2025 MIAA Basketball Championship, presented by Southern Bank - Championship Game
No. 2 seed #9 Fort Hays State Women's Basketball (27-3)
vs. No. 1 seed # 8 Pittsburg State (28-3)
Sunday, March 9, 2025 • 3:30 p.m.
Kansas City, Mo. • Municipal Auditorium
FHSU Alumni Pregame Championship Sendoff Pep Rally in the Mariott Muehlebach/East lobby - 11:30 a.m. (Before the men play in the title game at 1 p.m.)
 
The ninth-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team will play No. 8 Pittsburg State in the title game of the MIAA Championship presented by Southern Bank for a second-straight season on Sunday (March 9). First tip between the second-seeded Tigers (27-3) and top-seeded Gorillas (28-3) is set for 3:30 p.m. inside historic Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, Mo. after the Tiger men take on Central Oklahoma in the other championship game beginning at 1 p.m.
 
Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office, with single session tickets available for $25.
 
Live video of all games in the tournament will be available on The MIAA Network. Fans that already have an MIAA All-Access Pass or an MIAA Monthly Subscription will have access to the tournament games, with a tournament pass available for $45 for those without an active subscription.
 
Live audio of all Fort Hays State games will be available over the radio waves on KJLS 103.3 FM and online here, with voice of the Tigers Gerard Wellbrock on the call from courtside inside Municipal Auditorium.
 
Sunday's contest is the first repeat matchup in the women's title game since 2013 and 2014 when Emporia State and Central Missouri faced off in back-to-back seasons.
 
The Tigers reached championship Sunday after holding off Missouri Western in the semifinals on Saturday, 77-73, while the Gorillas easily handled Washburn in the first semifinal, 71-57.
 
This is Fort Hays State's seventh appearance in the league championship game over the last 11 seasons. Only Emporia State (nine) has been to more title games since FHSU joined the league in 2006-07. The Tigers have reached the finals in six of the last eight tournaments, three more than any other school during that span (UCM 3, MSSU 2, PSU 2, ESU 1, LWU 1, UNK 1).
 
Fort Hays State is still undefeated as the No. 2 seed in the MIAA Tournament, going 2-0 this season after finishing the week 3-0 and winning the event as the No. 2 seed in 2022.
 
The Tigers are 24-13 all-time in the MIAA tournament, 2-4 in the championship game, 2-2 against Pittsburg State, 5-0 as the No. 2 seed, 1-2 against the No. 1 seed, 19-12 inside Municipal Auditorium, 13-3 when ranked, 1-10 against ranked teams and 1-3 against ranked teams while also ranked themselves.
 
Katie Wagner DeGarmo has tied the record for most career rebounds at the MIAA Tournament, now with 106 to match Kathryn Flott of Emporia State (2012-17). She has scored 211 points in 13 tournament games, two shy of matching Washburn's Shelley Foster (1992-95) for the most points in a career as well.
 
DeGarmo is one away from tying the career tournament record for double-digit scoring games (11, Kelly Moten, ESU, 2014-17) and for 20-plus point games (6, Shelley Foster, WU, 1992-95).
 
DeGarmo and Olivia Hollenbeck are both playing in their 14th MIAA Tournament game on Sunday, tying former teammate Whitney Randall's record for most games played in the 42-year-old event.
 
DeGarmo was the tournament's Most Outstanding Player last year. Should she win the award again she would be the first player since Emporia State's Kathryn Flott to win the award in back-to-back seasons (2016-17).
 
Talexa Weeter's 35 points Thursday are the most by a Tiger in tournament history, fourth-most in a single game in tournament history and the most by a non-starter in tournament history. There has only been one non-starter to earn a spot on the women's All-Tournament team since it was awarded starting in 2003 (2018 MOP Gabby Walker, So., F, LWU). The sophomore is 31 points away from tying the record for most points in a single tournament (87, Mollie Mounsey, ESU, 2020) after adding 21 points in the semifinal win over the Griffons.
 
The Tigers need 23 assists to tie the record for most assists in a single MIAA Tournament (74, ESU, 1998) while Brooke Loewe needs 10 assists to tie the individual record of 30 (Sherry Mitchell, SEMSU, 1991).
 
The Tigers and Gorillas are playing for the second time in two weeks after Fort Hays State handed PSU its only conference loss of the season in Hays (2/22/25), winning 76-60.
 
Fort Hays State's 27 wins this season are fifth-most in the program's 56-year history. The Tigers have now won 25 or more games eight times. The Tigers have won at least 20 games in each of the last 14 seasons, the longest active streak of in Division II and fifth-longest across all NCAA Divisions.
 
Fort Hays State had a pair of 12-game winning streaks this season, the third time in team history that the Tigers have had multiple double-digit winning streaks in a season. The Tigers have now recorded 16 double-digit winning streaks in team history. The 12-game streaks this season are tied for the sixth-longest winning streaks in team history.
 
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 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, Loewe and Weeter all received honorable mention recognition.
 
The Tigers are 37-30 all-time against Pittsburg State, including a 3-1 record during the Talia Kahrs era.
 
After the conclusion of Sunday's title games, all eyes will turn to NCAA.com for the 2025 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship Selection Show which is scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m.