FHSU Athletics
#5 Fort Hays State (17-1, 8-1 MIAA)
vs. Central Oklahoma (7-11, 2-7 MIAA)
Saturday, January 24, 2026 • 12 p.m. (NEW TIME)
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
Game Sponsor: Domino's Pizza
National Anthem: Brent and Ginger Williams and Ben Klein
Promotions: FHSU 20-year donor recognition, FHSU Cheer camp performance at halftime
Winners of 10 in a row, the fifth-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team looks to extend that streak Saturday when the Tigers host Central Oklahoma. Tipoff is set for noon inside Gross Memorial Coliseum, two hours earlier than originally planned due to the impending winter storm.
Quick Hits
- The Tigers have won 10 in a row, the 17th double-digit winning streak in program history. It is one of 12 active double-digit winning streaks in Division II.
- Talia Kahrs coached in her 50th MIAA contest on Thursday. The Tigers are 40-10 in those games, tied for the most conference wins by a team since Kahrs took over at the start of the 2023-24 season (PSU 40-9).
- Fort Hays State has won 25 games when ranked fifth in the WBCA DII poll, more than any other spot.
- Talexa Weeter became the 26th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points on Thursday. She needed 62 games to reach that threshold, second-fastest in team history (Annette Wiles - 57 gms, Shauna Porter - 65 gms).
- FHSU leads the MIAA with 428 wins since joining the league 20 years ago (2006), two more than Emporia State.
- The Tigers' 17-1 record is 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.
- Loewe averages 10.4 assists per game and is the only NCAA athlete, male or female, currently averaging in double figures in assists. Her 17 assists at UNK are the most across all divisions of NCAA WBB.
- 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).
Rank and File
- FHSU leads in the country with 20.2 assists per game and 32.4 defensive rebounds per game while ranking third in assist/turnover ratio (1.27), fourth in field goal percentage (48.4 percent), fifth in fewest fouls per game (12.9), seventh in winning percentage (94.4 percent), 12th in scoring offense (78.1 ppg), 14th in 3-point percentage (35.9 percent) and 15th in scoring margin (+16.4).
- While the Tigers are first in the country in defensive rebounding, FHSU is last in the MIAA in offensive rebounding (9.2 per game). Overall the Tigers rank fourth in the league with an average of 41.6 rebounds per night.
- Brooke Loewe's 10.4 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 27.9 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 second-most by a DII athlete this season.
- Weeter ranks second in the MIAA in rebounds (9.1 per game) and third in the MIAA in field goal percentage (52.4 percent).
- Olivia Mortensen ranks fifth in the MIAA with a field goal percentage of
49.2 percent.
1K Magic
- Talexa Weeter surpassed the 1,000-point plateau in the first quarter against Rogers State on Thursday.
- She is the 26th player in program to hit that milestone.
- The Goodland, Kan. native needed only 62 games to reach that threshold, second-fastest in team history (Annette Wiles 57 games, Shauna Porter 65 games).
Double-Digit Winning Streaks
- Including the current winning streak of 10 games, the Tigers have recorded 17 double-digit winning streaks in team history.
- Fort Hays State had multiple unique 10-game winning streaks in a season three times, in 1990-91, 2018-19 and 2024-25
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. 5 Tigers cruised past Rogers State on Thursday, winning 73-46.
- FHSU outrebounded the Hillcats by 29, 57-28, the highest rebound margin for the team since 2023.
- Mikayla Pilley hit a career-high three shots from behind the arc, helping her tie her career high with 11 points.
- Talexa Weeter went over the 1,000-point plateau in the first quarter before finishing the game with 23 points and 14 rebounds, her sixth double-double of the season.
Scouting the Bronchos
- Central Oklahoma has the second-best field goal percentage defense in the MIAA, ranking behind FHSU after allowing its opponents shoot 36.0 percent from the floor this season.
- The Bronchos hit an MIAA-low 4.4 3-pointers per game.
- Sophomore Jerney Bennett leads Division II with 77 blocks this season, averaging 4.3 per game. She helps UCO rank third in the country with an average of 5.8 blocks per night.
Series History with Central Oklahoma
- Fort Hays State is 22-5 all-time against the Bronchos, including wins in each of the last 11 meetings.
- The Tigers are 12-1 at home against UCM, with the Bronchos' lone win coming in 2020. FHSU has won four-straight at home.
- FHSU is 3-0 against UCO under head coach Talia Kahrs, including a 1-0 record at home.
- The Tigers are 2-0 against the Bronchos in overtime games.
- FHSU is 20-4 against Central Oklahoma in MIAA regular season contests.
Last Meeting with the Bronchos
- The 11th-ranked Tigers used a big second half to rally past Central Oklahoma last season (1/25/25), winning 81-72 on the road.
- The Tigers overcame a nine-point deficit, its largest comeback of the season.
- Fort Hays State hit 19-of-34 from the floor in the second half and hit a perfect 11-of-11 from the charity stripe after intermission to complete the comeback.
- Talexa Weeter led all scorers with 23 points, with Olivia Hollenbeck adding 22 points. Katie DeGarmo racked up 17 points and 11 rebounds for her 40th career double-double.
Career Stats vs. UCO
- Talexa Weeter - 23.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 0.0 apg in one game - one game with 20-plus points
- Brooke Loewe - 5.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 5.3 apg in three games
- Ellie Stearns - 4.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.4 apg in five games
On This Date
- The Tigers are 7-4 in recorded history on January 24, most recently defeating Missouri Western 67-50 at home in 2019.
- Fort Hays State led wire-to-wire in the win, with Whitney Randall leading the team with 14 points off the bench.
- FHSU has won four in a row on this date, with the last Jan. 24 loss coming in 2004 against Northern Colorado.
Class of the Conference
Since joining the MIAA in 2006-07 (20 seasons), the Tigers lead the league with 428 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.
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).
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
- Fort Hays State is leading Division II with an average attendance of 1,899 fans per game.
- 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 Tigers continue their homestand on Thursday, January 29 when they look to avenge their lone MIAA loss of the season against Washburn, with opening tip slated for 5:30 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.