By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Fort Hays State built a 20-point halftime lead but had to hang on late for a 60-54 win at Central Missouri. The No. 9 ranked Tigers improved to 23-3 overall and 17-3 in the MIAA, while the Jennies moved to 17-10 overall and 13-7 in the MIAA.
Fort Hays State entered the game ranked No. 1 in the first NCAA region rankings, released earlier this week, while Central Missouri held the No. 10 ranking in the region. The Tigers put together a strong first half effort, holding the Jennies to just 2-of-14 shooting in the first quarter to build a 16-7 lead, then increased that lead to 20, 39-19, by halftime. FHSU led by as many as 22 points in the first half.
Overall in the first half, the Tigers held the Jennies to just 26.9 percent from the floor (7-of-26). The Tigers countered at a 51.6 percent rate from the floor, including a 6-of-10 effort beyond the 3-point line. Whitney Randall had the hot hand for FHSU in the first half, hitting 3-of-4 3-point field goal attempts, on her way to 13 points. Jaden Hobbs added eight first-half points and was 2-of-3 beyond the arc at that point.
The Jennies made a quick 6-0 burst at the Tigers out of halftime, cutting the lead down to 14. However, the Tigers countered with a 9-2 run, capped on a 3-point field goal by Jaden Hobbs to get the lead back out to 21 with just under five minutes to play in the third quarter. The Jennies would not go away though, closing the third quarter on a 10-2 run to get the lead back down to 13 at 50-37 with one quarter to play.
The Jennies added on to that late third quarter run and pushed their overall run to 21-4 with 5:38 to go in the game. A Charley Bovaird 3-point field goal brought the Tiger lead down to eight and Olivia Nelson followed with a pair of layups to get it down to four. Cydney Bergmann stopped the momentum by driving to the basket to get fouled, and she hit two big free throws to get the lead back to six. FHSU got a defensive stop and then Olivia Hollenbeck extended the lead to eight on a stick-back layup.
From that point, the Tigers locked in defensively and forced the Jennies into turnovers on five straight trips down the floor. A Katie Wagner layup with 1:54 to go would give the Tigers breathing room again with a 10-point lead. Central Missouri hit a pair of 3-point field goals inside the final minute to get the final margin down to six.
Randall went on to finish with 19 points to lead the Tigers, while Hobbs had 15. They combined for 34 of the Tigers’ 60 points. Both finished 3-of-5 beyond the 3-point arc. Cydney Bergmann was the top rebounder for the Tigers with eight and she created a team-best five steals as well. Sydney Golladay had a team-high three assists.
After shooting over 50 percent in the first half, FHSU cooled to just under 30 percent in the second half. FHSU finished at 41.8 percent for the game. Even with just 21 points in the second half, the Tigers were able to hang on by forcing the Jennies into 12 second-half turnovers and 21 overall for the game. They also held the Jennies to just 36.5 percent for the game.
Nelson led the scoring effort for UCM with 22, followed by Brooke Littrell with 14 and Nija Collier with 10. Collier finished with 11 rebounds for a double-double. Nelson and Littrell combined for 14 UCM’s 21 turnovers.
The Tigers turn their focus to another big game in Hays on Wednesday night when Missouri Western (20-5, 14-5 MIAA) comes to Hays. The Griffons are one of four 20-win teams in the MIAA and were ranked No. 6 in the first set of NCAA Central Region rankings. Tipoff for Senior Night in Hays is set for 5:30 pm at Gross Memorial Coliseum.