend. That would set the stage for the final regular season game on the road at Liberal, a team that was undefeated and enjoying its best season in two decades.

It took double overtime, but the Indians prevailed 48-41, and with the head-to-head tiebreaker in play, Hays would be declared the WAC champion at 3-1, the same as Liberal. In a tightly-bunched season, Great Bend and Garden City went 2-2 with Great Bend getting third based upon the same tiebreak after defeating Garden City in the regular season finale.

“We talk about several key goals before each season,” Crough said. “And the WAC is the first one. After that, we want to go as far in the playoffs as possible. The biggest thing for me is to see improvement in the team and individual players from preseason to the end of the season.”

Crough said he believes that to be a consistent winner, a program must be built from the ground floor up, starting in youth football and continuing through middle school.

“I think each class we’ve had has taken on the attitude of not wanting to let anybody down, or to be the team that doesn’t win,” Crough said. “I think you can get a little cautious in telling yourself that you’ve done this before and just settle for that, or you can tell yourself and your players that it is a new season and what happened before doesn’t really matter. What we’ve done lately is the thing that matters the most.”

Crough said the Liberal game was perhaps one of the most exciting regular season games in which he has coached.

“It was such a big game and it could have gone either way,” Crough said. “Liberal had a heckuva team and it took a great effort by our kids to win that one. We just somehow found a way. We know how big it was for Liberal since they came in undefeated.”

Crough said the overall balance of the WAC was never more evident than in the 2023 season. Close games (a 28-27 win against Great Bend in OT), and the loss to Garden City (24-21, also OT) and then the double-overtime victory at Liberal. Only Dodge City didn’t provide a stern test.

“I would tell you, though, that Dodge City was a couple of injuries away from being very competitive,” Crough said. “Top to bottom, it was a very balanced year for all the teams.”

This year’s edition had a lot of new faces in the starting lineup after the Indians graduated its second straight big senior class.

“I’d say this team’s qualities were energy, enthusiasm and excitement,” Crough said. “They were young, naïve and without a lot of experience. I think at the start of the season we weren’t sure they were supposed to win. But they just went out and won.”

Crough has never been one to dodge a tough schedule and he got as much as he could wish for in the early going, playing always tough 6A Junction City, then taking on defending 6A state champion Manhattan and then the tough WAC games with Great Bend and Garden City.

“I thought we could go anywhere from 0-4, to 1-3, to 2-2, or 3-1,” Crough stated. “We finished that stretch 2-2 and I was pleased with that.”

The starting roster was dotted with youth, Crough said, having two freshmen and eight sophomores playing on either side of the ball.

“Our older kids, the juniors and seniors, had not had much varsity experience, either,” Crough said. “They collectively came together and managed to do a good job of winning key games.”

Crough goes back to his high school days in Garden City, and playing for Meadows, to explain his coaching philosophy.

“You must develop discipline in different ways and build a winning culture,” Crough said. “I think Coach Meadows convinced us that whether we were supposed to win on paper didn’t matter. You just have to go out and find a way to get it done.”

Liberal’s Luetters guides Redskins’ turnaround season

When Bryan Luetters, who had played his high school football in Dodge City, guided the Meade Buffaloes to an 8-Player Division I state championship in 2021, he figured he might just be at the small southwest Kansas school for many years.

But success in the ocaching profession has a way of changing the best-laid plans. A phone call from Liberal High School Athletic Director Kerri Miles to inquire about an interest in that school’s football coaching opening, was the catapult that moved Luetters just a little further southwest.

Now, in just his second season with the Redskins, Luetter saw a transformation that resulted a resurgence that produced an 8-2 season record, the first postseason playoff win in two decades and being voted the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.

The only thing missing from the Luetters accomplishment list this year was winning the WAC. The Redskins did finish at 3-1, the same record as Hays, but in the head-to-head tiebreaker, the championship went to Hays following a dramatic 48-41 double-overtime victory by the Indians in the final week of the regular season.

Still, there were many reasons to celebrate the new dawn of successful football in the Class 5A school.

