HAYS, Kan. - The No. 16 Fort Hays State women's basketball team forced 25 turnovers and held its opponent below 50 points for a sixth time this season Saturday (Dec. 30) in a 75-41 victory over Bethany College. The Tigers (11-1, 5-1 MIAA) dominated the game around the basket, matching their season high with 42 points in the paint while outrebounding the Swedes by 18, 55-37.
 
Olivia Hollenbeck paced the Tigers with 15 points and 10 rebounds, recording her second double-double of the season and the seventh of her career. Six of the forward's 10 rebounds were on the offensive glass, helping the Tigers to 20 second-chance points in the contest. The Black and Gold finished the day with 22 offensive rebounds, FHSU's most in since last season (24 offensive rebounds at Emporia State, 1/22/23).
 
Both teams were sluggish out of the gates, combining to hit 22 percent from the floor over the first eight minutes of action before Clary Donica gave the Tigers seven points over the final 105 seconds of the first quarter, handing FHSU a 13-9 lead at the end of the period.
 
The Swedes scored the first five points in the second quarter before Hollenbeck gave the Tigers the lead for good with a traditional 3-point play. The Lincoln, Neb. native finished the contest a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line, tied for the most single-game FT makes without a miss in her career.
 
Hollenbeck's bucket prompted a 12-0 Tiger run spanning the next four-plus minutes, propelling the Tigers to a 25-14 lead. The FHSU defense forced six turnovers and four missed shots during the run.
 
After Bethany cut within nine Megan Earney responded with FHSU's first triple of the game late in the second quarter, putting the Tigers back up by double figures, where the lead remained for the rest of the afternoon.
 
The Tigers led by 12 at the break, 35-23, and continued to build that lead throughout the second half. FHSU limited the Swedes to just three made baskets in each of the final two stanzas, doubling them up in the third quarter, 18-9, and outscoring them by 13 in the final frame, 22-9.
 
Landon Forbes finished the game with a career-high seven points, including her first-career 3-pointer with less than one minute to go. Donica finished the day with 13 points in 12 minutes of action off the bench, with Katie Wagner scoring in double figures for the 11th time this season with 12 points and a team-high four steals. Brooke Loewe dished out six assists and added a career-high two blocks in the win. All 12 Tigers to see the floor scored at least one point, with seven scoring five or more points.
 
The Tigers will return to conference play for the rest of the season beginning Thursday (Jan. 4, 5:30 p.m.) when FHSU hosts No. 14 Central Missouri.