MANKATO, Minn. - The 14th-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team lives to play another day after holding on to defeat No. 20 Harding 89-82 in overtime Friday (March 13) in the quarterfinal round of the 2026 NCAA Division II Central Regional.
 
Talexa Weeter erupted for 46 points on 16-of-23 shooting in the win, matching the school record set by Petrece Faulkner 23 years ago while scoring the most points in an NCAA DII Tournament game in 10 years (49, Kiana Johnson, Virginia Union vs. West Liberty, 3/14/16). Weeter was thought to have tied the NCAA single-game record immediately following the game, but it was later learned the NCAA record book is inaccurate in listing the record as 46.
 
The first quarter featured eight lead changes, with neither side leading by more than four. Weeter was a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor in the quarter, helping the third-seeded Tigers (25-5) pull within 18-16 after 10 minutes.
 
The sixth-seeded Lady Bisons (24-7) caught fire in the second quarter, knocking down 5-of-8 from behind the arc to lead by as many as 11. Olivia Mortensen gave the Tigers a 23-21 lead three minutes into the frame before Harding went on a 13-0 run, including a trio of long-range makes.
 
Weeter answered with 12 points over the final 3:15 of the half, including a pair of 3-pointers of her own, to help FHSU pull within 39-35 at the break.
 
Harding pushed its lead to eight early in the second half before the Tigers pulled even with an 8-0 run. Brooke Loewe and Kaitlin Schumann opened the run with baskets before Weeter scored on consecutive possessions, tying the score at 47.
 
The game of runs continued as the Lady Bisons answered with a 7-0 run followed by 13-straight points for the Tigers, giving FHSU a 62-57 lead early in the fourth quarter. Ellie Stearns and Talexa Weeter opened the fourth quarter with 3-pointers to give the Tigers their first lead since early in the second quarter.
 
The lead changed hands six more times through the fourth quarter, with both teams playing at a high level. The Tigers hit 9-of-14 (64.3 percent) from the floor in the fourth quarter, while the Lady Bisons countered by hitting 8-of-14 (57.1 percent) of their shots.
 
Mortensen put the Tigers up two with 2:12 on the clock with a 3-pointer from the left corner before the teams combined to hit five baskets in the final minute. Harding tied things up with a driving layup with 57 seconds to go before Mortensen hit a stick-back layup 10 seconds later to put FHSU back in front.
 
The Lady Bisons tied the score with a jumper in the lane with 38 ticks to go before Mortensen made a cut into the lane and scored after a perfect pass from Loewe, giving the Tigers a 75-73 lead with 18 seconds left. Harding again tied things up with 6.2 on the clock with a pull-up jumper before Mortensen's 3-pointer from the right wing rattled off the front of the rim at the buzzer, sending things to overtime.
 
After scoring the final nine points for the Tigers in regulation, Mortensen opened the scoring in overtime with a layup. Harding scored the next four points to take the lead before Stearns tied things up following another Loewe assist. After nearly two scoreless minutes, Mortensen put FHSU on top with 1:38 on the clock but Harding once again tied things up at 81 on the next possession.
 
The Tigers then hit 8-of-8 from the free-throw line over the final 47 seconds while getting a pair of stops on defense to secure the victory and advance to the regional semifinal in their seventh-straight regional.
 
Weeter has now scored 829 points this season, breaking a 20-year-old MIAA record and ranking 15th-most in a single season in Division II history. The junior added 12 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season.
 
Mortensen matched her season-high with 27 points while collecting 10 rebounds for her second-straight double-double and third overall this season.
 
Loewe racked up 16 assists in the win, one off her school record and the most in an NCAA DII Tournament game since 2007 (17, Katie LaViolette, Concordia-St. Paul vs. South Dakota, 3/9/07). The senior now has 306 assists this season, third-most in a single season in Division II history and just 20 shy of the DII record. She is the sixth DII player and the 25th in NCAA women's basketball history to reach 300 assists in a season.
 
Stearns scored eight points thanks to a pair of 3-pointers, helping the senior move into a tie for seventh with 141 career 3-pointers at FHSU (Traci Keyser, 2009-13).
 
The Tigers hit 48.5 percent from the floor (32-of-66) while outrebounding the Lady Bisons by eight, 43-35. FHSU also hit 19-of-22 (86.4 percent) from the free-throw line.
 
Fort Hays State will next play #22 Concordia-St. Paul in the regional semifinal beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday (March 14) inside the Taylor Center. The Bears are the No. 2 seed and have won 17 in a row whish is tied for the third-longest active winning streak in Division II, however the Tigers defeated CSP in the opening game of the regular season 84-78 in St. Joseph, Mo.
 
Notes
- Talexa Weeter's 46 points tied Petrece Faulkner's FHSU single-game scoring record (1993 vs. Adams State) while tying Sherika Tarpkins' NCAA DII Tournament single-game scoring record (2005, Fort Valley State vs. Central Arkansas).
- Weeter now has 829 points this season, breaking a 20-year-old MIAA record (797, Jennifer Harris, Washburn). That total ranks 15th-most in a single season all-time in Division II.
- Brooke Loewe now has 306 assists on the season, third-most in a single season in Division II history. She is the sixth DII player and the 25th player in NCAA women's basketball history to reach 300 assists in a season.
- It was the seventh time Loewe totaled 14 or more assists in a game this season. All Division II combined for only four-such performances, with no other player doing so more than once.
- Loewe's 16 assists are the most in the NCAA DII tournament in 19 years (17, Katie LaViolette, Concordia-St. Paul vs. South Dakota, 3/9/07).
- This was the first game FHSU played as the No. 14-ranked team in DII. The Tigers have now played at least one game at all 25 spots in the WBCA DII poll.
- The Tigers are now 10-9 all-time in the tournament, 3-1 against GAC schools, 7-2 in the quarterfinal round, 3-2 as the No. 3 seed, 3-0 against the No. 6 seed, 4-8 against nationally ranked teams.
- It was the first overtime game the Tigers have played in the NCAA tournament.