Football historians and fans have to go back more than two decades to recall the glory days of Liberal when Gary Cornelsen guided the program to four state championships (all 5A) in the 1990s and three other state championship game appearances (a record seven consecutive seasons). Cornelsen had compiled a 118-17 record during his tenure, but in the intervening two decades, those six coaches posted a won-loss mark of 65-106. Luetters is now a modest 11-8 in two seasons.

“I knew that Liberal had been successful many years ago,” said Luetters, who played for Dodge’s Dick Masters back in the 1990s. “But I also knew they had not been successful for quite some time.”

Putting it mildly, the Redskins had gone through seven head coaches in 20 seasons, and those had compiled just three winning seasons, two of those back-to-back in 2004 and 2005 when Steve Warner coached the program. Warner eventually went to Buhler where he has earned legendary status.

“When I arrived, there was a lot of mental issues facing the team,” Luetters said. “First, we had to get into the weight room and get stronger. Second, we had to then use the weight room to also improve our mental toughness. We had been behind in so many games in recent years and basically just given up.

“We had to transform their thought process. Rather than saying that’s the way it’s always been, we had to teach them that it didn’t have to be that way.”

Mental reps in the weight room became the daily norm, Luetters said. Day-by-day, week-by-week from a 3-6 record in his first year of 2022, the Redskins saw incremental progress.

In the 2023 season, rather than fold the tent when falling behind early, the Redskins found ways to reverse course, and rally to win several games in the first part of the season.

“There were a lot of discipline issues we had to fix,” Luetters said. “If a kid was late to practice, or to a .meeting, there had to be consequences. Once they figured that out, things improved. We had to hold everybody to the same standards.”

Prior to the start of this year, Luetters said he had a few upperclassmen who had yet to buy into the new system and philosophy.

“It became like a cancer, so we just dismissed them and things got so much better,” Luetters recalled. “Everybody was headed in the same direction.”

Luetters took little credit for the team’s turnaround, but instead lavished praise on his assistant coaches, with all 10 of them being 26 years of age or younger.

“They all come with experience in their own positions on the team,” Luetters said. “They come up with a lot of suggestions, we discuss them and if they make sense, we . them. Everybody has a voice.”

Luetters also had positive thoughts about his remaining upperclassmen of juniors and seniors.

“We started weights at 6 a.m. because there’s just no conflicts with anything else,” Luetters said. “This group became great leaders.”

Despite losing his quarterback in WAC Player of the Year Brooks Kappelman, Luetters will have 15 starters returning for the 2024 campaign. He can’t wait to get back at it and see where the Redskins will take their next trip in this journey.

“I’m a southwest Kansas kid and it’s exciting to see these kids finally achieve a level of success,” Luetters said. “There’s still more that we can do to improve, but this was a big step.”

2023 ALL-WAC FIRST TEAM OFFENSE Hudson Rice	OL Jr. Liberal Sebastian Lopez	OL Sr. Garden City Gus Corsair	OL Fr. Hays Andrew Moreno	OL Sr. Garden City Matthew Johnson	OL Sr. Great Bend J. Brooks Kappelmann*	QB Sr. Liberal Malik Bah	RB Sr. Hays Cody Miller	RB Sr. Great Bend Zayden Martinez	WR Sr. Liberal Ian Premer	WR So. Great Bend James Fieser	WR So. Liberal Colton Brack	SP/Athlete Sr. Great Bend

2023 ALL-WAC FIRST TEAM DEFENSE David Holguin	DL Jr. Garden City Erek Lira	DL Sr. Liberal Tyren Holmes	DL Jr. Liberal Slade Salmans	DL Jr. Hays Trent Kern	LB	10	Great Bend Dylan Sonday	LB	11	Dodge City Wyatt Kirkpatrick	LB	Jr. Hays Dalton Meyers*	LB Jr. Hays Aidan Schwindt	DB Sr. Liberal Cooper Lindenmeyer	DB Jr. Hays Kaiden Hoffman	DB	12	Great Bend

