FHSU Athletics
#6 Fort Hays State (13-1, 4-1 MIAA)
at Emporia State (7-6, 1-3 MIAA)
Thursday, January 8, 2026 • 5:30 p.m.
Emporia, Kan. • White Auditorium
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
Sixth-ranked women's basketball plays for the fourth time in eight days on Thursday (Jan. 8) when the Tigers travel across the state to take on Emporia State. First tip from White Auditorium in Emporia, Kan. is set for 5:30 p.m.
Quick Hits
- This is the 20th season the Tigers are playing in the MIAA since joining the league in 2006. Fort Hays State and Emporia State are tied for the league lead with 424 wins over that span.
- Brooke Loewe broke her own school record with 17 assists against Nebraska-Kearney on Tuesday, three days after totaling 14 against Missouri Western. It is the most assists in a game by any NCAA women's basketball athlete across all divisions this season.
- Loewe is the DII active career leader with 540 assists, ranking seventh across all NCAA divisions.
- Talexa Weeter leads Division II and ranks third across all NCAA divisions with an average of 29.0 points per game. For context, the MIAA record for single season scoring average is 25.4 ppg (MSSU's Melissa Grider, 95-96).
- Fort Hays State has hit 50 percent or better from the floor in more than half of its games this season (8 of 14).
- Fort Hays State leads Division II with an average of 21.1 assists per game while ranking second in assist/turnover ratio (1.33) and third in field goal percentage (48.8 percent).
- The Tigers have won six in a row against Emporia State, FHSU's longest winning streak in series history.
- The Hornets are one of two teams with a winning record against the Tigers in regular season MIAA matchups (ESU 19-13, PSU 16-15).
National Rankings
- FHSU leads in the country with 21.1 assists per game while ranking second in assist/turnover ratio (1.33), third in field goal percentage (48.8 percent), eighth in winning percentage (92.8 percent), 11th in 3-point percentage (36.7 percent) and 11th in scoring offense (80.4 ppg).
- Brooke Loewe's 10.9 assists per game are the most across all NCAA divisions. The DI lead is 9.0 assists per game, while the second-best average in DII is 7.3 (Jillian Aschoff - Nebraska-Kearney).
- Talexa Weeter leads Division II and ranks third across all NCAA divisions with an average of 29.0 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).
- Weeter's 45 points against Northwest Missouri State are tied for the most by a DII athlete this season.
- Loewe has seven games with 11-plus assists, the most of any DII athlete. Only two other DII student-athletes have had multiple 11-plus assist games this season (CSP's Lydia Haack - 2, UNK's Jillian Aschoff - 4).
- Ellie Stearns ranks fourth in the conference with 2.1 3-pointers made per game.
- Olivia Mortensen ranks third in the MIAA with a field goal percentage of 53.4 percent.
- Weeter ranks second in the MIAA in rebounds (9.1 per game) and second in the MIAA in field goal percentage (54.2 percent).
- Loewe is tied for first in the conference with an average of 2.4 steals per game.
MIAA Athlete of the Week x 4
- Talexa Weeter has been named MIAA Athlete of the Week in four of the seven weeks so far this season.
- The junior 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.
20 Wins Now the Norm
- Fort Hays State has now reached the 20-win plateau in each of the last 14 seasons, extending the longest active streak of 20-win seasons in Division II. FHSU's streak is tied for the sixth-longest active streak of 20-win seasons across all NCAA Divisions.
- FHSU reached the 20-win plateau just eight times over the first 42 years of the program before the current streak began in 2011-12, including no more than two consecutive 20-win campaigns during that time.
- The next-best active streak of 20-win seasons in the MIAA is four (MWSU), while the next-best streak in DII is Drury with 12.
- Only five DI programs have longer active stretches of 20-win seasons, including UConn (32), Baylor (25), Stanford (23), Florida Gulf Coast (21) and Louisville (15). Fort Hays State's run of 14-straight 20-win seasons is tied with South Carolina and South Dakota State for sixth-best in all NCAA women's basketball.
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.
On This Day
- The Tigers are 7-4 in recorded history on January 8, most recently defeating Lincoln 92-57 at home in 2022.
- Katie Wagner was one of four Tigers in double figures, leading the team with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
Last Time Out
- The No. 6 Tigers rallied from a 10-point deficit midway through the third quarter to defeat Nebraska-Kearney by double figures on the road on Tuesday, winning 84-73.
- Brooke Loewe distributed 17 assists in the win, breaking her own school record. That total is the most in a single game by any NCAA women's basketball student-athlete across all divisions.
- Talexa Weeter totaled 30 points, while Olivia Mortensen racked up 20 points thanks to four 3-pointers.
- FHSU hit 50.9 percent from the floor, including hitting 15 of its final 19 shots.
Scouting the Lady Hornets
- Emporia State is 7-6 overall and 1-3 in MIAA play. However, the Lady Hornets are a perfect 6-0 at home this season.
- The Lady Hornets rank last in the conference in fouls per game (20.8) and defensive rebounds per game (24.7). On the other hand, ESU is second in the league on the offensive glass, averaging 14.0 offensive rebounds per night.
- Kaitlyn Sanders ranks second in the conference behind Talexa Weeter with an average of 17.8 points per night.
- Gracie Gilpin hits 2.46 3-pointers per game, second-most in the MIAA.
Series History with Emporia State
- Emporia State is 52-41 all-time against the Tigers
- The Hornets hold a 28-14 lead in games played in Emporia.
- The Tigers have won six in a row overall, their longest winning streak in series history.
- FHSU has won three in a row on the road, with ESU's last home win over the Tigers coming in 2019.
- FHSU is 3-0 against the Lady Hornets under head coach Talia Kahrs, including a 1-0 mark on the road.
- The Lady Hornets are 19-13 against FHSU in regular season MIAA matchups. They are one of two teams with a winning record over the Tigers in such contests (PSU - 16-15).
- The Tigers are 1-2 against ESU in overtime meetings, with the last matchup going to overtime in 1988.
Last Meeting with the Lady Hornets
- The seventh-ranked Tigers held Emporia State to a season-low 52 points in a 70-52 road win last February (2/13/25).
- The home team led for all of 11 seconds to start the game before Bailey Wilborn drilled a 3-pointer to give the Tigers the lead, the first of three triples for Wilborn."
- Katie DeGarmo scored nine points in the second quarter, outscoring ESU by three points in the frame.
- Olivia Hollenbeck led all scorers with 20 points while DeGarmo totaled 13 points and 14 rebounds for the 42nd double-double in her career.
Career Stats vs. ESU
- Talexa Weeter - 11.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.5 apg in two games, including one game with 20-plus points.
- Brooke Loewe - 2.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 5.8 apg in four games, including one game with 10-plus assists.
- Ellie Stearns - 4.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.0 apg in four games, including one game with 10-plus points.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will get a week of preparation before returning to the road to take on Missouri Western next Thursday beginning at 5:30 p.m. in St. Joseph, Mo.