FHSU Athletics
#8/#22 Fort Hays State (16-2, 7-2 MIAA) at
Washburn (11-9, 5-5 MIAA)
Thursday, January 30, 2025 • 5:30 p.m.
Topeka, Kan. • Lee Arena
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
The eighth-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team looks to complete the season sweep of Washburn on Thursday when the Tigers make the short drive to Topeka, Kan. Opening tip is slated for 5:30 p.m. from Lee Arena.
Winners of three straight, the Tigers head into the contest 16-2 on the year and 7-2 in league action. The Ichabods are 11-9 overall and 5-5 in conference play, including a 5-1 record at home.
The Tigers took care of business at home against Washburn last month (12/7/24), leading by as many as 43 before settling for a 30-point victory, 83-53. Five Tigers scored in double figures in the win, with FHSU combining to shoot 50.8 percent from the floor (33-of-65).Fort Hays State's smothering defense and efficient offense has let to one of the largest scoring margins in the country. The Tigers carry a scoring margin of plus-18.2, 11th-best in Division II this season. Fourteen of FHSU's 16 wins have been double-figure victories, including nine by 20 or more points, while both of the Tigers' losses have been by just one point.
The Tigers are also amongst the nation's best in assists, with the Tigers ranking third in DII in assists per game (18.9) and second in assist/turnover ratio (1.34). FHSU's defense has limited teams to a shooting percentage of 34.2 percent, the best in the conference and fifth-best in the country.
Katie DeGarmo recorded her 40th career double-double Saturday in a road win at Central Oklahoma, racking up 17 points and 11 rebounds. That performance brought her career total in rebounds to 1,099, 10 behind the school record of 1,109 currently held by Kate Lehman.
Thursday's game will feature the two most accurate shooters in the conference, with Washburn's Yiibari Nwidadah leading the country with a shooting percentage of 65.8 percent and Olivia Hollenbeck ranking second in the MIAA and fourth nationally with a shooting percentage of 62.0 percent.
Brooke Loewe leads the MIAA and ranks third in Division II with an average of 7.3 assists per game, an average that would shatter the program record of 6.0 assists per game (Jaden Hobbs, 2020-21). Loewe has totaled 11 or more assists three times this season, tied with three other individuals for the most such performances in DII this year.
Fort Hays State is one of two schools in the MIAA with three players ranked in the top 15 in the league in scoring, with Hollenbeck fourth with 16.8 points per night, DeGarmo sixth with 15.9 points per contest and Talexa Weeter 13th with 14.2 points per game.
DeGarmo has scored in double figures all five times she has played Washburn, averaging 13.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest.
Washburn leads the all-time series, 47-41, including a 24-18 advantage in games played in Topeka. The Tigers have won nine in a row since 2018, FHSU's longest winning streak in series history. Going back further, Fort Hays State has won 14 of the last 15 meetings over the last decade. The Tigers have won three in a row inside Lee Arena, tied for their longest road winning streak in series history. FHSU is 2-0 against Washburn during the Talia Kahrs era. This is her first game as a head coach in Topeka.
The Ichabods rank 16th in the country with a field goal percentage of 44.8 percent. Nwidadah also leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.0 points per night to rank third in the conference and 7.5 rebounds per contest which ranks seventh-most in the league.