#8 Fort Hays State Women's Basketball (24-3, 15-3 MIAA)
vs. Nebraska-Kearney (14-15, 7-11 MIAA)
Thursday, February 26, 2026 • 5:30 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
Game Sponsor: Nex-Tech
National Anthem: FHSU student Lilly Jones
Promotions: FHSU Cheer routine at halftime, Association of Diagnostic Medical Sonography 50/50 raffle, Student Loyalty Program giveaways, Teacher Appreciation

The eighth-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team wraps up the regular season Thursday (Feb. 26) when the Tigers host rival Nebraska-Kearney. First tip is set for 5:30 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.

With just one game remaining in the regular season, the Tigers (24-3, 15-3 MIAA) sit one game behind first place in the MIAA standings. Results from Wednesday have clinched a top-two seed for the Tigers, meaning FHSU will play its quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 5 before a potential semifinal matchup on Saturday.
 
The Lopers (14-15, 7-11 MIAA) are firmly on the bubble of qualifying for the tournament. UNK is currently tied 10th in the standings with Rogers State who defeated the Lopers in their lone regular season meeting.

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
- Fort Hays State is ranked second in the latest release of the NCAA Division II Central Region rankings, announced Wednesday.
- The Tigers are 5-2 against regionally ranked teams this season, including wins over Concordia-St. Paul, Central Missouri, Washburn, Colorado-Colorado Springs and Eastern New Mexico.
- The Tigers are now 13-1 coming off a loss under head coach Talia Kahrs, losing back-to-back games only once (at MWSU and NWMSU, 2/1-3/24).
- Now with a Division II-best 748 points this season, Talexa Weeter is 49 points away from tying the MIAA record for points in a season (797, Jennifer Harris, Washburn, 2005-06).
- Weeter is just the fifth player in MIAA history and the second at FHSU to score 700 points in a season. It is the first-such campaign by an MIAA athlete in 20 years.
- Brooke Loewe leads all NCAA basketball, men and women spanning all divisions, with an MIAA-record 280 assists this season. She broke a 27-year-old MIAA record on Saturday (271, Jennifer Perine, ESU, 1998-99).
- Loewe's 280 assists are tied for 22nd-most in a single season in NCAA Division II history.
- After recording the first FHSU triple-double in 4,076 days two weeks ago against ESU, Loewe needed just nine days to record another one, tallying 12 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in the overtime win over PSU. She is one of three DII players and one of eight across all NCAA women's basketball with multiple triple-doubles.
- The Tigers and Lopers have played twice on February 26 in series history, with FHSU winning at home on this date in 2025 and 2006.
 
20 Wins Now the Norm
- Fort Hays State has reached the 20-win plateau for a 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 (26), Florida Gulf Coast (21 but in danger of losing streak this season) and Louisville (16), while FHSU is tied with South Carolina and South Dakota St.
 
National/MIAA Rankings
- The Tigers lead all Division II with 19.4 assists per game.
- FHSU leads the MIAA and ranks fourth in DII in assist/turnover ratio (1.29), fifth in defensive rebounds per game (31.1 drpg), fifth in field goal percentage (47.0 percent), sixth in winning percentage (88.9 percent), seventh in fewest fouls per game (13.1 fpg), 10th in 3-point percentage (35.5 percent), 20th in scoring offense (76.4 ppg) and 37th in field goal percentage defense (36.3 percent).
- While the Tigers are first in the country in defensive rebounding, FHSU is last in the MIAA in offensive rebounding (9.4 per game). Overall the Tigers rank fourth in the league with an average of 40.6 rebounds per night.
- Talexa Weeter leads Division II and ranks second across all NCAA divisions with an average of 27.7 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).
- Weeter's 45 points against Northwest Missouri State are tied for second-most by a DII athlete this season.
- Weeter ranks third in the MIAA in rebounds (8.8 per game) and second in the MIAA in field goal percentage (52.0 percent).
- Olivia Mortensen ranks third in the conference with a field goal percentage of 49.8 percent.
 
1K Magic
- Talexa Weeter surpassed the 1,000-point plateau in the first quarter against Rogers State earlier this season (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).
 
700 Points in a Season
- Talexa Weeter surpassed the 700-point plateau in the first quarter against Missouri Southern.
- She is the second player at FHSU and the fifth in MIAA history to reach that milestone. Weeter is the first to do so in the MIAA in 20 years and the first at FHSU since Annette Wiles during FHSU's NAIA championship run in 1990-91.
 
30 Point Performances
- Talexa Weeter eclipsed the 30-point plateau for the 11th time this season and the 12th time in her career at Pittsburg State.
- She is the second Tiger with 10 or more 30-point games (Annette Wiles, 14).
 
Double Triple Trouble
- Brooke Loewe is one of three NCAA Division II athletes and one of eight across all levels of NCAA women's basketball with multiple triple-doubles this season.
- Brooke Loewe totaled 11 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in the win over Emporia State, putting together the first Tiger triple-double since 2014 (Kate Lehman - 31p, 10r, 11b vs. Kansas Wesleyan, 12/16/14).
- After recording the first FHSU triple-double in 4,076 days against ESU, Loewe needed just nine days to duplicate that effort, totaling 12 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in the come-from-behind win over Pittsburg State on Saturday.
- She is the third FHSU player in FHSU's DII history to record a triple-double and the second to do so multiplel times (Kate Lehman 3, Amy Scoby).
 
