By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
PITTSBURG, Kan. – Fort Hays State sophomore Katie Wagner scored a career-high 30 points in Thursday evening’s 76-66 loss to Pittsburg State (Feb. 16). Wagner is the first Tiger to score 30 or more points in eight years (Kate Lehman, 31 pts vs MSSU, 1/3/15).
The Tigers struggled out of the gate, falling behind 23-12 after the first quarter. FHSU turned the ball over six times over the first 10 minutes before righting the ship over the rest of the game, finishing the night with 13 turnovers, just one over their season average.
Fort Hays State cut within six in the second quarter after 3-pointers from Ellie Stearns and Emma Ruddle, but Pittsburg State scored the final four points to lead by 10 at intermission, 38-28.
Wagner took over in the second half, scoring 24 of her 30 points over the final 20 minutes. She helped the Tigers to a 10-2 run after scoring eight early points in the third quarter, trimming the deficit to four in the process. She later hit back-to-back buckets to cut within three, but each time PSU answered with a 3-pointer to keep the Tigers at bay.
A pair of baskets from Jessie Sallach bookending the end of the third quarter had the Tigers back within four, 53-49, before the home team scored six in a row to push the lead back to double figures.
Wagner helped the Tigers make one final push, scoring nine points over the next five possessions while the Tiger defense limited PSU to just two points over the stretch. The final basket, a step-back 15-footer, gave Wagner a career-high 27 points and had the Tigers within one possession with just under five minutes to play, 61-58.
But the Tigers were never able to get over the hump, with PSU going 13-of-15 from the charity stripe down the stretch to secure the win.
Wagner also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, recording her ninth double-double of the season and the 20th of her career. Sydney Golladay distributed seven assists and poked away a team-high two steals. Sallach was the only other Tiger that reached double figures in the points column, scoring 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
The Tigers outshot their opponent in a loss for the second game in a row, knocking down 44.3 percent (27-of-61) compared to 43.9 percent for the Gorillas (25-of-57). Both sides grabbed 35 rebounds, including FHSU scoring 10 second-chance points on eight offensive rebounds.
Fort Hays State will wrap up the weekend Saturday (Feb. 18) at Missouri Southern beginning at 1:30 p.m. before traveling to Kearney, Neb. to conclude the regular season a week later (Feb. 25) against the Lopers.