FHSU Athletics
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Fort Hays State women's basketball team opened the 2023-24 season and the Talia Kahrs era with a 79-54 win over Minot State Friday afternoon (Nov. 10) in the Central Region Showcase. The Tigers (1-0) hit better than 50 percent from the floor (32-of-63) and had six players score eight or more points in the victory.
Olivia Hollenbeck opened the game with a layup after winning the opening tip, giving the Lincoln, Neb. native 1,000 career points as a Tiger. She is the 25th player in program history to reach the milestone. Hollenbeck finished the day 5-for-5 from the floor, scoring 11 points alongside five rebounds and one block.
More than half of FHSU's points came off the bench (41 bench points), including a game-high 12 points from Clary Donica and 10 from Ellie Stearns. FHSU held Minot State (1-3) without a double-digit scorer and limited the Beavers to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor (18-of-54).Both teams got off to a slow start, combining to shoot less than 30 percent from the floor in the opening quarter. Fort Hays State led 13-7 after the first 10 minutes, but MSU closed within one possession after opening the second quarter with a 3-pointer. The Tigers scored the next seven points to push the lead to double figures, including another Hollenbeck layup and a 3-pointer from Megan Earney.
Fort Hays State later closed the first half by scoring the final seven points, including five from Sydney Golladay and two from Stearns, giving the Tigers a 38-24 lead at halftime.
The Tigers would maintain their double-digit advantage the rest of the afternoon, eventually leading by as many as 33 points following a stick-back layup from Mallory Cowman late in the third quarter. Fort Hays State was nearly perfect out of the locker room, knocking down 10-of-13 from the floor during the third stanza. Donica (3-for-3), Katie Wagner (2-for-2) and Emma Ruddle (2-for-2) combined to go a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor during the period.
Minot State won the fourth quarter, 19-14, but enough damage had been done over the first 30 minutes to give the Tigers a comfortable winning margin.
Fort Hays State dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Beavers 43-28. The Tigers collected 14 offensive rebounds, including three each from Donica and Kate Dilsaver, helping the Tigers to 21 second-chance points. FHSU outscored Minot State in the paint, 42-20.
Brooke Loewe led the team in assists, dishing out five assists to go along with four points, two rebounds and one steal. Golladay added four assists while tying with Stearns and Landon Forbes with two steals.
The Tigers poured in 9-of-29 from behind the arc (31.0 percent), including a 3-for-5 effort from Ruddle.
Fort Hays State will wrap up the weekend inside the St. Joseph Civic Arena Saturday (Nov. 10) with a matchup against No. 2 Minnesota State beginning at 2:45 p.m.