HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State completed the regular season sweep of Central Missouri on Thursday evening (Feb. 4), winning by a score of 70-57. The No. 7 ranked Tigers used a 16-1 second quarter run to take a 14-point halftime lead, then never let the margin drop inside single digits the rest of the way. FHSU improved to 19-2 overall and 13-2 in the MIAA while UCM went to 8-12 overall and 7-8 in the MIAA.
The Tigers trailed by a point after the first quarter, but midway through the second quarter is when they made their move. The FHSU defense held UCM to just one point over the final 6:05 of the first half, going on a 16-1 run to turn a one-point deficit into a 14-point halftime lead. FHSU hit the first shot of the second half to extend the run to 18-1, but UCM finally put a field goal in at 9:09 remaining in the third snapping a near-seven minute field goal drought.
FHSU grew its lead to 20 points three times in the third quarter but had some careless possessions and mistakes late in the quarter. UCM finished the third quarter on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 12. At 7:17 in the fourth, the lead was trimmed to 10, but that was all the closer UCM would get. A three-point play by Elle Stein and a Nikola Kacperska 3-point field goal dashed any chance of a Central Missouri comeback.
The Tigers had a balanced scoring effort, led by Kacperska with 11 points. She was an efficient 4-of-6 from the field, including a 3-of-4 effort beyond the 3-point line. Paige Lunsford, Beth Bohuslavsky, and Jill Faxon all had 10 points. Tatyana Legette led FHSU in rebounds with six. Bohuslavsky led in assists with four.
Shelby Winkelmann led the UCM scoring effort with 14 points while Paige Redmond and Danielle Berry each had 11. Winkelmann dished out six assists.
FHSU forced 19 turnovers out of UCM but committed 12. FHSU shot 44.4 percent from the field and held UCM to 40.4 percent.
The Tigers get ready for a meeting with Southwest Baptist on Saturday (Feb. 6), looking to avenge a loss earlier this year in Bolivar. Tipoff is set for 2 pm at Gross Memorial Coliseum.