BY TRISTAN SASSE
In an overtime thriller, the Fort Hays State University women’s basketball team escaped Southwest Baptist with a 98-95 victory. With the win, FHSU locked up a No. 3 seed for the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City. The Tigers will receive a bye in the first round of the tournament and play their first tourney game on Thursday, March 1. Additionally, Fort Hays wrapped up the regular season with a 23-5 record (14-5 in MIAA), including 15-1 at home.
Against Southwest Baptist, the game featured 16 lead changes and 10 ties. The contest was high-scoring from the beginning, as the Tigers took a 23-18 lead after the first quarter and went into halftime with a 48-41 advantage. Fort Hays led by as many as 15 in the second quarter, but the Bearcats cut the deficit in half with a late run.
Scoring picked up in the third quarter as the teams combined for 58 points. Entering the final quarter, FHSU held a slight 74-73 lead. The final quarter was the lowest scoring quarter but continued to be close as the game was tied at 88 after regulation. Fort Hays used home court to their advantage in the extra minutes and survived for a 98-95 win.
On the night, FHSU shot 51.4%, compared to 45.9% by the Bearcats. Meanwhile, the Tigers lost the rebounding battle, but forced 16 turnovers. Fort Hays also had 16 assists, while Southwest Baptist finished with 14. FHSU also scored 48 points in the paint.
Tatyana Legette led the Tigers with a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds, while also dishing out five assists. Additionally, Kacey Kennett added 17 points and four rebounds, while Emma Stroyan scored 15 points in her final home game at FHSU. Stroyan is the lone senior on the Tigers roster. Carly Heim rounded out those in double figures with 12 points.
On the other side, Caylee Richardson scored a game-high 27 points and added six rebounds. Megan Rosenbohm added 23 points and seven rebounds. Bailey Rezabek added with 13 points, while Sydney Bandy finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. Southwest Baptist is currently 15-12 and will close out the regular season tomorrow in Kearney, Nebraska against UNK.