KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Fort Hays State women's basketball team ran away with a wire-to-wire road victory Saturday afternoon (Dec. 16) against Rockhurst, 67-50. The win moves the Tigers to 9-2 on the year, while the Hawks fall to 6-4 overall this season.
 
Both sides struggled from the field in the opening quarter, with neither side surpassing 30 percent shooting over the first 10 minutes. The difference in the first quarter, and the game as a whole, was FHSU's ability to get to the free throw line. The Tigers got to the free throw line a whopping 31 times, their highest count so far this season. The Black and Gold poured in 24 of those shots in the game, including a 10-of-12 effort in the opening quarter.  Thanks to a 7-0 run made up entirely of shots from the charity stripe, the Tigers led by as many as eight in the opening quarter.
 
Rockhurst closed within one with a three-pointer early in the second period, but could not take the lead. The Tigers finished the quarter by hitting five of their final seven shots, including a 3-pointer from Carly Heim from well behind the arc on the right wing as the shot clock expired late in the half to put the Tigers in front 31-26 at halftime.
 
Fort Hays State used Heim's late triple to build momentum into the second half, extending an 11-0 run to stretch the lead to 39-26. After failing to knock down a shot in the first half, Kacey Kennett scored on two possessions early in the third quarter to pad the lead to 13. The Hawks momentarily clawed within single digits with a quick 7-1 run, but FHSU took back control when Heim knocked down jumpers on back-to-back trips down the floor, extending the advantage to 16, 52-36.
 
After seeing second half leads evaporate in their last two road games, the Tigers never let up in the fourth quarter this time around, scoring 11-straight in the heart of the period to lead by as many as 21, 67-46.
 
Heim paced the Tigers with a season-high 22 points, one off her career-best mark, while also leading the team with three assists and five steals. Tatyana Legette finished one rebound shy of a double-double, posting 14 points and nine rebounds. Emma Stroyan added six points and seven rebounds while adding two blocks. Kacey Kennett also reached double figures, scoring 11 points, including nine after halftime.
 
The Tigers turned things around to finish the contest with a 40.0 percent effort from the floor (20-of-50), while limiting Rockhurst to a 31.7 shooting percentage. Fort Hays State made 15 turnovers in the contest while forcing 14 Hawk miscues, just the second time this season FHSU has made more turnovers than its opponent. The Black and Gold dominated on the boards, outrebounding RU 44-31.
 
Fort Hays State will hit the floor once more before the mandatory holiday break, hosting Midland University on Tuesday (Dec. 19) at 7 p.m.