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699623374484.jpeg" alt="Courtesy photo" />
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 </figure>By BRETT MARSHALL Western Athletic ConferenceIt’s something that Tony Crough could only envision when he took over the head coaching reins at Hays High School six years ago.At the time, the Indians’ football fortunes had fallen off and Crough came with a winning pedigree at previous stops.Over the past four seasons, the Indians have either won the Western Athletic Conference outright or shared it each year, and the recently completed 2023 was another where they held the outright title.The recent title didn’t come without its challenges, and Crough would be the first to tell you this.Early in the season, the Indians lost a critical home game in overtime, 24-21, to Garden City. In a twist of irony, Garden City is where Crough cut his teeth on the game, playing for legendary coach Dave Meadows, graduating in 1999 and having played in the 1998 Class 6A state championship game at quarterback.The Indians rebounded with wins over Dodge City after having a narrow victory over another WAC rival, Great Bend. That would set the stage for the final regular season game on the road at Liberal, a team that was undefeated and enjoying its best season in two decades.It took double overtime, but the Indians prevailed 48-41, and with the head-to-head tiebreaker in play, Hays would be declared the WAC champion at 3-1, the same as Liberal. In a tightly-bunched season, Great Bend and Garden City went 2-2 with Great Bend getting third based upon the same tiebreak after defeating Garden City in the regular season finale.“We talk about several key goals before each season,” Crough said. “And the WAC is the first one. After that, we want to go as far in the playoffs as possible. The biggest thing for me is to see improvement in the team and individual players from preseason to the end of the season.”Crough said he believes that to be a consistent winner, a program must be built from the ground floor up, starting in youth football and continuing through middle school.“I think each class we’ve had has taken on the attitude of not wanting to let anybody down, or to be the team that doesn’t win,” Crough said. “I think you can get a little cautious in telling yourself that you’ve done this before and just settle for that, or you can tell yourself and your players that it is a new season and what happened before doesn’t really matter. What we’ve done lately is the thing that matters the most.”Crough said the Liberal game was perhaps one of the most exciting regular season games in which he has coached.“It was such a big game and it could have gone either way,” Crough said. “Liberal had a heckuva team and it took a great effort by our kids to win that one. We just somehow found a way. We know how big it was for Liberal since they came in undefeated.”Crough said the overall balance of the WAC was never more evident than in the 2023 season. Close games (a 28-27 win against Great Bend in OT), and the loss to Garden City (24-21, also OT) and then the double-overtime victory at Liberal. Only Dodge City didn’t provide a stern test.“I would tell you, though, that Dodge City was a couple of injuries away from being very competitive,” Crough said. “Top to bottom, it was a very balanced year for all the teams.”This year’s edition had a lot of new faces in the starting lineup after the Indians graduated its second straight big senior class.“I’d say this team’s qualities were energy, enthusiasm and excitement,” Crough said. “They were young, naïve and without a lot of experience. I think at the start of the season we weren’t sure they were supposed to win. But they just went out and won.”Crough has never been one to dodge a tough schedule and he got as much as he could wish for in the early going, playing always tough 6A Junction City, then taking on defending 6A state champion Manhattan and then the tough WAC games with Great Bend and Garden City.“I thought we could go anywhere from 0-4, to 1-3, to 2-2, or 3-1,” Crough stated. “We finished that stretch 2-2 and I was pleased with that.”The starting roster was dotted with youth, Crough said, having two freshmen and eight sophomores playing on either side of the ball.“Our older kids, the juniors and seniors, had not had much varsity experience, either,” Crough said. “They collectively came together and managed to do a good job of winning key games.”Crough goes back to his high school days in Garden City, and playing for Meadows, to explain his coaching philosophy.“You must develop discipline in different ways and build a winning culture,” Crough said. “I think Coach Meadows convinced us that whether we were supposed to win on paper didn’t matter. You just have to go out and find a way to get it done.”