#5 Fort Hays State Women's Basketball (18-1, 9-1 MIAA)
vs. Washburn (14-5, 7-3 MIAA)
Thursday, January 29, 2026 • 5:30 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
Game Sponsor: High Plains Farm Credit
National Anthem: FHSU Singers
Promotions: FHSU Student Night - prizes given away to students all evening, FHSU Faculty/Staff Appreciation, Vision Dance performance at halftime
 
The fifth-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team will look to avenge its only loss of the season on Thursday (Jan. 29) when the Tigers host Washburn. First tip is slated for 5:30 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
 
Game Coverage
Live video will be available on The MIAA Network, with subscriptions available at $15 per game, $35 for a monthly subscription or $140 for an all-access pass. Radio coverage will be available on KJLS 103.3 FM or online here, with voice of the Tigers Gerard Wellbrock on the call. Live stats will be available online here.
 
Tickets
General admission tickets are available in advance or at the door at a cost of $12 for adults and $5 for youth K-12. Children 5 and under get in free of charge.
 
Quick Hits
- The Tigers have won 11 games in a row, the ninth-longest active streak in DII. It is the 17th double-digit winning streak in program history.
- With an average attendance of 1,832 fans per game, the Tigers once again lead Division II in attendance.
- Fort Hays State has won 26 games when ranked fifth in the WBCA DII poll, more than any other spot.
- Two wins this week would give the Tigers their first 10-0 month since January 2015.
- The Tigers have won five in a row on January 29, with the last loss on this date coming in 1999.
- Talexa Weeter became the 26th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points last Thursday. She needed 62 games to reach that threshold, second-fastest in team history (Annette Wiles - 57 gms, Shauna Porter - 65 gms).
- FHSU leads the MIAA with 429 wins since joining the league 20 years ago (2006), two more than Emporia State.
- The Tigers' 18-1 record is the third-best start in team history. The Tigers opened the 2018-19 season 32-1 and the 2014-15 season 22-1.
- The Tigers have earned six MIAA Athlete of the Week honors this season. No other team has more than one.
- Loewe averages 10.2 assists per game and is the only NCAA athlete, male or female, currently averaging in double figures in assists. Her 17 assists at UNK are the most across all divisions of NCAA WBB.
- Talexa Weeter leads Division II and ranks second across all NCAA divisions with an average of 27.9 points per game. For context, the MIAA record for single season scoring average is 25.4 ppg (MSSU's Melissa Grider, 95-96).
 
20 Wins Now the Norm
- Fort Hays State is two wins away from reaching the 20-win plateau for the 15th-consecutive season, extending the longest active streak of 20-win seasons in Division II. FHSU's streak is tied for the fifth-longest active streak of 20-win seasons across all NCAA Divisions.
- FHSU reached the 20-win plateau just eight times over the first 42 years of the program before the current streak began in 2011-12, including no more than two consecutive 20-win campaigns during that time.
- The next-best active streak of 20-win seasons in the MIAA is four (MWSU), while the next-best streak in DII is Drury with 12.
- Only four DI programs have longer active stretches of 20-win seasons, including UConn (33), Baylor (25), Florida Gulf Coast (21) and Louisville (15). Fort Hays State's run of 14-straight 20-win seasons is tied with South Carolina and South Dakota State for sixth-best in all NCAA women's basketball.
 
National/MIAA Rankings
- The Tigers lead the nation in assists per game (20.3) and defensive rebounds per game (32.4) while ranking second in assist/turnover ratio (1.27), fourth in field goal percentage (48.3 percent), fourth in fewest fouls per game (12.7), fifth in winning percentage (94.7 percent), 10th in 3-point percentage (36.6 percent), 15th in scoring offense (78.1) and 15th in scoring margin (plus-16.3). FHSU also leads the conference in each of those categories.
- While the Tigers are first in the country in defensive rebounding, FHSU is last in the MIAA in offensive rebounding (9.2 per game). Overall the Tigers rank third in the league with an average of 41.5 rebounds per night.
- Brooke Loewe's 10.2 assists per game are the most across all NCAA divisions. In fact, she is the only NCAA student-athlete, male or female, currently averaging in double figures in assists.
- Talexa Weeter leads Division II and ranks second across all NCAA divisions with an average of 27.9 points per game.
- Loewe's 17 assists against Nebraska-Kearney are the most in a game across all NCAA divisions of women's basketball this season and second-most across all divisions including men's basketball (Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Quion Williams had 18 assists vs. Champion Christian).
- Loewe has recorded 14 or more assists five times this season. Only one other DII athlete has done so once (Brielle Minor, Cal Poly Pomona).
- Weeter's 45 points against Northwest Missouri State are tied for second-most by a DII athlete this season.
- Weeter ranks second in the MIAA in rebounds (9.1 per game) and third in the MIAA in field goal percentage (52.1 percent).
- Olivia Mortensen ranks fourth in the MIAA with a field goal percentage of 51.0 percent.
 
