FHSU Athletics
#5 Fort Hays State (16-1, 7-1 MIAA)
vs. Rogers State (6-11, 3-5 MIAA)
Thursday, January 22, 2026 • 5:30 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
Game Sponsor: Vyve Broadband
National Anthem: La Crosse High School
Promotions: Episode One Quick Change performance at halftime, Education appreciation - USD 489 and TMP Marian teachers/staff/administrators get in free, FHSU Student Success night
The fifth-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team opens a four-game homestand Thursday when the Tigers host Rogers State. First tip is set for 5:30 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Quick Hits
- A win Thursday would give FHSU the 17th double-digit winning streak in program history.
- Now with 991 points in her first 61 games as a Tiger, Talexa Weeter needs nine points to become the 26th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. She will be the second-fastest Tiger in history to reach that threshold (Annette Wiles - 57 games, Shauna Porter - 65 games).
- FHSU leads the MIAA with 427 wins since joining the league 20 years ago (2006), one more than ESU.
- This season is now tied with 2015-16 for the third-best start in team history. The Tigers opened the 2018-19 season 32-1 and the 2014-15 season 22-1.
- The Tigers have earned five MIAA Athlete of the Week honors this season, with all other teams combining for four.
- Brooke Loewe broke her own school record with 17 assists against Nebraska-Kearney last Tuesday, the most assists in a game by any NCAA women's basketball athlete across all divisions this season.
- Loewe averages 10.6 assists per game. She is the only NCAA athlete, male or female, currently averaging in double figures in assists.
- Talexa Weeter leads Division II and ranks second across all NCAA divisions with an average of 28.2 points per game. For context, the MIAA record for single season scoring average is 25.4 ppg (MSSU's Melissa Grider, 95-96).
- Weeter's 45 points against Northwest Missouri State are tied for the most in a game by a DII athlete this season.
National Rankings
- FHSU leads in the country with 20.6 assists per game while ranking second in assist/turnover ratio (1.31), fourth in field goal percentage (48.5 percent), fourth in defensive rebounds per game (31.5), sixth in fewest fouls per game (13.1), seventh in winning percentage (94.1 percent), 11th in scoring offense (78.4 ppg), 12th in 3-point percentage (36.2 percent) and 18th in scoring margin (+15.8).
- Brooke Loewe's 10.6 assists per game are the most across all NCAA divisions. In fact, she is the only NCAA student-athlete, male or female, currently averaging in double figures in assists.
- Talexa Weeter leads Division II and ranks second across all NCAA divisions with an average of 28.2 points per game.
- Loewe's 17 assists against Nebraska-Kearney are the most in a game across all NCAA divisions of women's basketball this season and second-most across all divisions including men's basketball (Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Quion Williams had 18 assists vs. Champion Christian).
- Loewe has recorded 14 or more assists five times this season. Only one other DII athlete has done so once (Brielle Minor, Cal Poly Pomona).
- Weeter's 45 points against Northwest Missouri State are tied for the most by a DII athlete this season.
- Weeter ranks second in the MIAA in rebounds (8.8 per game) and third in the MIAA in field goal percentage (53.0 percent).
- Olivia Mortensen ranks fourth in the MIAA with a field goal percentage of 50.8 percent.
Fresh Start
- Olivia Mortensen is the 14th true freshman to start a season opener for the Tigers during the DII era (since 1991-92) and the first since Ellie Stearns in 2022.
Last Time Out
- The No. 6 Tigers muscled past Northwest Missouri State on Saturday (Jan. 17), completing the season sweep of the Bearcats with a 60-46 win.
- FHSU limited the Bearcats to their fewest points on the year and their worst field-goal percentage in an MIAA game this season of 30.4 percent.
- The Tigers hit a season-high 7-of-12 from behind the arc, with five different players knocking down at least one 3-pointer.
- Talexa Weeter led the way with 17 points, while Avery Lowe scored a career-high 14 points.
- Kaitlin Schumann grabbed a career-high eight rebounds while adding nine points, two assists and three blocks.
Scouting the Hillcats
- Rogers State enters the weekend 6-11 overall and 3-5 in MIAA play after dropping each of its last three games, all at home.
