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By RAEGAN NEUFELD
Tiger Media Network
Until Friday, the last win for Fort Hays State University against the University of Central Missouri was Feb. 19, 2022. The Tigers broke the five-game losing streak in dramatic fashion, winning 65-63 in the MIAA tournament quarterfinals.
Though FHSU led the entire game, their largest leads – 12 and 11 points in the third and fourth quarters – did not hold. UCM continued to chip away and was never far behind. The game came down to the last play, with the Jennies missing two shots in the last eight seconds.
“The end was just how it probably should have been,” FHSU Head Coach Talia Kahrs said. “We did a great job on the defensive end in the second half, especially getting stops when we needed them and I thought we did a really good job of making plays at the end of the game too.”
The Tigers (23-6) executed well on both sides of the ball, shooting 50% from the field while also holding UCM (21-8) below their season average of 74.9 points per game. The team forced 16 turnovers, 12 coming from steals.
“Everyone played their part and that’s something we’ve been doing a really good job of through the end of this season,” senior Olivia Hollenbeck said. “I feel like everyone’s stepped up and it’s just taken every small part.”
Hollenbeck finished with 19 points and three steals, just behind Katie Wagner who led FHSU with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five steals. Jessie Sallach was the third Tiger to score in double figures with 10, going a perfect 3-3 from the 3-point line.
“(UCM) got the best of us during conference play, but we were just excited to get to play on this stage and knew that this tournament was going to be very, very competitive,” Wagner said.
UCM was led by Brooke Littrell, who scored 16 of her game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter. She also pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds. Olivia Nelson was the second-leading scorer for the Jennies, finishing with 14 points. Nelson also recorded seven rebounds and four assists.
“I’m supremely proud of the effort our kids put in to get back and give us a shot,” UCM Head Coach Dave Slifer said. “I know Fort Hays has been on the other end of some of the games with us, and they got one back tonight. Hats off to them because they played very, very well.”
The game was a testament to the high level of competition in the MIAA this season. FHSU entered as the No. 3 seed and UCM the No. 6 seed, despite the Jennies sweeping the regular season series and having only one more loss in conference play than FHSU.
“It was kind of anybody’s game every night throughout the year,” Kahrs said. “It just kind of came down to our girls really stepping up to end the season. The last three weeks, I thought we’ve done a really good job of getting better and winning big games when we needed to.”
Up next for the Tigers is the No. 2 seed Northwest Missouri State University. They split the season series, winning the first game 62-48 in Hays and losing the second 69-55 in Maryville.
“It’s going to come down to who can execute and who can defend,” Kahrs said. “We by far did not have our best game against them last time, so I think we can really step up our defense and overcome the Bearcats tomorrow.”
The Tigers and Bearcats will tip-off at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. The game will be broadcast on the MIAA Network, and be followed by coverage from Tiger Media Network.