Dropping Dimes
- Brooke Loewe leads all NCAA basketball, men and women, all divisions, with 280 assists, breaking a 27-year-old MIAA record.
- With an average of 10.4 assists per game, the Huxley, Iowa native is the only player in all divisions averaging in double figures.
- Her 280 assists this season are tied for 22nd-most in a single season in NCAA Division II history.
- She needs 46 assists to tie the NCAA Division II record for assists in a season (326, Kailee Howe, West Liberty, 2015-16).
- After tying the school record with 13 assists in a game last season, Brooke has tallied 14 or more assists six times this season. Only three other players in Division II have done so once.
- Should Loewe reach 300 assists this season, she would be the sixth player in DII history and just the 25th player in the history of NCAA women's basketball to do so.
- Should she finish the season averaging in double figures, it would be just the sixth time a DII athlete accomplished that feat and she would be just the fourth individual to do so (Selina Bynum of Albany State did so three times in 1990-93).
 
Last Time Out
- The No. 6 Tigers rallied from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat No. 25 Pittsburg State in overtime on Saturday (2/21/26), winning 74-71.
- The Tigers are now 2-0 in overtime this season and 3-0 against ranked teams on the year.
- Talexa Weeter hit a close-range jumper with 0.6 seconds remaining to tie the score before FHSU led wire-to-wire in overtime.
- Weeter recorded FHSU's first 15-15 game of the season with 34 points and 15 rebounds, while Brooke Loewe dropped her second triple-double in nine days with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.
 
Scouting the Lopers
- The Lopers enter the final week of the regular season firmly on the bubble of making the MIAA Championship Tournament.
- UNK is currently 10th, one-half game behind No. 9 Missouri Western and one-half game clear of No. 11 Rogers State.
- The Hillcats beat the Lopers in their lone meeting, so a UNK loss and at least one RSU win would knock the Lopers out of the tournament.
- The Lopers force 17.5 turnovers per game, second-most in the MIAA.
- UNK ranks last in the league with an opposing field goal percentage of 42.4 percent.
- Jillian Aschoff ranks second in the MIAA and fourth in Division II with an average of 6.1 assists per contest.
- Myleigh Weers leads the team and ranks sixth in the league with an average of 15.3 ppg. She is the top-scoring freshman in the conference and the 10th-best scoring freshman in DII.
 
Series History with Nebraska-Kearney
- The Tigers have both played and defeated UNK more often than any other program in team history.
- Fort Hays State is 64-43 all-time against Nebraska-Kearney, including a 37-15 advantage in games played in Hays.
- The Tigers carry a one-game winning streak overall and a three-game winning streak at home.
- FHSU is 4-1 against the Lopers under head coach Talia Kahrs, including a 2-0 mark at home.
- The Tigers are 20-7 against Nebraska-Kearney in regular season MIAA matchups.
- The Tigers are 5-3 against UNK in overtime matchups, including wins in each of the last five games that went to overtime.
 
Last Meeting with the Lopers
- The No. 6 Tigers rallied from a 10-point deficit midway through the third quarter to defeat Nebraska-Kearney by double figures on the road on Tuesday (Jan. 7), winning 84-73.
- Brooke Loewe distributed 17 assists in the win, breaking her own school record. That total is the most in a game by any NCAA women's basketball student-athlete across all divisions.
- Talexa Weeter totaled 30 points, while Olivia Mortensen racked up 20 points thanks to four 3-pointers.
- FHSU hit 50.9 percent from the floor, including hitting 15 of its final 19 shots.
 
Career Stats vs. UNK
- Talexa Weeter - 22.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.7 apg in three games, including three games with 10+ points, two games with 20+ points and one game with 30+ points
- Olivia Mortensen - 20.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.0 apg in one game, including one game with 20+ points
- Brooke Loewe - 5.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 6.6 apg in seven games, including one games with 10+ points and one game with a school-record 17 assists
- Ellie Stearns - 2.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.3 apg in seven games
 
On This Date
- The Tigers are 9-6 in recorded history on February 26, most recently defeating Nebraska-Kearney at home last season, 92-56.
- FHSU has won four in a row on this date, with the last loss coming in 2011 on the road at Emporia State.
- The Tigers and Lopers have played twice on this date in series history, with the Tigers winning both games in Hays.
 
Class of the Conference
Since joining the MIAA in 2006-07 (20 seasons), the Tigers lead the league with 435 wins. They have averaged close to 22 wins per season during that time.
 
MIAA Athlete of the Week x 7
- Fort Hays State has earned seven MIAA Athlete of the Week honors this season, including five for Talexa Weeter and two for Brooke Loewe. The entire rest of the league has a combined seven such awards this season, with only one school picking up multiple honors.
- 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.
- Loewe picked up her second weekly recognition after averaging a double-double (12.0 ppg, 11.0 apg) in road wins at Northeastern State and Arkansas-Fort Smith. She totaled 14 points and 14 assists in the win over NSU, surpassing 14 assists for the sixth time this season.
 
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).
 
Nationally Recognized
- The Tigers are ranked eighth 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 135 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.
 
Double-Digit Winning Streaks
- FHSU's season-long winning streak of 12 games is the 17th double-digit streak in team history and is tied for seventh-longest in team history.
- Fort Hays State had multiple unique 10-game winning streaks in a season three times, in 1990-91, 2018-19 and 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 2,258 fans per game.
- That would rank 76th in Division I, higher than three Big 12 schools (Cincinnati, UCF, Houston), two Big 10 schools (Penn State, Northwestern) and one SEC school (Florida).
- Three of the top five attended games this season in Division II and six of the top 11 have been played inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
- 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 will head to Kansas City, Mo. for the MIAA Basketball Championships next week, March 5-8, inside historic Municipal Auditorium. The Tigers will play their quarterfinal game on Thursday before a potential semifinal on Saturday and championship on Sunday.