By MAYAN PAZ
Tiger Media Network
After going 5-0 in the non-conference play, the Tigers went on the road last weekend to play the Central Missouri Jennies and the Washburn Ichabods to start the MIAA season. FHSU played two close games, beating UCM 65-60 in overtime and losing 67-64 to Washburn.
In the first game against UCM, the Tigers (6-1) had a slow start and started to connect offensively just towards the end of the first half. After scoring on 25% of their field goal attempts in the first quarter, the Tigers found a better rhythm in the second quarter, and paired with a strong defensive effort, FHSU took a 27-26 lead into halftime.
The back-and-forth battle continued in the third quarter, but the Jennies managed to establish a small lead at the end of the quarter, which grew to 7 at one point. The Tigers responded and even overturned the scoring in the fourth, but the Jennies scored a game-tying three-pointer with 2 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime after a 57-57 stalemate.
In overtime, the Tigers’ defense was too good for UCM, and Talexa Weeter and Brooke Loewe took charge on the offensive side, scoring all of the Tiger points in overtime and setting the final score at 65-60 for the Tigers. Weeter scored 23 points, and was aided mainly by Loewe with 16 points and 8 assists, and Ellie Stearns with 15 points.
The second showing of the weekend faced the Tigers with a hostile and loud atmosphere in the newly renovated Lee Arena in Topeka, as the Washburn fans packed the stadium and made the game very difficult for the Tigers.
Washburn started with an early 7-point lead, but the Tigers pulled themselves together and went up by as many as 9 during the first quarter. The Tigers looked on the right path, leading 28-17 early in the second quarter, but then shots stopped falling in for FHSU, and Washburn not only came back, but also gained a 35-32 lead at halftime.
The roles reversed in the third quarter, as the Ichabods increased their lead to 11, forcing the Tigers to chase them from that point on. Playing from behind in the fourth quarter, it was once again Weeter and Loewe taking responsibility, leading the Tigers back into the game in an effort that was capped by a game-tying three-pointer by Olivia Mortensen with 44 seconds to go.
However, despite the impressive comeback, Weeter was stopped by the Ichabods’ defense, and Loewe missed a long-range three-pointer attempt at the buzzer, as the Tigers lost 67-64.
Weeter scored 28 points and pulled down 9 rebounds while Loewe contributed 10 points and 10 assists. Loewe said after the game, the main thing that wasn’t working for the Tigers was their shot-making ability.
“Shots that we normally make weren’t falling, so having to try and figure out other ways to score was key, but just didn’t follow our way today,” she said. “We took really good shots and normal shots that we would normally make, but just didn’t fall our way today.”
FHSU shot just 23-61 against the Ichabods and went 5-25 from beyond the 3-point line.
FHSU Head Coach Talia Kahrs said that defensively, the Tigers have made a solid effort but failed to stop Washburn in the paint, where the Ichabods scored 46 points. FHSU held Washburn to 26-67 shooting and just 3-11 shooting from beyond the arc.
“For the most part, I liked our effort defensively. We had moments where we played really well and then lapses where we gave their post player easy shots,” Kahrs said. “But on the other end, I thought we executed really well. We just need to step in and knock down those shots.”
Kahrs added that there are also some things that the team can learn from and use to grow as a team heading forward. Loewe agreed and mentioned that the player’s aggression and intent can improve.
“I think we can learn a lot, giving it our all over possession. I think it’s one of them for sure. I think sometimes we just try to relax in certain sessions. But coming out ready to play, that’s a big thing that we need to work on,” Loewe said.
The Tigers will host Pittsburg State in a non-MIAA game on Saturday at Gross Memorial Coliseum. This will be FHSU’s first home game of the year.