Fort Hays State picked up its fourth consecutive victory on Saturday (Nov. 29) behind double-digit scoring efforts from Kate Lehman, Nikola Kacperska and Jill Faxon, knocking off Tabor College, 74-44, at Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Both teams shot well in the game, with FHSU (5-1) hitting 28-of-61 (45.9 percent) from the field and 41.7 percent (5-of-12) from long range, while TC finished 10-of-21 from beyond the arc. TC (4-6) took just two free throws in the game, hitting both, while Fort Hays State was 13-of-17 from the charity stripe.
A relatively free-flowing game with very few stoppages, FHSU was whistled for just five total fouls on the afternoon compared to TC’s 17 personal fouls. The Tigers picked up 19 steals for the game – the most since Sept. 11, 2011 when FHSU had 21 against Tabor – and forced 29 turnovers for the Blue Jays. Fort Hays State committed just eight turnovers and tallying 16 assists.
Though FHSU jumped to a 16-9 lead, Tabor hit four three-pointers in the opening seven minutes of the game to stay close, cutting the deficit to one (18-17) on Kayla Wilgers’ three-pointer at 13:24. From there, a jumper from Chelsea Mason started a 13-0 run over the next three and a half minutes, pushing the lead to 31-17.
After two minutes of back-and-forth play, Beth Bohuslavsky‘s three-pointer sparked a short burst of seven unanswered for the Tigers, putting the lead in double-digits (38-23), where it remained for the rest of the game. Both teams played well over the final minutes of the first half, as a free throw from Faxon with one second to play sent the Tigers to the break, leading 46-30.
Out of the break, Kacperska made her mark on the game with nine points in the first 7:17 of play, scoring all but one of the Tigers’ 10 points in that span. After a five-point burst for Tabor College brought the game inside the 13-minute mark (56-40), Faxon went over the double-digit mark with a three-pointer to begin the Tigers’ final major run of the night, an 18-2 rally that began with 13 unanswered.
The Blue Jays’ only points during the stretch was a jumper by Erin Maxwell at 5:46, and FHSU’s final points of the game – a three-pointer from Taylor Menke – closed the run with the Tigers ahead, 74-42. A pair of free throws for TC closed the scoring with 1:54 to play.
Lehman was once again FHSU’s leading scorer, netting 15 on the night to go with seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Kacperska and Faxon each had four steals to lead the team, while Kacperska tied a career-high with 14 points and Faxon added 11. Bohuslavsky, Faxon and Mason each had three assists for the Tigers.
FHSU continues its home stand on Thursday, Dec. 4 for the first conference game of the year, hosting MIAA foe Central Missouri at 5:30 p.m.