HAYS, Kan. - The 10th-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team moved to 3-0 on the season with a hard fought 52-44 win over St. Cloud State in their home opener on Friday night (Nov. 20). The Tigers overcame a poor shooting performance with strong defense to defend their home floor and pick up a good regional win.

Fort Hays State shot just 22.8 percent (13-of-57) from the field for the game, but turnovers and strong defense were the key to another win. FHSU forced 23 turnovers out of the Huskies, who were playing in their first regular season game, and held them to just 31.3 percent shooting. FHSU is forcing opponents into 26.3 turnovers per game so far this season after forcing 30 and 26 in their first two games of the season.

Jill Faxon had the strongest shooting effort of any Tiger, hitting 7-of-15 shots from the field, which included five 3-point field goals, and a 2-of-2 effort at the free-throw line to finish with 21 points. Chelsea Mason followed with 13 points. Paige Lunsford and Beth Bohuslavsky each had seven. Faxon snagged 10 rebounds for the first double-double of her career. All but two of the points for FHSU came from its starters.

Karissa LeCaptain and Andrea Thomas paced the Huskies with 11 points each. The number 11 was a theme for SCSU, as it scored that amount in all four quarters. Chelsea Nooker and Emma Konopasek each had a team-high seven rebounds for SCSU.

The Tigers search for another non-conference win on Saturday at 4 pm when they host Regis University. Pittsburg State and St. Cloud State will take the floor before at 2 pm. Pittsburg State defeated Regis 76-57 in the first game on Friday.