1K Magic
- Talexa Weeter surpassed the 1,000-point plateau in the first quarter against Rogers State last Thursday (Jan. 23).
- She is the 26th player in program to hit that milestone.
- The Goodland, Kan. native needed only 62 games to reach that threshold, second-fastest in team history (Annette Wiles 57 games, Shauna Porter 65 games).
 
Last Time Out
- The No. 5 Tigers never trailed in a 78-65 win over Central Oklahoma on Saturday (1/24/26).
- Fort Hays State matched its season-high with 10 made 3-pointers, including a career-high five from Talexa Weeter.
- The Tigers led by as many as 25 midway through the fourth quarter.
- The Bronchos scored 49 points off the bench, the most allowed by FHSU this season.
 
Scouting the Ichabods
- Washburn is 14-5 overall and 7-3 in league action. The Ichabods are 3-3 in true road games this season.
- The Ichabods boast the top scoring defense in the league, allowing just 55.9 points per game. They force 18.8 turnovers per contest, the most in the league.
- Yiibari Nwidadah is tied for first in the MIAA with a field goal percentage of 55.9 percent. She leads the team with 12.8 ppg.
 
Series History with Washburn
- Washburn leads the all-time series, 48-42.
- The Tigers had won 10 in a row, their longest winning streak in series history, before falling on the road last month.
- FHSU is 22-21 all-time at home against the Ichabods.
- The Tigers are 3-1 against WU under head coach Talia Kahrs, including a 2-0 record at home.
- FHSU is 16-16 against the Ichabods in MIAA regular season matchups.
- The teams are tied 2-2 in overtime matchups
 
Last Meeting with the Ichabods
- The No. 3 Tigers dropped their first game of the season, losing to Washburn 67-64.
- FHSU had a shot at the end of the game to tie the score, but Brooke Loewe's 3-point attempt was off the mark.
- Both teams held 11 point leads at some point in the game.
- FHSU scored 18 in a row in the first quarter.
- Talexa Weeter led all scorers with 28 points, while Brooke Loewe recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists.
 
Career Stats vs. WU
- Talexa Weeter - 14.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.3 apg in four games, scored in double figures three times including one with 20-plus
- Brooke Loewe - 7.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 4.6 apg in five games, scored in double figures twice including one double-double
- Ellie Stearns - 4.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.8 apg in five games
 
On This Date
- The Tigers are 9-4 in recorded history on January 29, most recently defeating Nebraska-Kearney 76-63 on the road in 2022.
- #7 Fort Hays State bounced back from a 14-point deficit to defeat the 17th-ranked Lopers by double figures.
- FHSU has won five in a row on this date, with the last Jan. 29 loss coming in 1999 against UCCS.
 
Class of the Conference
Since joining the MIAA in 2006-07 (20 seasons), the Tigers lead the league with 429 wins. They have averaged more than 21 wins per season during that time.
 
Fresh Start
- Olivia Mortensen is the 14th true freshman to start a season opener for the Tigers during the DII era (since 1991-92) and the first since Ellie Stearns in 2022.
 
