FHSU Athletics
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The No. 3 Fort Hays State women's basketball team moved to 1-1 on the year after a 45-43 win over Southern Nazarene Sunday afternoon on the final day of the 2022 D2CCA Tip-Off Classic.
The Tigers built an 11-point lead midway through the second quarter and held on for the duration of the contest to hand Southern Nazarene its second loss of the weekend.
Both teams got off to a slow start, combining for seven field goals in the opening period. The Crimson Storm led by as many as three before the Tigers scored the final five points of the frame to lead by two, 11-9. SNU tied things up at 12 early in the second quarter before the Tiger offense woke up, hitting five-consecutive 3-pointers.
Whitney Brown gave the Tigers the lead for good with a triple from the left wing before Ellie Stearns poured in three-straight from behind the arc. Katie Wagner buried the final 3-pointer of the 15-4 Tiger run, putting FHSU in front 27-16 with four minutes to play before halftime.
Fort Hays State was limited to two points over the rest of the half, allowing SNU to close within five by halftime, 29-24. The Tigers continued to struggle to find the bottom of the net in the second half, hitting six field goals in the half after netting six in just over five minutes in the second quarter.
The Tiger defense picked up the slack, however, forcing eight turnovers and limiting the Crimson Storm to just 32.1 percent from the floor in the second half (9-for-28).
Southern Nazarene closed within four following the fourth-quarter media timeout before Wagner buried another 3-pointer to pad the lead to seven. The Crimson Storm later scored seven in a row to close within one, but one final defensive stop in the waning seconds helped the Tigers hold on for the win.
Stearns led the Tigers with 11 points, nine of which came in the second quarter. Wagner netted her third-consecutive double-double going back to last season and the 13th of her career, totaling 10 points and 13 rebounds. Jessie Sallach corralled 10 rebounds in the win, reaching double figures for the second time in her career as a Tiger. Emma Ruddle added six points while Sydney Golladay dished out a team-best four assists.
The Tigers were dominant on the boards, outrebounding SNU 50-37, including 18 offensive rebounds.
Next up for the Tigers is a trip to South Dakota for the Courtyard Sioux Falls Tip-Off Classic, hosted by the University of Sioux Falls November 11-12. The Tigers will take on Augustana on Friday beginning at 5:30 p.m. before battling the host Cougars on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.