FHSU Athletics
#17 Fort Hays State (4-0)
vs. Tabor College (5-2, 3-0 KCAC)
Tuesday, November 26, 2024 • 6 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
The No. 17 Fort Hays State women's basketball team kicks off a busy week Tuesday when the Tigers host Tabor College beginning at 6 p.m.
Tuesday's matchup is the first of three games for FHSU during Thanksgiving week, with the hoops feast continuing over the weekend (Nov. 29-30) when the Tigers battle Regis and Colorado School of Mines on the road.
The Tigers head into Tuesday's contest 4-0 on the year, while the Bluejays are 5-2 overall and 3-0 in KCAC action. The non-conference matchup is an exhibition for Tabor.
Fort Hays State is beating teams by an average of 22.0 points per game this season, second-best in the MIAA and 21st across all Division II. The Tigers are 13th in DII in rebounding margin, collecting nearly 13 more rebounds than their opponents. Teams are averaging just 4.8 second-chance points against FHSU this season, while the Tigers are putting up an average of 13.5 second-chance points per game.
Katie Wagner DeGarmo collected her first double-double of the season and the 37th of her career in last Friday's win over Adams State, contributing 19 points and 10 rebounds. The fifth-year Tiger is on the precipice of a pair of milestones, sitting seven rebounds away from becoming the second FHSU player to reach 1,000 career rebounds and sitting seven points away from tying for third on the FHSU all-time scoring list (Shauna Porter, 1,791 points).
Olivia Hollenbeck continues to lead the MIAA in scoring, averaging 18.5 points per game to rank 38th in DII. She is second in the league and 17th nationally with a shooting percentage of 63.0 percent while her 2.5 steals per game are also second-best in the conference.
Brooke Loewe is dishing out 5.3 assists per contests so far this season, second-most in the MIAA and 18th-most nationwide. She is sixth in the conference with an assist/turnover ratio of 1.75.After averaging 4.1 points per game over her first three seasons as a Tiger, Kate Dilsaver is putting up an average of 12.0 points per night so far as a senior. She's scored in double figures three times, including a season-high of 15 points twice.
Talexa Weeter scored a career-high 11 points against Adams State before bettering that total with 12 points and 10 rebounds against MSU Denver for her first-career double-double. The sophomore leads the team with five 3-pointers made through four contests. Both Weeter and Loewe have hit at least one triple in all four games so far this season.
Fort Hays State is a dominant 23-0 all-time against Tabor in a series that began in the 1971-72 season. Fort Hays State is 2-0 at home against the Bluejays and 1-0 during the Talia Kahrs era. These teams played on this exact date two years ago, with FHSU picking up a 65-51 win on Nov. 26, 2022.The Tigers used a dominant second half to cruise past Tabor last season in Hays, 65-41 (12/11/23). The teams were tied at 13 after the first quarter and the Tigers led by seven at halftime, 36-29, before FHSU held the Bluejays to just 12 second-half points. FHSU forced 22 turnovers thanks to 14 steals. Clary Donica led the team with 17 points, her most in a Tiger uniform, on 8-of-10 shooting. DeGarmo and Emma Ruddle both added 10 points each.
DeGarmo has scored in double figures in both of her career matchups with the Bluejays, averaging 13.0 ppg. Sasha Koenig recorded a career-high two rebounds and two assists in the 2022 game against Tabor. Ellie Stearns poked away a career-high four steals in the 2023 contest against Tabor.
Tabor is 5-2 so far this season, including a 3-0 record in KCAC play. The Bluejays were picked to win the league according to the KCAC Preseason Coaches and Media Polls. They have won their last three games after dropping two of three in early November. Tabor averaged 68.7 points per game, with three players averaging more than nine points per game. Lillie Veer is putting up 15.7 ppg, while Alyvia Owens averages 11.6 points per night.