<h2>Liberal’s Luetters guides Redskins’ turnaround season</h2>When Bryan Luetters, who had played his high school football in Dodge City, guided the Meade Buffaloes to an 8-Player Division I state championship in 2021, he figured he might just be at the small southwest Kansas school for many years.But success in the ocaching profession has a way of changing the best-laid plans. A phone call from Liberal High School Athletic Director Kerri Miles to inquire about an interest in that school’s football coaching opening, was the catapult that moved Luetters just a little further southwest.Now, in just his second season with the Redskins, Luetter saw a transformation that resulted a resurgence that produced an 8-2 season record, the first postseason playoff win in two decades and being voted the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.The only thing missing from the Luetters accomplishment list this year was winning the WAC. The Redskins did finish at 3-1, the same record as Hays, but in the head-to-head tiebreaker, the championship went to Hays following a dramatic 48-41 double-overtime victory by the Indians in the final week of the regular season.Still, there were many reasons to celebrate the new dawn of successful football in the Class 5A school.Football historians and fans have to go back more than two decades to recall the glory days of Liberal when Gary Cornelsen guided the program to four state championships (all 5A) in the 1990s and three other state championship game appearances (a record seven consecutive seasons). Cornelsen had compiled a 118-17 record during his tenure, but in the intervening two decades, those six coaches posted a won-loss mark of 65-106. Luetters is now a modest 11-8 in two seasons.“I knew that Liberal had been successful many years ago,” said Luetters, who played for Dodge’s Dick Masters back in the 1990s. “But I also knew they had not been successful for quite some time.”Putting it mildly, the Redskins had gone through seven head coaches in 20 seasons, and those had compiled just three winning seasons, two of those back-to-back in 2004 and 2005 when Steve Warner coached the program. Warner eventually went to Buhler where he has earned legendary status.“When I arrived, there was a lot of mental issues facing the team,” Luetters said. “First, we had to get into the weight room and get stronger. Second, we had to then use the weight room to also improve our mental toughness. We had been behind in so many games in recent years and basically just given up.“We had to transform their thought process. Rather than saying that’s the way it’s always been, we had to teach them that it didn’t have to be that way.”Mental reps in the weight room became the daily norm, Luetters said. Day-by-day, week-by-week from a 3-6 record in his first year of 2022, the Redskins saw incremental progress.In the 2023 season, rather than fold the tent when falling behind early, the Redskins found ways to reverse course, and rally to win several games in the first part of the season.“There were a lot of discipline issues we had to fix,” Luetters said. “If a kid was late to practice, or to a .meeting, there had to be consequences. Once they figured that out, things improved. We had to hold everybody to the same standards.”Prior to the start of this year, Luetters said he had a few upperclassmen who had yet to buy into the new system and philosophy.“It became like a cancer, so we just dismissed them and things got so much better,” Luetters recalled. “Everybody was headed in the same direction.”Luetters took little credit for the team’s turnaround, but instead lavished praise on his assistant coaches, with all 10 of them being 26 years of age or younger.“They all come with experience in their own positions on the team,” Luetters said. “They come up with a lot of suggestions, we discuss them and if they make sense, we . them. Everybody has a voice.”Luetters also had positive thoughts about his remaining upperclassmen of juniors and seniors.“We started weights at 6 a.m. because there’s just no conflicts with anything else,” Luetters said. “This group became great leaders.”Despite losing his quarterback in WAC Player of the Year Brooks Kappelman, Luetters will have 15 starters returning for the 2024 campaign. He can’t wait to get back at it and see where the Redskins will take their next trip in this journey.“I’m a southwest Kansas kid and it’s exciting to see these kids finally achieve a level of success,” Luetters said. “There’s still more that we can do to improve, but this was a big step.”2023 ALL-WAC FIRST TEAM OFFENSE Hudson Rice	OL Jr. Liberal Sebastian Lopez	OL Sr. Garden City Gus Corsair	OL Fr. Hays Andrew Moreno	OL Sr. Garden City Matthew Johnson	OL Sr. Great Bend J. Brooks Kappelmann*	QB Sr. Liberal Malik Bah	RB Sr. Hays Cody Miller	RB Sr. Great Bend Zayden Martinez	WR Sr. Liberal Ian Premer	WR So. Great Bend James Fieser	WR So. Liberal Colton Brack	SP/Athlete Sr. Great Bend2023 ALL-WAC FIRST TEAM DEFENSE David Holguin	DL Jr. Garden City Erek Lira	DL Sr. Liberal Tyren Holmes	DL Jr. Liberal Slade Salmans	DL Jr. Hays Trent Kern	LB	10	Great Bend Dylan Sonday	LB	11	Dodge City Wyatt Kirkpatrick	LB	Jr. Hays Dalton Meyers*	LB Jr. Hays Aidan Schwindt	DB Sr. Liberal Cooper Lindenmeyer	DB Jr. Hays Kaiden Hoffman	DB	12	Great Bend

