By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The seventh-ranked Fort Hays State women’s basketball team fell to Missouri Western by one point for the second time in less than two weeks, losing 70-69 at home Thursday evening (Jan. 16). The Tigers (13-2, 4-2 MIAA) led by as many as 14 in the first half, but a 3-point barrage from the Griffons (11-4, 6-1 MIAA) helped the visitors rally after halftime.
Missouri Western took control early, leading by as many as 12 seven minutes into the contest. Back-to-back buckets from graduate students Katie Wagner DeGarmo and Olivia Hollenbeck helped the Tigers stop the Griffon run before a DeGarmo 3-point play narrowed the deficit to 22-15 at the end of the first quarter.
The Tigers proceeded to flip all the momentum in the second quarter, with FHSU scoring the first 18 points to race in front by double digits themselves, 33-22. Combined with DeGarmo’s 3-point play to end the first quarter, the 21-0 run by the Tigers was the longest by an FHSU squad during the Talia Kahrs era.
The Tiger defense was locked in over the first seven minutes of the frame, forcing the Griffons to miss eight shots from the floor and five free throws while creating a pair of turnovers.
Fort Hays State, on the other hand, took advantage at the charity stripe during the frame, hitting all 10 of its attempts. Hollenbeck and Talexa Weeter both scored eight points each in the quarter. The Tigers led by as many as 14 with one minute to play before halftime thanks to another DeGarmo layup, but a Griffon 3-pointer narrowed the gap to 41-30 at halftime.
Missouri Western slowly chipped away at the lead early in the second half, but FHSU had a response each time. The Tigers still held a 10-point lead five minutes into the third quarter before a 13-5 Griffon run narrowed the margin to 56-54 with 10 minutes to play.
The Griffons, who hit the second-most 3-pointers per game in Division II, lived up to that billing in the second half. The visitors hit 7-of-14 from behind the arc to storm back, including a perfect 4-of-4 effort from Kassandra Caron.
Both teams struggled to score early in the fourth quarter, combining for just five points in the first four minutes of action. MWSU’s Meredith Rieker then hit a 3-pointer to tie the score with 5:42 on the clock, but DeGarmo answered with another traditional 3-point play to put the Tigers back on top with 5:02 to play.
Caron then scored eight-straight points for the Griffons, helping the visitors jump back in front by five with less than three minutes to go.
After missing three in a row from the floor and turning the ball over once, Kate Dilsaver helped the Tigers punch back with her second 3-pointer of the game. Western point guard Alyssa Bonilla then converted a traditional 3-point play on the next trip down the floor to push the lead back to five, but Brooke Loeweresponded with a triple of her own to close things back to two with 1:50 on the clock, 70-68.
Hollenbeck came up with her third block of the game on the next trip down the floor, but FHSU was unable to take advantage on offense. The Tiger defense was then able to clamp down again, forcing a shot clock violation with 34 seconds remaining. Loewe then tried a 3-pointer with 10 seconds to go that was off the mark, but Dilsaver collected the offensive rebound to keep hope alive.
After a pair of Griffon fouls, DeGarmo went to the line with a chance to tie things up with two makes. After the Tigers hit 18 of their first 19 from the line on the day, DeGarmo managed to make one of the two free throws with 1.7 seconds remaining to allow the Griffons to hang on.
The Griffons have now won four in a row against FHSU and six of the last eight meetings since March 2022. All six of those MWSU wins have been by three or fewer points, including four one-point decisions.
DeGarmo led the team with 21 points and 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season and the 39th of her career. Dilsaver totaled 14 points and a career-high nine rebounds, while Hollenbeck added 14 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Bonilla led the Griffons with 21 points, six assists and six steals.
The Tigers hit a season-low 36.7 percent from the floor (22-of-60), while Missouri Western knocked down 44.8 percent from the floor (26-of-58) and from behind the arc (13-of-29). Fort Hays State collected eight more rebounds than the Griffons, 40-32, while both teams turned the ball over 17 times. The Tigers scored 22 points in transition for the second-straight contest, their highest total against a DII opponent this season.
Fort Hays State will look to bounce back Saturday (Jan. 18) when the Tigers host Northwest Missouri State beginning at 2 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.