TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - The Fort Hays State women's basketball team fought off an early deficit to win its fourth-straight game Thursday evening (Feb. 16), knocking off Northeastern State 64-44 on the road. The Tigers improve to 19-6 overall and 10-6 in conference play, while the RiverHawks dip to 6-18 this season and 2-14 in the MIAA after their 11th-straight loss.
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Defense has been a strong point of late for the Tigers, holding opponents to fewer than 50 points for the third-consecutive game Thursday. The Tigers also controlled the ball well, turning the ball over six times, their fewest of the season.
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Tatyana Legette recorded her fifth double-double of the season and second in a row, leading the Tigers with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Jill Faxon chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds, with
Nikola Kacperska adding nine points and dishing out six assists.
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The Tigers trailed for the entirety of the first quarter, falling behind by as many as seven after the RiverHawks opened the game on a 14-7 run. Faxon hit a three-pointer and Legette added a pair of free throws late in the period to close the deficit to 14-12 after 10 minutes of play.
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Fort Hays State kept rolling in the second quarter, hitting 10-of-16 shots in the period to take a 38-25 lead into the break. The Tigers scored 15-straight points in the heart of the quarter, holding NSU without a field goal for nearly six minutes. Kacperska knocked down a pair of three-pointers in the quarter, with
Sarah Pimentel and
Madison Mittie also drilling shots from behind the arc.
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The Tigers coasted to victory in the second half, leading by as many as 26 after
Taylor Rolfs dropped in two-straight layups. The RiverHawks were limited to 6-of-27 shooting in the second half, finishing the game a lowly 25.4 percent from the floor. Fort Hays State dominated on the boards, grabbing 52 rebounds to 38 for the RiverHawks.
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The Tigers will look to climb into fifth place in the MIAA standings when they face off with 18th-ranked Central Oklahoma Saturday afternoon (Feb. 18) in Edmond, Okla. First tip is set for 1:30 p.m.
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