2025 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Central Regional - Semifinal
No. 3 seed #11 Fort Hays State (28-4)
vs. No. 7 seed #18 Southwest Minnesota State (27-4)
Saturday, March 15, 2025 • 5 p.m.
Pittsburg, Kan. • John Lance Arena
 
The 11th-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team will play in the NCAA Division II Central Region semifinals for the seventh time in history Saturday (March 15) when the Tigers take on 18th-ranked Southwest Minnesota State beginning at 5 p.m. in Pittsburg, Kan.
 
The No. 3 seed Tigers improved to 28-4 on the year with an 81-72 quarterfinal win over No. 6 seed Southern Nazarene on Friday, while the No. 7 seed Mustangs upset the No. 2 seed Concordia-St. Paul 77-64 to move to 27-4 overall this season.

Tickets can be purchased in advance online or at the gate at a cost of $10 for adults or $3 for students age five through college. Live video will be provided free of charge on The MIAA Network. Live radio coverage will be available over the air on KJLS 103.3 FM or online here, with Dustin Armbruster on the call from courtside inside Lance Arena. Live stats will also be posted online here.
 
This is the 10th time Fort Hays State has been selected to play in the big dance since moving to Division II in 1991-92, including nine appearances in the bracket over the last 11 years, two more than any other school during that span (Pittsburg State - 7 appearances). Fort Hays State is 9-8 all-time in the tournament, including a 3-3 record in the semifinals, a 2-1 record as the No. 3 seed, an 0-2 mark against the No. 7 seed, a 5-2 record against NSIC teams, a 3-3 record in neutral site matchups and a 1-1 mark in games played in Pittsburg, Kan.
 
The Tigers enter the tournament ranked T-11th in the latest WBCA DII Coaches Poll. FHSU is undefeated when ranked 11th in the coaches poll during the DII era (10-0).
 
Seven teams in the Central Region are ranked in the latest WBCA DII Coaches Poll (four) or receiving votes (three), more than any other region in this year's tournament (West - six teams mentioned).
 
Fort Hays State's 28 wins this season are fifth-most in the program's 56-year history. The Tigers have now won 25 or more games eight times. FHSU reached 20 wins for the 14th year in a row this season, the longest active streak in Division II and sixth-longest across all NCAA women's basketball.
 
Katie Wagner DeGarmo picked up first team All-Central Region honors for the second year in a row after averaging 17.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game this season while hitting 49.6 percent from the floor.

DeGarmo and Talexa Weeter were both named to the MIAA All-Tournament Team last week. Weeter averaged 24.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game in the tournament while hitting 60.9 percent from the floor and 50 percent from behind the arc (.500). DeGarmo put up 19.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game over three games in KC. She became the all-time leader in scoring and rebounding in tournament history, concluding her career with 227 points (16.2 ppg) and 117 rebounds (8.4 rpg) in 14 games.
 
Fort Hays State placed a league-high five players on this year's All-MIAA teams, including MIAA Player of the year DeGarmo and MIAA Defensive Player of the Year Olivia Hollenbeck. DeGarmo is the fifth player since 1980 to earn the conference's top honor in consecutive seasons and the first to do so since Washburn's Crystal Walker in 2001-02 and 2002-03.
 
DeGarmo is the third player in school history to earn first team all-conference honors three times, joining Annette Wiles and Kate Lehman. It is her fourth All-MIAA honor overall. Hollenbeck is the first five-time all-conference performer in team history after picking up first team honors.

Kate Dilsaver and Hollenbeck were both listed on the MIAA All-Defensive Team, giving the Tigers multiple representatives on that team for just the second time in team history. Dilsaver, Weeter and Brooke Loewe all received honorable mention recognition.
 
DeGarmo and Hollenbeck both picked up MIAA Player of the Week honors twice this season. FHSU tied with Pittsburg State for the most MIAA Players of the Week this season with four each. This is the third-straight season that DeGarmo has been named player of the week multiple times.
 
DeGarmo has played in seven NCAA tournament games in her career, averaging 17.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per contest. She's scored in double figures all seven times, including three games with 20-plus points and four double-doubles.
 
Loewe is the school's single-season assists leader with 228 this season, breaking a 34-year old record. Already with 383 assists as a Tiger, the Huxley, Iowa ranks fifth on the all-time assists list at FHSU.
 
Hollenbeck scored in double figures for the 100th time in her 154-game career on Friday, totaling 17 points against SNU.
 
The Tigers rank third as a team in assist/turnover ratio in Division II at 1.37 while also ranking third in assists with 18.8 per game. The Tigers are fourth with a shooting percentage of 46.8 percent while ranking ninth in scoring margin at plus-17.2.
 
Fort Hays State is 4-0 all-time against Southwest Minnesota State, most recently winning 91-56 in Hays in the 2018-19 season opener (11/6/18). The Tigers are 2-0 in neutral site battles against the Mustangs.
 
Southwest Minnesota State scores early and often, ranking fourth in Division II with an average of 82.5 points per game while ranking third in field goal percentage at 46.8 percent. Regional Player of the Year Bri Stoltzman ranks seventh in the country with an average of 21.6 points per game while also leading the team with 4.0 assists per contest.
 
The winner of Saturday's semifinal will advance to the regional championship game Monday (March 17) beginning at 7 p.m.