By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The 22nd-ranked Fort Hays State women’s basketball team extended its season-opening winning streak to five games thanks to a fourth-quarter comeback against Northeastern State on Thursday (Nov. 30), winning 63-52 on the road. The Tigers (5-0, 1-0 MIAA) trailed by six entering the fourth quarter before outscoring the RiverHawks (3-3, 0-1 MIAA) 26-9 over the final 10 minutes of action.
The Tigers led for much of the first half after early 3-pointers from Sydney Golladay and Emma Ruddle. Ruddle’s triple spurred a 9-0 Tiger run, putting FHSU up 14-6 before the RiverHawks closed within one by the end of the first quarter, 17-16.
The team traded jabs in the second quarter, with the scoring margin staying within one possession for all but 24 seconds of the frame. NSU led by as many as two on a pair of occasions, but buckets from Landon Forbesand Jessie Sallach helped the Tigers tie things up each time. Katie Wagner gave FHSU a 29-28 lead heading into the locker room after hitting a jumper for the final points of the first half.
After dominating in the third quarter in each of their first four games, the Tigers were sluggish out of the locker room against the RiverHawks. NSU managed to build a six-point lead after outscoring FHSU by seven in the frame, 15-8.
Wagner quickly helped the Tigers close within one score after back-to-back layups following NSU turnovers. Ellie Stearns then tied the game up at 44 less than one minute later after hitting a 3-pointer, the first Tiger triple in nearly 28 minutes of game action.
Stearns’ long-range effort prompted a 13-0 run by the Tigers, with FHSU taking the lead for good. Sallach buried a 17-foot jumper to put the Tigers on top before Brooke Loewe dropped in a driving layup following a steal.
Sallach added two more baskets during the run, including a stick-back layup following an impressive offensive rebound, to put the Tigers in front by double figures. The junior forward continued to deliver the rest of the frame, scoring 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting alongside three rounds in the fourth quarter alone.
Sallach finished the game with a career-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Wagner added 13 points. Olivia Hollenbeck totaled six points, eight rebounds, two steals and one block in less than 16 minutes of action, with Loewe pacing the team with three assists.
The Tigers hit 43.4 percent from the floor (23-of-53) while outrebounding the RiverHawks by 11, 35-24.
This is the 13th time the Tigers have opened a season with at least five-consecutive wins. FHSU will try to make it six in a row Saturday (Dec. 2, 1:30 p.m.) when the Tigers take on Rogers State in Claremore, Okla.