MARYVILLE, Mo. – Fort Hays State used 30 turnovers to grind out a 61-46 win at Northwest Missouri State on Saturday (Jan. 23). The No. 3 Tigers did not have their best offensive effort, but once again defense was their saving grace in a win over the MIAA’s last-place team. FHSU moved to 17-2 overall and 11-2 in the MIAA.
The Tigers jumped out to a 13-7 lead through the first eight minutes of play, but a 9-0 run by the Bearcats that straddled the end of the first and beginning of the second quarter found the Tigers trailing by three, 16-13. The Tigers responded with a 6-0 run to get the lead back for good, but it was not until late when they found breathing room.
The Tigers had several wasted opportunities off turnovers in the first half, scoring just seven points off of 14 Bearcat turnovers. That resulted in just a four-point lead at halftime, 27-23. Jill Faxon led FHSU with 12 points in the first half.
FHSU pushed its lead to seven points twice in the third quarter, but could not get the lead any bigger than three possessions and NWMSU closed the quarter on a 4-0 burst. That made the score 38-35 heading to the final quarter.
Fort Hays State turned up the defensive effort in the fourth quarter, holding NWMSU without a basket for 4:25 of the final quarter. During that stretch, FHSU used a 7-0 run to find breathing room with a 10-point lead, sparked on a 3-point field goal by Faxon. NWMSU stopped the run with a 3-pointer at the 5:35 mark, but FHSU continued its solid defense to put together an 8-0 run and push its lead to 15 at 53-38. FHSU held NWMSU to just three points for nearly eight minutes of the quarter. The Tigers hit several free-throws down the stretch to prevent any comeback.
Faxon led FHSU with 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting, which included a 3-of-7 effort beyond the 3-point line. She also had a team-high six rebounds. Paige Lunsford added 14 points, going 7-of-13 from the field. Beth Bohuslavsky had 10 points and a team-high four assists.
The Tigers forced 30 turnovers and committed just nine. FHSU scored 22 of its points off turnovers and NWMSU went scoreless off the nine FHSU turnovers. FHSU was able to attempt 23 more shots in the game than NWMSU due to the turnover disparity, which helped it overcome just 32.3 percent shooting from the field. FHSU was solid at the free-throw line though at 81 percent (17-of-21).
Tember Schechinger led Northwest Missouri State with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. She was the only Bearcat to reach double figures in scoring.
Fort Hays State will get a full week of rest before returning to action on January 30 at Nebraska-Kearney. FHSU pulled back within a game of the MIAA lead with the win as undefeated and No. 5 ranked Missouri Western fell at home to Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday.