Fort Hays State used a strong effort in the second half to pull away from Southwest Baptist, picking up their 11th straight win with a 72-56 victory over the Bearcats on Monday, Jan. 5.
 
Up 11 (17-6) at 13:12, FHSU looked to have another blowout win in progress, but saw its lead shrink to just two, 25-23 over the next six minutes on a 17-8 run.  A layup from Kate Lehman ended a burst of six unanswered for the Bearcats, switching momentum to the Tigers' side, as they ran off a 7-0 rally of their own.
 
Holding a nine-point lead (32-23) near the four-minute mark, FHSU again appeared to be building a comfortable margin, but SBU outscored the Tigers 10-1 to close out the half and climb back within two (33-31).
 
Out of the break, SBU tied the contest on a jumper from Leann Terrill, but it was all FHSU over the next five minutes as the Tigers climbed back to a 10-point lead (43-33), thanks in part to four points from Keriann Shaw. At 11:13, Nikola Kacperska's jumper from the top of the key started the Tigers' final run of the night, an 8-0 rally that lasted nearly three and half minutes and moved FHSU's lead to 17 (55-38). 
 
FHSU's largest lead of the night came on a pair of free throws from Beth Bohuslavsky at 4:38, leaving the lead at 22 (65-43).
 
The Tigers(12-1, 5-0 MIAA) remained unbeaten in conference play, battling through a less-than-stellar effort from beyond the arc (4-of-20) and the charity stripe (18-of-29).  Fort Hays State was strong in the paint, scoring 26 points while winning the second chance battle, 20-6.
 
Keriann Shaw recorded her first career double-double, tying her career high with 10 points while pulling down a career-high 11 rebounds, shooting 5-of-7 from the field.
 
Lehman finished the night with 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks for her 44th career double-double (and just missed her fourth career triple-double). In the game, Lehman moved into No. 2 all-time on FHSU's career rebounding list and now has 902 rebounds (passing Chris Biser, who had 901). 
 
Chelsea Mason joined Shaw and Lehman in double-digits with 15 tallies, running her streak of 10 or more points in a game to seven.
 
Beth Bohuslavsky dished out five assists on the evening to lead all guards, playing 29 minutes in the win.
 
The Tigers head east this Thursday (Jan. 8) to take on Lindenwood.  Game time from St. Charles, Mo., is set for 5:30 p.m.