Women’s Basketball Posts Another Big Win

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team used 13 three-pointers and 10 blocks to dispatch of Southwest Minnesota State Saturday afternoon (Nov. 12), winning 83-49. The Tigers finished the opening weekend 2-0, while the Mustangs fall to 0-2 on the young season.
Tony Hobson‘s squad made 21 steals in the contest, its most in a game since 2011 (21, 11/16 vs Tabor). The Tigers turned 25 Mustang turnovers into 23 points, scoring 14 in fast break situations.

Junior transfer Emma Stroyan was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field, recording a stat line of 14 points, seven rebounds, five blocks and two assists. Jill Faxon led the team with 16 points, adding six rebounds and three steals. Freshman Kacey Kennett drilled four three-pointers on the day, totaling 12 points and two rebounds off the bench. Taylor Rolfs also tallied 12 points while swiping four steals on the defensive end. Nikola Kacperska set a career-high with eight assists, adding four steals and five points.

Southwest Minnesota State struck first with a three-pointer on their first possession and stretched the early lead to 5-0 just 65 seconds into the contest. The Tigers answered by making their next five shots, scoring 12-straight points to take the lead for good. After a second three-pointer from Faxon made the score 15-8, neither team made another field goal over the final 4 minutes, 30 seconds of the quarter.

The Mustangs kept the deficit within eight over the first few minutes of the second quarter, cutting the margin to five three minutes into the period (22-17). With the help of long-range buckets from four different players, the Tigers closed the half on an 18-6 run over the last seven minutes to take a commanding 40-23 lead into the locker room.

Fort Hays State put the game out of reach in the third quarter, limiting the Mustangs to nine points and two made field goals while making seven blocks in the period. A layup from Sarah Pimentel with 1:01 to play in the quarter expanded the lead to 30, capping off a 10-2 run for the Tigers.

Behind a 17-5 run in the heart of the fourth quarter, the Tigers built the lead as high as 37 points, 81-44. Fort Hays State was 4-for-9 from behind the arc in the final period. The Tigers were credited with assists on seven of the nine field goals in the frame.

The Tigers will have a week of practice before returning to the court in St. Cloud, Minn. for a pair of contests next weekend at the Huskies Classic. First up is a meeting with tournament host St. Cloud State on Friday (Nov. 18) beginning at 6 p.m.