HAYS, Kan. - A balanced offensive attack pushed 3rd-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball past Colorado Mesa Saturday afternoon (Nov. 19) inside Gross Memorial Coliseum, 75-50. The Mavericks (0-4) jumped out to an early six-point lead before the Tigers (3-3) got into a rhythm on offense, hitting 41.4 percent from the floor (24-of-58) and burying nine 3-pointers while forcing 19 turnovers on the defensive end.
 
Fort Hays State missed five of its first six shots before a 3-pointer from Ellie Stearns five minutes into the game got the Tigers going on offense. Kate Dilsaver and Sydney Golladay added 3-pointers in the final 72 seconds to give FHSU its first lead of the game before the Mavericks knocked in a free throw just before the end of the period to tie things up at 19.
 
Dilsaver hit another 3-pointer early in the second quarter before converting on a traditional 3-point play midway through the period to give the Tigers the lead for good. Katie Wagner added a pair of buckets before Stearns connected again from behind the arc, helping the Tigers to a 12-0 run and pushing the lead to nine. Colorado Mesa then closed within four before Brooke Loewe dropped in a layup to put the Tigers up six at the break, 36-30.

 
Colorado Mesa scored on its first two possessions while forcing a pair of stops on the other end to close within three early in the second half before the Tigers used a dominant 11-minute stretch to take complete control. Fort Hays State outscored the Mavericks 30-4 over the last seven minutes of the third quarter and the first four minutes of the fourth, hitting 11-of-20 from the floor while forcing nine turnovers and limiting CMU to 1-of-9 shooting.
 
Olivia Hollenbeck was the driving force of the run on the offensive end, with the sophomore forward scoring 10 of her team-high 16 points during the stretch. The Lincoln, Neb. native asserted her presence in the paint, using several strong post moves to create easy layups.
 
Emma Ruddle, Megan Earney, Stearns and Sydney Golladay all knocked down 3-pointers during that span, with Golladay's triple at the 6:19 mark in the fourth quarter giving the Tigers their largest lead of the season at 29, 68-39. Kia Wilson and Sasha Koenig both scored their first points in a Tiger uniform over the final five minutes of action, helping the Tigers maintain their sizeable lead and hold on for the win.

 
Thirteen Tigers saw time on the floor in the win, with 12 different players etching their name in the points column. Stearns scored 13 points after hitting 3-of-7 from behind the arc while Dilsaver added nine points. Wagner led the team with 10 points alongside eight rebounds, with Loewe pacing the team with three assists alongside six points and two steals. Monica Brooks led the Mavericks with 13 points and seven rebounds. The Tigers scored 24 points off turnovers while committing just eight turnovers of their own.
 
Fort Hays State will continue its five-game home stand next Saturday (Nov. 26) when the Tigers host Tabor at 5 p.m. in the first men's and women's doubleheader of the season.