FHSU Athletics
#7/#13 Fort Hays State (13-2, 4-2 MIAA) vs.
Northwest Missouri State (9-8, 2-5 MIAA)
Saturday, January 18, 2025 • 2 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
Game Sponsor: Nex-Tech
National Anthem: Fort Hays Singers
Promotions: FHSU Cheer Camp at both halftimes, Tiger Debs Camp at men's halftime, Men's Basketball Camper Appreciation
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
The seventh-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team looks to return to the win column Saturday when the Tigers host Northwest Missouri State. First tip is slated for 2 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
The Tigers enter the contest 13-2 overall and 4-2 in league action after suffering a one-point defeat against Missouri Western Thursday evening. It was the second time the Tigers have lost to the Griffons by one point in less than two weeks. The Bearcats, meanwhile, lost at Nebraska-Kearney 71-64 on Thursday to dip to 9-8 on the year and 2-5 in MIAA contests.
Fort Hays State leads Division II in attendance this season, averaging 1,728 fans per home contest. That total would rank in the top 100 in Division I and is more than 272 DI programs.
The Tigers rank in the top 10 nationally in several statistical categories, including assists per game (19.1, third), assist/turnover ratio (1.31, fifth), defensive rebounds per game (30.8, seventh) and scoring margin (plus-18.9, 10th). FHSU also leads the conference in field goal percentage defense, limiting teams to a shooting percentage of 34.0 percent.
Olivia Hollenbeck needs one point to move into a tie for fifth on the all-time scoring list at FHSU (Petrece Faulkner - 1,657 career points - 1989-93). The graduate student is fourth in the league this season in scoring, averaging 16.9 points per night. She also ranks second in the MIAA in steals (2.4 per game) and third in blocks (1.8 per game). Hollenbeck's shooting percentage of 64.1 percent ranks fourth in all Division II.
Katie DeGarmo is closing in on a pair of milestones. The graduate student needs 35 rebounds to tie Kate Lehman for the school record in rebounds (1,109 career boards). She is also just 32 points away from becoming the second player in school history to score 2,000 career points.
Brooke Loewe continues to lead the conference in assists, now with 106 on the season for an average of 7.1 per game. She is second in the country in total assists and third in assists per game.
Hollenbeck averages 16.0 points per game in 10 career matchups with Northwest. The forward averages 11.8 points against all other teams.
The Tigers are 25-11 all-time against the Bearcats, including a 13-2 edge in games played in Hays. FHSU has won three in a row against Northwest, 13 of the last 14 since 2018 and 21 of the last 23 since 2011. The Tigers have won 13-straight home games against Northwest Missouri State. The Bearcats last won in Hays on December 30, 2006, the first-ever MIAA meeting between the two teams. That game was FHSU's first-ever home conference game as a member of the MIAA. The Tigers are 4-1 against the Bearcats under head coach Talia Kahrs, including a 1-0 mark at home. Fort Hays State is 22-8 against the Bearcats in MIAA regular season conference contests.
After starting the year 7-1, the Bearcats are now 9-8 overall and 2-5 in league action. Northwest turns the ball over just 13.1 times per game, second-fewest in the MIAA and 14th-best in Division II. On the other hand, the Bearcats rank 280th out of 290 DII schools with just 5.3 steals per game. Caely Kesten leads the team with an average of 13.4 points per game. She hits 47.4 percent from behind the arc, the best 3-point shooting percentage in the conference and fourth-best in Division II.