FHSU Athletics
EMPORIA, Kan. - The sixth-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team shook off a slow start to defeat Emporia State Thursday evening (Jan. 8) on the road, winning 82-64. The win extends the Tigers' (14-1, 5-1 MIAA) winning streak against the Lady Hornets to seven games, their longest in series history.
The win is Fort Hays State's 425th victory since joining the MIAA in 2006, moving the Tigers past Emporia State for the most in the conference over the last 20 seasons. FHSU is averaging more than 21 wins per season over that span.
The Tigers put together a balanced attack, with five players scoring in double figures for the first time since last January (NWMSU, 1/18/25).
Emporia State (7-7, 1-4 MIAA) led by as many as seven early in the first quarter, capitalizing on six Tiger turnovers while limiting the visitors to just 25 percent shooting (5-of-20) in the opening frame.
Fort Hays State responded in a big way in the second quarter, pouring in its first eight shots to take the lead for good. After scoring just two points in the opening frame, Talexa Weeter totaled 10 points in the first five minutes of the second stanza including the go-ahead bucket three minutes into the frame.
Brooke Loewe and Mikayla Pilley both added 3-pointers during the 20-6 run, helping the Tigers go up by as many as 10 before they took a 35-28 lead into the locker room.
After turning the ball over 10 times in the first half, FHSU made only three turnovers over the final 20 minutes to help secure the win. The Lady Hornets chipped away in the third quarter, closing within one point late in the frame before a Pilley basket put the Tigers up 52-49 entering the fourth quarter.
The Tigers took things to another level in the final frame, outscoring ESU 30-11 over the first eight minutes to build the lead as high as 22. FHSU hit 10-of-14 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the line over that span while the defense limited the home team to just 4-of-12 shooting.
Kaitlin Schumann was a big reason for the fourth-quarter success, with the freshman scoring a career-high 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the frame.
Weeter led the game with 23 points and eight rebounds, while Loewe recorded 15 assists and 12 points for her seventh career double-double. The senior is averaging 13.3 assists per game since the calendar switched to 2026.
Olivia Mortensen also added 12 points and matched her career best with seven rebounds, while Pilley also surpassed her personal best with 11 points.
The Tigers outrebounded the Lady Hornets by 18, grabbing 50 rebounds for their highest total since 2023 (55 vs. NU, 12/17/23).
Up next
Winners of four games in the last eight days and seven in a row overall, the Tigers will now have one week to prepare before traveling to St. Joseph, Mo. to take on Missouri Western next Thursday beginning at 5:30 p.m.