By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
No. 7/3 Fort Hays State women’s basketball led wire-to-wire in a 79-39 victory over Adams State Friday (Nov. 15) inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. The Tigers have now won 16 consecutive home openers, dating back to November 2003. Fort Hays State moves to 3-0 with the win, while the Grizzlies dip to 0-3 to start the year.
The Tigers controlled the game from the opening tip, scoring the first seven points and holding ASU scoreless for more than five minutes. The Grizzlies finally got on the board with a 3-pointer before Lanie Page responded with a triple of her own to stretch the lead back to seven. Adams State closed within three by the end of the quarter after ending the frame on a 7-3 run.
Fort Hays State re-established the momentum with a 12-0 start to the second quarter, going from up three to up 15 in less than four minutes. Taylor Rolfs opened the run with a driving layup off a pass from Belle Barbieri. Page made a steal on the other end and converted the turnover into three points after a fast break 3-pointer. Rolfs scored on two of the next three trips down the floor, including another Tiger 3-pointer to stretch the lead to 23-10. Barbieri ended the run with an easy layup after a steal from Rolfs, prompting an Adams State timeout. The Tigers later carried a 33-15 lead into the locker room after Page knocked down another 3-pointer late in the period.
The Tigers went on another big run over the heart of the third quarter, scoring 14-straight points to go in front by 31. Allison McFarren capped off the run with an old-fashioned three-point play after making a steal on the defensive end. The freshman poked the ball away towards Rolfs before taking off down the floor. The Claflin, Kan. senior made a brilliant pass across the court to McFarren, who made the running layup through contact from the defender. The Wichita, Kan. freshman buried the ensuing free throw, stretching the Tiger lead to 50-19.
Fort Hays State kept the pressure on in the fourth quarter, padding the lead as high as 42 on a Lauren Reither layup late in the frame.
The Tigers finished the game with a season-high shooting percentage of 45.5 percent (30-of-66), including an 8-for-21 effort from behind the arc (38.1 percent). FHSU limited the Grizzlies to a 36.4 percent effort from the floor (16-of-44).
Fort Hays State was quite active on defense, forcing 23 turnovers thanks to 11 steals. Page led the team with four steals, while Kacey Kennett and Reither added two steals each. Fort Hays State dominated on the boards, outrebounding ASU 43-27.
The well-balanced Tiger offense was on full display once again, with all 13 Tigers to see the floor scoring at least two points. Page knocked down all three of her attempts from behind the arc en route to a team-high 11 points. Barbieri added another double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, her second of the year and the ninth of her career. Cydney Bergmann added a career-high 10 points and three rebounds off the bench, knocking down 4-of-5 shots from the floor alongside both of her free throw attempts.
The Tigers wrap up the weekend Saturday (Nov. 16) against Cameron University. Tipoff between the Tigers and Aggies is scheduled for 5 p.m.
Notes: The Tigers are now 10-0 against RMAC schools under Hobson…Fort Hays State is now 24-1 all-time against Adams State…It was Kacey Kennett’s 100th game as a Tiger…The Tigers have now won 30 consecutive games in November…Tony Hobson is now 25-3 on Fridays.
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