FHSU Athletics
HILO, Hawaii - The fifth-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team battled its way to an 11th-straight victory Friday defeating Quincy 73-60 at the Big Island Holiday Classic. The Tigers' 11-0 start is the second-best start in program history.
The Tigers and Hawks (6-5) battled back-and-forth all evening, with the lead changing hands seven times. Quincy led by as many as four in the first quarter, but five points from Brooke Loewe helped the Tigers close within 16-15 by the end of the frame.
Fort Hays State scored six in a row early in the second frame to regain the lead before oing cold, hitting just one field goal over the final seven minutes of the first half. The Hawks also struggled offensively in the frame, with the teams combining to shoot 24.2 percent in the second quarter (8-of-33). Quincy took a one-point lead with three minutes to play before halftime before the Tigers scored the final two points of the half to lead 25-24 at the break.
The Hawks scored first to open the second half to go back up one before the Tigers took the lead for good on a basket from Katie DeGarmo. The basket sparked a 15-5 FHSU run, helping the Tigers build a nine-point lead, 40-31. DeGarmo added two more buckets during the run, with Bailey Wilborn and Talexa Weeter both pouring in 3-pointers. Quincy responded with a 6-0 run to close within three before Weeter hit a jumper just before the end of the period, putting the Tigers up 44-39 with 10 minutes to play.
Fort Hays State built another nine-point lead early in the fourth quarter but could not shake the Hawks, who again responded with a 6-0 run to pull within one possession with seven minutes remaining. Olivia Hollenbeck broke up the run with a bucket with 6:41 remaining, sparking a 23-13 Tiger run down the stretch that allowed FHSU to put the game on ice.
The Tigers hit 70 percent from the floor down the stretch (7-of-10) and drilled all six of their free-throw attempts to seal the win. Hollenbeck scored eight points during the run, with Weeter adding seven and Wilborn drilling two big 3-pointers in the final three minutes to put the nail in the coffin.
Quincy and Fort Hays State entered the game as two of the top 12 rebounding teams in the nation, with the Hawks winning the battle on the boards 42-33. It was the first time the Tigers have been outrebounded this season.
The Tigers finished the game shooting 40 percent from the floor (24-of-60), including a 60 percent shooting effort in the second half (15-of-25). Fort Hays State scored 25 points off 24 Hawk turnovers, including 13 points in transition.
Hollenbeck led the team in scoring with 19 points for the second-straight night, with the graduate student adding seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks. DeGarmo chipped in 18 points, nine rebounds, two assists and three steals, while Weeter scored 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Wilborn knocked down a trio of 3-pointers in the win, with Weeter also adding two makes from behind the arc.
UP NEXT
The Tigers will return to action in two weeks when they travel to Maryville, Mo. to take on Northwest Missouri State on January 2.