MIAA Athlete of the Week x 6
- Fort Hays State has earned six MIAA Athlete of the Week honors this season, including five for Talexa Weeter and one for Brooke Loewe. The entire rest of the league has a combined four such awards this season, with no other program earning more than one honor this year.
- Weeter's five weekly honors are the most by a player in the league since Brooke Littrell in 2022-23 and are the most for a Tiger since Kate Lehman had seven in 2014-15.
- Weeter averaged 32.5 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 60.5 percent from the floor in the first two games of the season.
- The Goodland, Kan. native then averaged 33.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in the two wins in Denver before Thanksgiving.
- Weeter totaled 32 points and 13 rebounds in a blowout win over No. 6 Pittsburg State.
- She erupted for an average of 37 points and 12 rebounds with a pair of double-doubles against Northwest Missouri State and Missouri Western, including a career-high 45 points against the Bearcats that is one off the program record and is tied for the most points scored by a DII athlete this season.
- Loewe earned the award on January 13 after breaking the school record with 17 assists at Nebraska-Kearney and following that up with 15 assists against Northwest Missouri State. Both totals are more than any other DII athlete this season, while her 17 assists are the most across all NCAA divisions this season and are the most by a DII athlete since 2023. She averaged a double-double for the week with 10.0 points and 16.0 assists.
- Weeter collected her fifth honor of the season on January 26 after averaging 26.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in wins over Rogers State and Central Oklahoma. She surpassed 1,000 career points in the win over the Hillcats.
 
Road Warriors
- Fort Hays State played its first home game of the season on December 13 after starting the season with eight straight away from home.
- It was the latest home opener for the team on record (since at least 1973). The previous latest date for the Tigers to play their first home game is December 10, 1975 when FHSU lost to Northwestern Oklahoma State, 75-45.
 
First Time at Home
- The Tigers are 30-5 in home openers during the NCAA DII era, including 18-straight wins from 2004 to 2021 before the Tigers lost on a buzzer beater to Minnesota State in the 2022 home opener.
 
Nationally Recognized
- The Tigers are ranked fifth in this week's WBCA Coaches Poll.
- FHSU has been ranked as high as No. 3 this year after opening the year ninth in the coaches poll.
- The Tigers are one of four teams that have been ranked inside the top 10 of every weekly release this season.
- This is the seventh time the Tigers have been ranked in the preseason. FHSU also opened the 2024-25 ranked 23rd, the 2022-23 season ranked third, the 2021-22 season ranked fourth, the 2019-20 season ranked seventh, the 2018-19 season ranked 12th and the 2015-16 season ranked 10th.
- Fort Hays State has been ranked inside the top 25 in 122 different weekly releases from the WBCA.
- This is the eighth-straight season the Tigers have been ranked at some point and the 13th-such season all-time.
- Including the 2017-18 season (multiple weeks receiving votes), the Tigers have been mentioned in the polls at least once in each of the last 13 seasons.
 
18 and Over
The Tigers have finished a season with at least 18 MIAA wins five times since joining the league in 2006-07, more than any other school during that span (UCM 4, MWSU 3, UNK 2, MSSU 1, NWMSU 1, PSU 1, WU 1).
 
Double-Digit Winning Streaks
- FHSU's current winning streak of 11 games is the 17th double-digit streak in team history.
- The Tigers' streak is tied for the ninth-longest active streak in DII and is one of 11 active double digit streaks.
- Fort Hays State had multiple unique 10-game winning streaks in a season three times, in 1990-91, 2018-19 and 2024-25.
 
Making it a Habit
After reaching the NCAA Tournament once in its first 23 years in the Association, Fort Hays State has now been selected to compete in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship nine times over the last 11 seasons.
 
The Big 3-0
Fort Hays State reached the 30-win plateau for the fourth time in program history in 2021-22. FHSU has three 30-win seasons since 2014-15, while the rest of the MIAA has two 30-win campaign combined during that span (UCM 2017-18, PSU 2024-25).
 
Trophy SZN
The Tigers won their fourth regular season MIAA championship and their second MIAA postseason tournament championship in 2021-22. FHSU now has 11 regular season conference titles all-time and three conference tournament titles. No school has won more MIAA regular season titles since FHSU joined the league in 2006-07 (FHSU 4, WU 4, UCM 3, MWSU 3, ESU 2, PSU 2, NWMSU 1, MSSU 1, UNK 1).
 
Century Mark
FHSU has 25 100-point outings in its illustrious history, most recently a 100-59 win over Rogers State (2/20/20), which was the first time FHSU scored 100 points against a Division II opponent since 2013 (114-86 vs Newman, 1/26/13).
 
Home Sweet Home
- Fort Hays State is leading Division II with an average attendance of 1,832 fans per game.
- The Tigers led Division II with an average attendance of 2,084 per home contest last season. That total would rank 84th in DI and was more than 282 DI programs.
 
Looking Ahead
The Tigers wrap up their homestand on Saturday, January 31 when they look to complete the season sweep against Central Missouri. Opening tip is set for 2 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.