FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. - A triple-double from Brooke Loewe helped propel the seventh-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team to a 69-56 home win over Emporia State Thursday evening (Feb. 12), extending the Tigers' winning streak against their rival to a program-best eight games.
Loewe racked up 11 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and a career-high six steals in the win, tallying the first triple-double for a Tiger since 2014 (Kate Lehman vs. KWU, 12/16/14). It was the 14th double-double by a Division II athlete this season and just the third by an MIAA student-athlete.
The Tigers (22-2, 13-2 MIAA) raced out to a fast start, hitting six of their first eight shots to take a nine-point lead just four minutes into the game, 13-4. Talexa Weeter scored nine of those points, shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor.
Emporia State (12-12, 6-9 MIAA) responded over the final four minutes of the frame, scoring nine in a row to briefly take a 17-16 lead before Kaitlin Schumann put the Tigers up 18-17 heading into the second quarter.
The lead changed hands three more times in the second, with neither team leading by more than three points. A pair of 3-pointers from Mikayla Pilley and Weeter helped FHSU tie things up at 30 at the break.
After shooting just 35.3 percent (12-of-34) in the first half, the Tigers improved that effort by nearly 10 points in the second half (44.1 percent, 15-of-34) to take control. The FHSU defense also improved, limiting the Lady Hornets to 31.0 percent shooting after halftime (9-of-29) while creating 11 turnovers and blocking six shots.
The visitors led as late as the 1:32 mark in the third quarter before a Loewe 3-pointer put the Tigers on top for good. Weeter added another 3-pointer on the next possession after a Schumann block before adding three points from the charity stripe over the final 34 seconds, putting the Tigers up 50-43 entering the final frame.
Emporia State put up a fight over the first four minutes of the fourth, pouring in a pair of 3-pointers to close within one, 54-53. But strong defense and a pair of Tiger freshmen helped the Tigers regain control, with Pilley and Schumann combining to outscore the Lady Hornets 11-3 over the final six minutes. The visitors missed seven-straight shots down the stretch while turning the ball over four times, helping FHSU seal its 22nd win of the season.
Weeter led all scorers with 31 points, surpassing the 30-point mark for the ninth time this season and the 10th time in her career. The junior is just the second player in team history to score 30 or more points at least 10 times Annette Wiles (14). The Goodland, Kan. native has now scored 664 points this season, passing Kate Lehman's 2014-15 campaign (655 points) for the second-most points in a single season in team history (Wiles, 880, 1990-91)
Pilley added a career-high 12 points after hitting a pair of 3-pointers, while Schumann added six points, four rebounds and two blocks. The Tigers scored 19 points off 19 ESU turnovers while FHSU made just 10 turnovers in the win.
Fort Hays State will wrap up the weekend Saturday (Feb. 14) when the Tigers host Newman in a Valentine's Day clash. First tip is set for 2 p.m., with the Tigers honoring Sarah Lawless, Ellie Stearns and Brooke Loewe before the game for Senior Day.