HAYS, Kan. - The fifth-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team led wire-to-wire for the second night in a row, defeating Bethel 89-38 Monday evening (Dec. 20). The Tigers (10-1, 4-1 MIAA) were dominant on both ends of the floor, hitting a season-high 10 3-pointers and scoring 22 second-chance points on offense while the defense forced 23 turnovers thanks to 16 steals.
 
The Tigers got things going early, scoring on their first two possessions with a traditional 3-point play from Katie Wagner and a stick-back layup from Lauren West. The Threshers closed within one later in the quarter, but nine-straight points from the Tigers quickly stretched the lead to double figures.
 
After leading by eight at the end of the first quarter, Fort Hays State took complete control in the second quarter. The Tigers outscored Bethel 27-6 over the frame to take a 50-21 lead into the locker room. FHSU made nine steals in the second quarter alone, turning those turnovers into 18 points. The Tigers had two double-digit runs in the stanza, scoring the first 11 points over the first two-and-a-half minutes before going on a 12-0 run over a five-minute span late in the first half.
 
The Tigers stretched the lead to 41 by the end of the third quarter after recording eight assists on nine made field goals in the frame.
 
The defense held Bethel to just 18.8 percent shooting from the floor in the final frame (3-of-16), allowing the Tigers to push their lead over 50 for the first time this season.
 
Twelve different players scored for Fort Hays State, including a game-high 16 points from Jaden Hobbs thanks to four 3-pointers. Jessie Sallach recorded her first career double-double after totaling 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. West also had 12 points, with Sydney Golladay, Olivia Hollenbeck and Whitney Randall all chipping in eight points each.
 
Hollenbeck, Sallach, Wagner and West all recorded three steals, with Hollenbeck also leading the team with two blocks.
 
Fort Hays State finished the game shooting 41.3 percent (31-of-75) from the floor while holding Bethel to a shooting percentage of 26.9 percent (14-of-52). It was the second time in the last 28 hours that the Tigers have held an opponent to less than 30 percent from the floor.
 
The Tigers outrebounded Bethel by 15, 51-36, while FHSU scored 22 second-chance points off 17 offensive rebounds. The Tiger bench outscored the entire Bethel roster, 41-38.
 
Fort Hays State will return to action after the holiday break with a stretch of four games in eight days. The run begins on January 1, 2022 when the Tigers play on New Year's Day for the first time in program history at Northeastern State beginning at 1:30 p.m.