FHSU Athletics
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The #23/#22 Fort Hays State women's basketball team cruised to another double-digit victory Saturday afternoon at the 2024 Central Region Showcase, defeating MSU Moorhead 65-41. The Tigers completed the opening weekend inside the St. Joseph Civic Arena 2-0, moving to 6-0 inside the building the DII era, while the Dragons are 0-2 to start the year.
Olivia Hollenbeck won the opening tip and scored the first points of the game 16 seconds later off a pass from Katie Wagner DeGarmo, putting the Tigers in front where they would stay for the remainder of the afternoon.
Fort Hays State scored the first six points, holding the Dragons scoreless on their first four possessions. MSUM then scored on back-to-back trips down the floor before the Tiger defense held the Dragons without a field goal for nearly six minutes, allowing FHSU to build a 21-6 lead. Moorhead hit the final shot of the frame, closing within 21-8 after 10 minutes. Hollenbeck totaled eight points in the quarter, matching the offensive output of the entire Dragon squad.
Both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net in the second quarter, combining to shoot 8-of-29 from the floor. FHSU managed a slim 12-11 scoring margin in the frame to take a 33-19 lead into halftime.
The Tiger defense again limited Moorhead to just eight points in the third quarter, giving FHSU the chance to build the lead to 20 by the end of the frame, 47-27. Brooke Loewe created havoc for the Dragons, poking away four steals and creating three assists in the stanza.
Fort Hays State had its best shooting quarter over the final 10 minutes, connecting on 7-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-7 from behind the arc. Four different players knocked down 3-pointers in the last frame in Megan Earney, Maddy Powell, Sasha Koenig and Talexa Weeter.
The Tigers shot 41.9 percent from the floor (26-of-62) while limiting the Dragons to a 25.5 percent shooting effort (14-of-55). Fort Hays State totaled 17 steals, its most in a game in nearly a year (12/17/23 at Newman), taking advantage to the tune of 27 points off turnovers. The Tigers outscored MSUM 17-0 in fast break opportunities and 32-12 in the paint.
Fort Hays State put together a balanced offensive attack, with 12 different players hitting at least one field goal. Hollenbeck again led the team in scoring, totaling 19 points, six rebounds, three steals, two blocks and one assist. DeGarmo racked up seven points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals, while Loewe contributed five points, six rebounds, four assists and five steals.
UP NEXT
The Tigers will return to the friendly confines of Gross Memorial Coliseum next weekend (Nov. 15-16) when they host Adams State and MSU Denver in a pair of non-conference matchups. The Tigers will battle ASU on Friday beginning at 5:30 p.m. before taking on MSU Denver on Saturday at 5 p.m.