FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. - The seventh-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team returned to the win column on Thursday, defeating Emporia State 87-65. The win is the Tigers' fifth-straight win over the Lady Hornets, their longest winning streak over ESU in series history.
Junior guard Brooke Loewe distributed 13 assists in the blowout win, tying the FHSU program record for assists in a single game (Shanell Watson at Rockhurst 1/28/03, Robin Greene vs. Pittsburg State 2/20/1981).
The Tigers improve to 13-1 on the year and 4-1 in MIAA play, while the Lady Hornets dip to 7-7 overall and 2-3 in league action. The win is FHSU's eighth win by 20 or more points this season and its third win over a league rival by at least 20 points.
Emporia State took control early, scoring the first five points before the Tiger offense came alive two minutes into the contest. FHSU outscored the visitors 27-12 over that stretch, knocking down 56.3 percent from the floor to race in front by 10, 29-19. Sophomore Talexa Weeter and graduate student Olivia Hollenbeck had things rolling in the opening frame, with Weeter totaling 12 points and Hollenbeck adding eight.
Two more baskets from Weeter early in the second quarter put the Tigers up by 12 before the Lady Hornets stormed back, using a 12-1 run over the next five minutes to close within one, 34-33. Ellie Stearns stopped the bleeding with a basket before the Hornets scored the next four, taking a one-point lead with 10 seconds to go before halftime on a Gracie Gilpin 3-pointer.After ending the first quarter with a 3-pointer just before the buzzer, Weeter hit a layup with one second on the clock to give the Tigers a 38-37 lead at the break.
The second half was all Fort Hays State, with the Tigers outscoring ESU 49-28 over the final 20 minutes of action. FHSU hit 60 percent from the floor after halftime, including a 75-percent shooting effort in the fourth quarter (12-of-16) to put the game on ice.
Emporia State kept things close until early in the fourth quarter, with the Lady Hornets trailing by just five with 7:42 left in the final frame. The Tigers then hit 10-of-13 down the stretch while holding the Hornets to just 3-of-15 shooting, leading to a 25-8 FHSU run to close the contest.
Hollenbeck led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting while adding three blocks and two steals on the defensive end. Weeter chipped in 21 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, giving the Goodland, Kan. native her second double-double of the season.
Katie DeGarmo added 14 points, while Kate Dilsaver added 12 and Ellie Stearns contributed 10 to give FHSU five players in double figures for a third time this season.
Fort Hays State knocked down 47.0 percent from the floor in the game (31-of-66) while limiting the Lady Hornets to a shooting percentage of 31.5 percent (23-of-73). The Tigers outrebounded ESU by seven, 47-40, while Tigers outscored the Lady Hornets 22-6 in transition and 46-26 in the paint.
UP NEXT
The Tigers will return to action in one week when they look to avenge their only loss of the season as they host Missouri Western on January 16 beginning at 5:30 p.m.