By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The No. 4 Fort Hays State women’s basketball team battled its way to an 85-79 victory over Cameron Saturday afternoon (Nov. 20) inside Gross Memorial Coliseum, handing the Aggies (4-1) their first loss of the season. The Tigers are now 4-0 on the year after winning their 47th-consecutive non-conference, regular season contest.
Both teams appeared to be in control at various points through the contest, with the Aggies leading by as many as 11 in the first half and the Tigers also going in front by as many as 11 in the fourth quarter. But large swings of momentum kept the fans on the edge of their seat all afternoon in a game that featured eight ties and four lead changes.
Cameron opened the game with some lights-out shooting, burying 64.7 percent from the floor (11-of-17) and 66.7 percent from behind the arc (4-of-6). The visitors hit another 3-pointer on the first play of the second quarter to stretch their lead to 30-19 before Lauren West took control for the Tigers. The sophomore tallied 15 points in the period on 4-of-5 shooting, including a trio of 3-pointers, to help FHSU take a four-point lead into the locker room, 47-43. The Tigers never trailed in the game after Emma Ruddle buried a 3-pointer with less than a minute to go before halftime.
The Aggies leveled the score at 50 midway through the third quarter, but Whitney Randall responded with a fast-break layup through contact to give the Tigers the lead for good. The senior hit the ensuing free throw, sparking an 8-0 Tiger run.
The Tigers built up a double-digit lead twice in the final frame, but the Aggies managed to claw back within two possessions each time. Fort Hays State always had an answer, however, thanks to second-year freshman Katie Wagner. The guard scored eight of her 22 points in the final frame, including six points in a row three minutes into the quarter when Cameron narrowed the deficit to four.
Olivia Hollenbeck also scored eight points in the final frame, including two on a fast-break layup that pushed the lead to 11 with 2:40 to play, 81-70. The Aggies made one final push, scoring the next six points to close within five with 47 seconds to play before Emma Ruddle dropped in a layup after beating the press to put the game on ice.
Fort Hays State’s size advantage was evident on the glass, with the Tigers outrebounding CU by 27, 55-28. The Tigers had 26 offensive rebounds, while Cameron had just 28 rebounds in the entire contest. FHSU scored 23 second-chance points, compared to just six for Cameron.
West finished the game with a team-high 24 points, including 20 before halftime. Wagner added 22 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and three steals, recording her second 15-15 game in eight days after it hadn’t been accomplished by a Tiger for the previous four years. Hollenbeck tallied 16 points and six rebounds, with Randall contributing 10 points, five rebounds and two assists. Ruddle chipped in seven points and the only two Tiger blocks.
Maighan Hedge led the Aggies with 25 points and five assists. Cameron hit nine 3-pointers in the contest, seven of which came before halftime.
Fort Hays State will play one more non-conference tune-up before entering league play early next month when the Tigers host NAIA power Sterling on Tuesday (Nov. 23). Opening tip is slated for 5:30 p.m. in the first men’s and women’s doubleheader of the season.
Friday
Behind a solid defensive performance, the No. 4 Fort Hays State women’s basketball team rallied to defeat St. Cloud State in its first home game of the new season Friday evening (Nov. 19), 58-51. The win was Fort Hays State’s 18th-consecutive victory in a home opener and was the 46th-straight regular season, non-conference win for FHSU.
The Tigers (3-0) fell behind for the first time all season when St. Cloud State (0-1) scored on the first basket of the game. The Huskies led by as many as seven before the first media timeout before leading 14-10 at the end of the first period.
Fort Hays State stormed in front by scoring the first eight points of the second quarter, including a go-ahead 3-pointer from Megan Earney. A layup from Olivia Hollenbeck capped off an 11-0 Tiger run and put FHSU in front by four before SCSU fought back to tie things up at 20 late in the frame. Hollenbeck and Earney both scored from the paint in the final two minutes to give the Tigers a four-point advantage at the break, 24-20.
After a cold-shooting first half, both teams started to heat up in the third quarter, with SCSU hitting 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from the floor in the frame and the Tigers knocking down 40 percent (6-of-15). The Huskies regained the lead early in the quarter before an 8-0 run gave FHSU its largest lead of the game at six. Katie Wagner tied the score at 30 with a layup before Lauren West put the Tigers in front with a 3-pointer just before the media timeout. Whitney Randall added the next three points to put the Tigers up 36-30. The Huskies responded by closing the set on a 12-6 run, leveling the score at 42 after a made 3-pointer with seven seconds on the clock.
The teams went back-and-forth to start the final period before the Tiger defense took over, limiting St. Cloud State to just two points over the last six-plus minutes. The Huskies hit just 1-of-11 from the floor down the stretch, including a miss on their last five shot attempts. Fort Hays State scored the final seven points to create just enough separation, including five points at the charity stripe in the final 30 seconds.
The potential game-sealing play came with 45 seconds when West made a steal as the Huskies were trying to advance the ball after a defensive rebound. The sophomore guard drove straight to the rim and finished a layup with her left hand, giving the Tigers the lead for good with 41 seconds to go.
Randall led the Tigers with 12 points, while West had 11 points and three steals. Wagner posted eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds, with Earney adding eight points. Emma Ruddle led the team with three assists and added four points and two steals.
St. Cloud State was led by Tori Wortz, who totaled 19 points, seven rebounds and five steals, while Nikki Kilboten blocked seven shots and added 10 rebounds.
The Tigers hit just 31.3 percent from the floor (20-of-64) while holding SCSU to a shooting percentage of 34.4 percent (21-of-61). FHSU outrebounded the Huskies by three, 43-40. The Tigers totaled 11 second-chance points, compared to just two for the visitors.