By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The 23rd-ranked Fort Hays State women’s basketball team took care of business at home again Saturday (Nov. 16), knocking off MSU Denver by 23 points, 75-52. The Tigers improved to 4-0 on the year, while the Roadrunners are now 0-4 to start the season.
Fort Hays State put together a balanced offensive attack that included four players with 10 or more points for the first time in 10 games (2/24/24 vs. MSSU) alongside two others with at least seven points. The Tigers hit more than 40 percent of their shots for the fourth time in as many games, pouring in 43.9 percent against MSU Denver (29-of-66).
The Roadrunners scored five of the first six points to take an early four-point lead, FHSU’s largest deficit so far this season. The Tigers then scored the next 10 points to take the lead for good, including four points from Kate Dilsaver and a Brooke Loewe 3-pointer. Fort Hays State pushed its lead to eight by the end of the first period thanks to back-to-back Talexa Weeter 3-pointers in the final minute of the frame.
Fort Hays State pushed its lead to 15 three minutes into the second quarter on a Dilsaver fast break layup before MSU Denver scored the next six points to close within nine, 31-22. The teams traded six-point runs over the next four minutes before a late Loewe layup gave the home team a 39-28 halftime lead.
The Tigers maintained a double-digit lead for the duration of the second half, outscoring the Roadrunners 20-14 in the third quarter and 16-10 in the final stanza. The fifth-year duo of Olivia Hollenbeck and Katie Wagner DeGarmo took over for FHSU in the third, combining to score 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
Fort Hays State built its lead as high as 25 with three minutes left in the game on an Avery Lowe 3-point play, putting the Tigers up 73-48.
The Tigers turned the ball over a season-low nine times while poking away 11 steals and forcing 15 Roadrunner turnovers. FHSU cleaned up on the glass, outrebounding the visitors by 12, 46-34.
DeGarmo and Hollenbeck both scored 14 points to lead the Tigers, with DeGarmo also contributing nine rebounds and three assists and Hollenbeck totaling six rebounds and four steals. After scoring a career-high 11 points Friday night, Weeter increased that total by one point on Saturday, totaling 12 points and 10 rebounds for her first-career double-double. Dilsaver also scored 12 points, while Loewe totaled nine points and seven assists, one off her career high.
Mikylah Espinosa led the Roadrunners with 17 points thanks to a trio of 3-pointers.
The Tigers will have 10 days to practice before returning to the floor on Tuesday, November 26 when they host Tabor College beginning at 6 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Friday
Fort Hays State Women’s Basketball rolled to a commanding 77-52 win over Adams State at Gross Memorial Coliseum in the home opener on Friday evening (Nov. 15). The Tigers moved to 3-0 on the season, while Adams State dropped to 2-2 overall.
Katie Wagner DeGarmo paced four Tiger scorers reaching double figures with 19, followed by Kate Dilsaver with 15, Olivia Hollenbeck with 12, and Talexa Weeter with a career-high 11. DeGarmo picked up her first double-double performance of the season, adding a team-high 10 rebounds. Point guard Brooke Loeweled the Tigers in assists with six.
DeGarmo sparked the Tigers’ offense early, scoring the first bucket of the game. She was a force throughout the opening period, going 4-of-6 from the field tallying nine points. The Tiger defense stifled the Grizzlies, creating turnovers that fueled their transition game. By the end of the first quarter, Fort Hays held a solid 22-10 lead. A 3-point field goal by Dilsaver and a jumper by Talexa Weeter had the Tigers out to a 13-point advantage twice in the quarter.
Adams State cut the lead back inside 10 four times in the second quarter, but the Tigers ended the half on a 6-0 run with four points from Dilsaver and a pair of free throws by Hollenbeck. Fort Hays entered the halftime break with a comfortable 14-point of 40-26.
The Tigers came out firing in the third quarter, quickly extending their lead to 18 on four straight free throws. Bailey Wilborn electrified the home crowd with three three-pointers in the frame for all nine of her points. Wilborn’s third triple sparked a 12-0 run, which also included five-straight points from Hollenbeck, midway through the quarter. The run pushed the Tiger lead to 31 with 2:09 remaining. FHSU went on to lead 66-37 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the final period Fort Hays State managed the lead well, never letting ASU closer than the final margin of 25 points the rest of the way.
As a team, FHSU shot 50 percent from the field (25-of-50). The Tigers were 50 percent or better in the first three quarters. The Tigers hit seven of their first nine 3-point attempts in the game before missing their final four, finishing at 53.8 percent (7-of-13). The Tigers had a strong night at the free-throw line, hitting 20-of-26 attempts. FHSU dominated ASU in rebound margin by 24 (43-19).
The Tigers held the Grizzlies to 37 percent overall from the field. ASU shot just 54.5 percent at the free-throw line. Kiiyani Anitielu was the only ASU player to reach double figures in scoring with 18, and she tied for a team-high four rebounds.