🏈 Hays continues to remain top WAC football team

ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Fort Hays State men's wrestling team dropped their dual matchup against No. 11 Northern State on Thursday by a score of 35-6. The loss moved FHSU to 1-2 on the season, while Northern State improved to 1-0.

Northern State raced out to a 23-0 lead after taking the first five matches of the dual. D'Andre brown&nbsp;was close to a win in the opening bout at 125 pounds, falling in a 5-3 decision. Fort Hays State picked up their first points at 165 pounds off a win by Cody Hicks&nbsp;to earn the team three team points.

No. 3 nationally ranked Tereus Henry&nbsp;added three more team points at 197 pounds after claiming victory by a 7-5 decision over Marshall Van Tassel. The win by Henry helped him stay undefeated at 2-0 on the season so far.

The Wolves were victorious in eight of the ten bouts on the dual and had three nationally ranked wrestlers in their starting lineup.

Fort Hays State will wrestle again on Saturday at the Dakota Wesleyan Open in Mitchell, S.D. The open tournament is set to start at 9 a.m.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699614820344.jpeg" alt="Fort Hays State's Cody Hicks is declared the winner of a wrestling match over Northern State's Chase Bloomquist in Aberdeem, South Dakota, Thursday, November 9, 2023. (FHSU Athletics photo/Cory Burdict/Northern State)" />
 <figcaption>Fort Hays State's Cody Hicks is declared the winner of a wrestling match over Northern State's Chase Bloomquist in Aberdeem, South Dakota, Thursday, November 9, 2023. (FHSU Athletics photo/Cory Burdict/Northern State)</figcaption>
 </figure>FHSU AthleticsABERDEEN, S.D. – The Fort Hays State men's wrestling team dropped their dual matchup against No. 11 Northern State on Thursday by a score of 35-6. The loss moved FHSU to 1-2 on the season, while Northern State improved to 1-0.Northern State raced out to a 23-0 lead after taking the first five matches of the dual. D'Andre brown&nbsp;was close to a win in the opening bout at 125 pounds, falling in a 5-3 decision. Fort Hays State picked up their first points at 165 pounds off a win by Cody Hicks&nbsp;to earn the team three team points.No. 3 nationally ranked Tereus Henry&nbsp;added three more team points at 197 pounds after claiming victory by a 7-5 decision over Marshall Van Tassel. The win by Henry helped him stay undefeated at 2-0 on the season so far.The Wolves were victorious in eight of the ten bouts on the dual and had three nationally ranked wrestlers in their starting lineup.Fort Hays State will wrestle again on Saturday at the Dakota Wesleyan Open in Mitchell, S.D. The open tournament is set to start at 9 a.m.#11 Northern State 35, #25 Fort Hays State 6 125: Landen Fischer (NSU) over D`Andre Brown (FHS) (Dec 5-3) 133: Jason Henschel (NSU) over Kevin Honas&nbsp;(FHS) (TF 15-0 1:34) 141: Braydon Mogle (NSU) over Drew Bell&nbsp;(FHS) (MD 9-1)&nbsp; 149: Wyatt Turnquist (NSU) over Jacob Mitchell&nbsp;(FHS) (TF 15-0 2:46) 157: Devin Bahr (NSU) over Justin Hulse&nbsp;(FHS) (Fall 0:47) 165: Cody Hicks&nbsp;(FHS) over Chase Bloomquist (NSU) (TB-2 (RT) 2-2) 174: Sam Kruger (NSU) over Juan Urbina&nbsp;(FHS) (TF 16-0 4:21) 184: Treyton Cacek (NSU) over Bryce Westmoreland&nbsp;(FHS) (MD 11-2) 197: Tereus Henry&nbsp;(FHS) over Marshall Vantassel (NSU) (Dec 7-5) 285: Nathan Schauer (NSU) over Anthony Caldwell (FHS) (Dec 5-2)

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