- The Hillcats are 2-5 in true road games this season, including a 1-2 mark in road conference matchups.
- The Hillcats rank last in the MIAA in field-goal percentage (36.9 percent), free throws made per game (10.1), rebound margin (-4.4), scoring offense (60.2 ppg) and three-point percentage (28.1 percent).
- Ataya Casaus leads the team with an average of 9.2 points per game, while Kate Melton leads the team and is fourth in the league with an average of 4.1 assists per game.
Series History with Rogers State
- Fort Hays State is 9-0 all-time against the Hillcats, winning those games by an average of 22.7 points.
- The Tigers are 4-0 at home against the Hillcats. This is RSU's first trip to Hays since 2022.
- FHSU is 2-0 against RSU under head coach Talia Kahrs, with both of those games coming on the road.
- The Tigers and Hillcats have never played an overtime game.
- FHSU is 9-0 against Rogers State in MIAA regular season contests.
Last Meeting with the Hillcats
- The No. 11 Tigers shook off a slow start to defeat the Hillcats 60-50 last season in Claremore (1/23/25).
- Katie DeGarmo led the team with 18 points, surpassing 2,000 career points.
- The teams combined for just 14 points in the first quarter, with FHSU leading 9-5 after 10 minutes of action.
- RSU outrebounded the Tigers by six, 34-28.
- Talexa Weeter added 17 points in 22 minutes off the bench, while Olivia Hollenbeck (12 points) and Kate Dilsaver (10 points) also scored in double figures.
Career Stats vs. RSU
- Talexa Weeter - 11.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.0 apg in two games - one game in double figures
- Ellie Stearns - 2.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 2.0 apg in three games - career high six assists as a true freshman
- Brooke Loewe - 2.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 2.5 apg in two games
On This Date
- The Tigers are 11-6 in recorded history on January 22, most recently defeating Emporia State 77-68 on the road in 2023.
- Fort Hays State shook off a 14-point first half deficit to defeat the Lady Hornets, with Katie Wagner (21 pts) and Olivia Hollenbeck (20 pts) both scoring 20-plus.
- FHSU has won four in a row on this date, with the last Jan. 22 loss coming in 2007 against Pittsburg State.
Class of the Conference
Since joining the MIAA in 2006-07 (20 seasons), the Tigers lead the league with 427 wins. They have averaged more than 21 wins per season during that time.
MIAA Athlete of the Week x 5
- Fort Hays State has earned five MIAA Athlete of the Week honors this season, including four for Talexa Weeter and one for Brooke Loewe. The entire rest of the league has a combined four such awards this season, with no other program earning more than one honor this year.
- Weeter averaged 32.5 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 60.5 percent from the floor in the first two games of the season.
- The Goodland, Kan. native then averaged 33.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in the two wins in Denver before Thanksgiving.
- Weeter totaled 32 points and 13 rebounds in a blowout win over No. 6 Pittsburg State.
- She erupted for an average of 37 points and 12 rebounds with a pair of double-doubles against Northwest Missouri State and Missouri Western, including a career-high 45 points against the Bearcats that is one off the program record and is tied for the most points scored by a DII athlete this season.
- Loewe earned the award on January 13 after breaking the school record with 17 assists at Nebraska-Kearney and following that up with 15 assists against Northwest Missouri State. Both totals are more than any other DII athlete this season, while her 17 assists are the most across all NCAA divisions this season and are the most by a DII athlete since 2023. She averaged a double-double for the week with 10.0 points and 16.0 assists.
20 Wins Now the Norm
- Fort Hays State has now reached the 20-win plateau in each of the last 14 seasons, extending the longest active streak of 20-win seasons in Division II. FHSU's streak is tied for the sixth-longest active streak of 20-win seasons across all NCAA Divisions.
- FHSU reached the 20-win plateau just eight times over the first 42 years of the program before the current streak began in 2011-12, including no more than two consecutive 20-win campaigns during that time.
- The next-best active streak of 20-win seasons in the MIAA is four (MWSU), while the next-best streak in DII is Drury with 12.
