FHSU Athletics
#7/15 Fort Hays State (20-2, 11-2 MIAA)
at Emporia State (9-14, 4-10 MIAA)
Thursday, February 13, 2025 • 5:30 p.m.
Emporia, Kan. • White Auditorium
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 hits the road for a pair of in-state matchups this weekend beginning Thursday (Feb. 13) when the Tigers take on Emporia State. Tipoff from White Auditorium in Emporia, Kan. is set for 5:30 p.m.
The contest between the Tigers and Lady Hornets is being played one day later than originally planned due to the winter weather in the area on Wednesday.
Fort Hays State moved to 20-2 on the year with its win over Arkansas-Fort Smith on Saturday, giving the Tigers at least 20 wins for the 14th season in a row. That streak is the longest active streak of 20-win seasons in Division II and is tied for fifth best across all NCAA divisions. The next-best active stretch of 20-win seasons in the MIAA is three (MWSU, MSSU, PSU), while the next-best streak in DII is Drury with 11.
Only four DI programs have longer active stretches of 20-win seasons, including UConn (32), Baylor (25), Stanford (23) and Florida Gulf Coast (21). Fort Hays State's run of 14-straight 20-win seasons is tied with Louisville, South Carolina and South Dakota State for fifth best in all NCAA women's basketball.
The Tigers currently sit in second place in the MIAA's KPI Index, which will be used for seeding for the 2025 MIAA Championship. The Tigers have a rating of .165, slightly behind Missouri Western at .177 and just in front of Pittsburg State at .160. This rating system assigns point values to wins and losses based on opponent, location, score margin, etc.
18 of FHSU's 20 wins have been by double figures, including 11 victories by 20 or more points, while both of the Tigers' losses have been by just one point. That has helped FHSU to a scoring margin of plus-18.6, ninth-best in Division II. The Tigers also rank in the top 10 in DII in assist/turnover ratio (1.37, second), assists per game (19.0, third), field goal percentage (46.4, sixth) and winning percentage (.909, tenth).
Brooke Loewe has distributed 153 assists this season, already third-most in a single season in program history. At her current pace of 7.3 assists per game, the junior could break the school record of 166 assists (Kristi Leeper-Meis, 1990-91) this weekend. That total ranks second in the country and tops in the MIAA.
Olivia Hollenbeck leads the Tigers and ranks third in the conference with an average of 17.0 points per game. The graduate student picked up her second MIAA Athlete of the Week honor last week after averaging 24.5 points on 76.0 percent shooting in home wins over Northeastern State and Arkansas-Fort Smith. Currently with 1,777 career points, the Lincoln, Neb. native needs 14 points to move into fourth on the all-time scoring list at FHSU. Hollenbeck's shooting percentage of 63.8 percent is fifth best in the country.
Katie DeGarmo has scored at least 20 points in two of the last three games after doing so just twice in the first 19 games of the season. The reigning MIAA Player of the Year ranks fifth in the conference in scoring, averaging 16.2 points per game, and fourth in rebounds, collecting 7.8 boards per game.
Fort Hays State leads the MIAA with 10.0 steals per game thanks to three individuals that rank in the top six in the league in that category. Hollenbeck is second with 2.2 steals per game, while Kate Dilsaver is third with 2.0 steals per contest and Brooke Loewe is sixth with 1.8 steals per night.
Emporia State leads the all-time series, 52-40, including a 28-13 advantage in games played in Emporia. FHSU has controlled things of late, however, winning each of the last five meetings, the longest winning streak in series history for the Tigers. The Tigers have won two in a row on the road against the Lady Hornets, tied for the longest such streak in series history. FHSU has never won three straight road contests against ESU. The Tigers are 11-19 against Emporia State in regular season MIAA contests. The Lady Hornets are one of two teams (PSU 16-14) to hold a winning record against the Tigers in MIAA league games.
While Emporia State is 9-14 this season, the Lady Hornets are 7-6 at home. ESU averages 68.9 points per night, eighth-best in the MIAA, while the defense allows 74.0 points per contest, last in the league and 275th out of 290 NCAA DII programs. Katie Horyna leads the team with an average of 14.8 ppg. Gracie Gilpin hits 2.7 3-pointers per contest, the most in the MIAA.