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University of Nebraska - Kearney Athletics

Corbey R. Dorsey
53
Nebraska-Kearney UNKWBB 5-3, 0-1 MIAA
62
Winner Fort Hays State FHSU 7-0, 1-0 MIAA
Nebraska-Kearney UNKWBB
5-3, 0-1 MIAA
53
Final
62
Fort Hays State FHSU
7-0, 1-0 MIAA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Nebraska-Kearney UNKWBB 15 8 22 8 53
Fort Hays State FHSU 14 20 15 13 62

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Nationally-Ranked Tigers Pushed by Young Lopers

Kearney, Neb. – The sixth/ninth ranked Fort Hays State Tigers went 23 of 29 at the free throw line and got a double double from senior forward Tatyana Legette to hold off Nebraska-Kearney, 62-53, Tuesday night in Kansas.

This was the MIAA opener for both squads. The Tigers improve to 7-0 while the Lopers (5-3) see a five-game winning streak come to an end.

"We had it down to a two-point game with 7:55 to go against the number six team in the country," said Loper assistant coach Devin Eighmey. "Their seniors made some plays late. I thought Legette and (Kacey) Kennett were big time for them. We told our team in the locker room we're just proud of your effort."

A veteran Tiger team came in ranked among the national leaders in scoring margin (+33.2), scoring offense (84.5) and free throws made (20.6 per game). Giving Hays its toughest battle to date, UNK led 15-14 after the first quarter and 17-16 early in the second.

However, a 16-3 run sparked by 10 points from Kennett, a junior guard, helped Hays grab control and they never trailed again. UNK scored eight points in the second 10 minutes as it was 3 of 18 from the field with four turnovers.

"They were plus 17 from the free throw line. While some of those came late when we were trying to extend the game, that's still on us … we have to guard better and not foul." said Eighmey. "We have to shoot a little better from the line but there's a lot of positives to this game."

Getting 21 points from sophomore guard Kelsey Sanger (Crofton) and 15 more from freshman forward Shiloh McCool (Pleasant Hill, Ia.), UNK hung around and outscored Hays 22-15 in the third quarter. A bucket by senior forward Jaymie Bernbeck (Garden City, Kan.) early in the fourth made it 49-47 but the Tigers closed on a 13-6 run that included nine made free throws. Like the second quarter, the Lopers had a couple of empty possessions and finished 4 of 12 (0 of 3 threes) during this 10 minute stretch.

"The crowd here does a fantastic job late in the shot clock. It was hard for us to get some calls in and that's something we'll definitely have to improve on before Thursday," said Eighmey.

Legette tallied a game-high 23 points thanks to an 11 of 12 effort from the line and by making 6 of 12 field goals. She also had a team-best three assists with 11 of her 13 rebounds coming at the defensive end. Next, Kennett ended with 15 points while three teammates were between six and seven points.

UNK out rebounded Hays by a 35-34 margin, held the Tigers to 36% (18 of 50) shooting and forced 12 turnovers. FHSU did score 14 of its points off of 16 Loper turnovers with Kearney going 6 of 13 at the line. Finally, both squads made three shots from behind the arc.

"At times I thought we were the toughest team on the floor. It's a lot for us to build on, especially going into Thursday night against another Top 25 team," said Eighmey.

Sanger, one shy of her career high point total, was 8 of 16 from the floor and made all three of UNK's triples. Going all 40 minutes, she also had two rebounds, an assist, block and steal. In the front court, McCool made 7 of her 13 shots while grabbing a team-high nine boards (four offensive). Finally, starting guard Klaire Kirsch (Rapid City, S.D.) and reserve post Brooke Carlson (Elkhorn South H.S.) combined for 10 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals.

UNK faces 24th-ranked Emporia State (6-1) on Thursday night. That'll be the Hornets first game of the week as they travel to Hays on Saturday.
 
 
 
 
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