- Only five DI programs have longer active stretches of 20-win seasons, including UConn (32), Baylor (25), Stanford (23), Florida Gulf Coast (21) and Louisville (15). Fort Hays State's run of 14-straight 20-win seasons is tied with South Carolina and South Dakota State for sixth-best in all NCAA women's basketball.
Roster Report
- Fort Hays State's roster includes seven returners and six newcomers, including five freshmen and one transfer.
- This year's squad includes players from seven different states, including five from Kansas, three from Colorado and one each from Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina and Texas.
- There are three seniors, two juniors, three sophomores and five freshmen on the squad this year.
- The Tigers return two All-MIAA honorable mention selections in Brooke Loewe and Talexa Weeter.
Road Warriors
- Fort Hays State played its first home game of the season on December 13 after starting the season with eight straight away from home.
- It was the latest home opener for the team on record (since at least 1973). The previous latest date for the Tigers to play their first home game is December 10, 1975 when FHSU lost to Northwestern Oklahoma State, 75-45.
First Time at Home
- The Tigers are 30-5 in home openers during the NCAA DII era, including 18-straight wins from 2004 to 2021 before the Tigers lost on a buzzer beater to Minnesota State in the 2022 home opener.
Nationally Recognized
- The Tigers are ranked fifth in this week's WBCA Coaches Poll.
- FHSU has been ranked as high as No. 3 this year after opening the year ninth in the coaches poll.
- The Tigers are one of four teams that have been ranked inside the top 10 of every weekly release this season.
- This is the seventh time the Tigers have been ranked in the preseason. FHSU also opened the 2024-25 ranked 23rd, the 2022-23 season ranked third, the 2021-22 season ranked fourth, the 2019-20 season ranked seventh, the 2018-19 season ranked 12th and the 2015-16 season ranked 10th.
- Fort Hays State has been ranked inside the top 25 in 122 different weekly releases from the WBCA.
- This is the eighth-straight season the Tigers have been ranked at some point and the 13th-such season all-time.
- Including the 2017-18 season (multiple weeks receiving votes), the Tigers have been mentioned in the polls at least once in each of the last 13 seasons.
18 and Over
The Tigers have finished a season with at least 18 MIAA wins five times since joining the league in 2006-07, more than any other school during that span (UCM 4, MWSU 3, UNK 2, MSSU 1, NWMSU 1, PSU 1, WU 1).
Double-Digit Winning Streaks
- Fort Hays State had a pair of 12-game winning streaks last season, the third time in team history that the Tigers have had multiple double-digit winning streaks in a season.
- FHSU won 14 in a row early in the 1990-91 season before winning 20 straight to finish the year and claim the 1991 NAIA Championship.
- The Tigers then won 15 in a row to begin the 2018-19 season and added a 17-game winning streak later in the season.
- The Tigers have now recorded 16 double-digit winning streaks in team history. The 12-game streaks last season were tied for the sixth-longest winning streaks in team history.
Making it a Habit
After reaching the NCAA Tournament once in its first 23 years in the Association, Fort Hays State has now been selected to compete in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship nine times over the last 11 seasons.
The Big 3-0
Fort Hays State reached the 30-win plateau for the fourth time in program history in 2021-22. FHSU has three 30-win seasons since 2014-15, while the rest of the MIAA has two 30-win campaign combined during that span (UCM 2017-18, PSU 2024-25).
Trophy SZN
The Tigers won their fourth regular season MIAA championship and their second MIAA postseason tournament championship in 2021-22. FHSU now has 11 regular season conference titles all-time and three conference tournament titles. No school has won more MIAA regular season titles since FHSU joined the league in 2006-07 (FHSU 4, WU 4, UCM 3, MWSU 3, ESU 2, PSU 2, NWMSU 1, MSSU 1, UNK 1).
Century Mark
FHSU has 25 100-point outings in its illustrious history, most recently a 100-59 win over Rogers State (2/20/20), which was the first time FHSU scored 100 points against a Division II opponent since 2013 (114-86 vs Newman, 1/26/13).
Home Sweet Home
The Tigers led Division II with an average attendance of 2,084 per home contest last season. That total would rank 84th in DI and was more than 282 DI programs.
Looking Ahead
The four-game homestand continues Saturday, January 24 when the Tigers host Central Oklahoma beginning at 2 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.