FHSU Athletics
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The ninth-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team opened the 2025-26 season with a win over a ranked opponent Friday afternoon, defeating No. 11 Concordia-St. Paul 84-78 thanks in large part to a dominant first-quarter performance.
Junior Talexa Weeter opened the year with a 36-point outburst, tied for the sixth-most in a single game in team history and the most by a Tiger in more than 20 years (Crystal Harden, 36 points at Nebraska-Kearney, 2/24/05).
Just as they did against the University of Kansas in exhibition play two weeks ago, the Tigers (1-0) came out of the gates on fire, shooting 64.3 percent (9-of-14) from the floor and an eye-popping 83.3 percent (5-of-6) from behind the arc over the first 10 minutes. Avery Lowe opened the game with a 3-pointer 22 seconds in before Weeter added another triple less than a minute into the contest.
Another Weeter trey and a long-range connection from freshman forward Kaitlin Schumann helped the Tigers to a 12-0 run midway through the quarter, allowing FHSU build a commanding 25-6 lead. CSP closed the period with two free throws to close within 25-8, sparking an 11-0 run that entered the second quarter and allowed the Golden Bears (0-1) to close within eight, 25-17.
The Tigers responded with Brooke Loewe hitting a 3-pointer before adding a layup two possessions later, pushing the lead back to a dozen. Seven points from Olivia Mortensen allowed FHSU to push the lead to 16 before the Tigers took a 14-point lead into the locker room, 45-31.
After shooting 63 percent (17-of-27) from the floor and 70 percent (7-of-10) from behind the arc in the first half, the Tigers cooled off a bit over the second 20 minutes, allowing the Golden Bears to claw back. FHSU hit 30 percent (9-of-30) overall and 14.3 percent (1-of-7) from deep in the second half, but the Tigers were able to hang on to the lead thanks to an 80 percent effort from the free-throw line (20-of-25).
The Tigers maintained their lead over the first five minutes of the third quarter, with Ellie Stearns hitting a 3-pointer to make it a 17-point lead with 15 minutes to play. But Concordia-St. Paul fought back after that point, closing the frame on a 16-9 run to pull within 10 entering the fourth quarter, 66-56.
The Golden Bears opened the final frame with a triple, closing within seven, but six more points from Weeter helped FHSU push the lead back to double figures with six minutes to play, 74-61. Concordia-St. Paul turned up the defensive pressure down the stretch, holding the Tigers to just 1-of-10 from the floor.
However, FHSU was able to take advantage at the free-throw line, hitting 8-of-10 over the final two minutes to secure the win. CSP continued to claw away, turning a nine-point deficit with 37 seconds left into a one-possession game with nine seconds on the clock. But a free throw from Weeter and two from Stearns over the final ticks of the clock helped the Tigers hold on.
Weeter hit 10-of-18 from the floor and 14-of-17 from the free-throw line while grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds for her fourth double-double. Mortensen chipped in 13 points, five assists and seven rebounds in her Tiger debut, with Schumann adding nine points. Loewe contributed nine points, four assists and seven rebounds, with Stearns also totaling nine points alongside eight rebounds and two steals.
The Tigers hit 45.6 percent from the floor (26-of-57) while dominating on the boards, outrebounding CSP 49-33. FHSU's 84 points are its most in a season opener since 2018 (91-56 vs. Southwest Minnesota State).
Fort Hays State will wrap things up at the Third Annual Central Region Showcase on Saturday when the Tigers take on Sioux Falls beginning at 2 p.m.