HAYS, Kan. - The fifth-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team suffered its first home loss in more than one year on Saturday (Jan. 31), losing to Central Missouri 81-69. The Tigers (19-2, 10-2 MIAA) and Jennies (16-5, 10-2 MIAA) are now tied for second in the conference standings with seven games to go in the regular season, one game behind Missouri Southern (15-4, 9-1 MIAA).
 
Fort Hays State started the first quarter with a struggle to find rhythm offensively, hitting only 3-of-17 from the field. They managed to capitalize on defensive pressure, forcing Central Missouri into four turnovers in the frame. A Talexa Weeter 3-pointer with five seconds remaining closed the gap to 19–10 at the end of the quarter.
 
The Tigers found momentum midway through the second quarter with Weeter's layup and a subsequent fast-break opportunity that she capitalized on with a free throw. Brooke Loewe contributed with a late layup to reduce the deficit. Despite these efforts, Central Missouri finished the first half shooting 51.6 percent from the floor (16-of-31) to take a 37–22 lead into the locker room.
 
After trailing by as many as 20, Loewe helped the Tigers pull within 10 after hitting a trio of 3-pointers in the third quarter. Her final long-range make was a three-quarters court heave just before the buzzer, helping the home team pull within 53-43.
 
Another Loewe triple followed by a long-range connection from Mikayla Pilley helped the Tigers pull within five with just under eight minutes remaining, but the Jennies responded with a 7-2 run to push the lead back to double figures.
 
Weeter scored on back-to-back possessions, including a 3-pointer with 4:30 on the clock to help the Tigers claw back within two possessions, 64-58. But the Jennies were unphased down the stretch, hitting 3-of-3 from the floor and 10-of-14 from the free-throw line to hang on for the road win.
 
The loss snapped a 12-game winning streak for the Tigers overall and a 14-game home winning streak dating back to January 18, 2025.
 
Weeter finished the day with a game-high 35 points while grabbing a team-high nine rebounds. Loewe scored a career-high 18 points thanks to her four 3-pointers while dishing out 12 assists for her fourth double-double of the season and the eighth of her career. Kaitlin Schumann added seven points, four rebounds and one block off the bench.
 
The Jennies outrebounded the Tigers by 18, 48-30, while hitting 50.9 percent from the floor (28-of-55).
 
The Tigers will be on the road next week beginning Thursday (Feb. 5) when they take on Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Okla. beginning at 5:30 p.m.