ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Minnesota State women's basketball (2-3) fell to Fort Hays State (2-0) Saturday afternoon at the St. Joseph Civic Arena, 67-83 in non-conference play. Minnesota State shot under 32% from the floor and Fort Hays State was led by Katie Wagner, who had 32 points and 11 rebounds.
In a slow offensive start, Minnesota State shot 4-19 from the floor in the first quarter. However, Fort Hays State shot just 4-16 from the field, keeping it close. The first quarter ended with the Tigers leading, 14-9.
The second quarter saw more of the same from the Mavericks, who shot 5-19 from the floor. However, the team made 4-5 from the free throw line and both teams scored 15 points, finishing out the first half with a score of 29-24, Tigers.
Quarter three was an improvement offensively for Minnesota State, as the team shot 8-21 from the field and 2-5 from three-point range. However, the Tigers also came out of the locker room 8-15 from the field and 10-10 from the free throw line in the third quarter. Fort Hays State outscored the Mavericks 28-21 in the third quarter, giving the Tigers a 57-45 lead going into the final period.
The Tigers started the final quarter shooting 3-4 from three to spark a 12-4 run. The Mavericks kept fighting, with a 6-0 run of their own but the Tigers continued to score and assembled 26 points in the fourth quarter to pull away 83-67.
Minnesota State finished 25-79 (31.6%) from the field and 4-20 (20%) from three. The Mavericks made 13-17 (76.5%) free throws. Minnesota State outrebounded Fort Hays State 53-43. Fort Hays State shot 25-60 (41.7%) from the field and 8-23 (34.8) from deep. The Tigers shot 35 free throws, making 25 (71.4%). Fort Hays State led for nearly 39 minutes of the game while Minnesota State never led.
Sophomore Natalie Bremer led the Mavericks with 17 points; she shot just 4-13 from the field but 9-11 from the free throw line. Bremer also had six rebounds. Hannah Herzig had 14 points on 7-13 shooting and a team-high three steals. Destinee Bursch had 12 points and shot 2-4 from three. Ava Stier had eight points and shot 4-6 from the field. Stier led the Mavericks in rebounds with eight. Both Stier and Bursch fouled out.
Wagner ended with 32 points, shooting 50% from the field and making 13 free throws. She also collected 11 rebounds for the double-double. She also had five assists, two steals and a block. Both Ellie Stearns and Brook Loewe had 15 points.
"We aren't where we need to be as a team right now," said Mavericks head coach Emilee Thiesse. "I know we are hungry to improve and our defensive presence and consistency is where it starts. We certainly need to make more shots and take some pressure off our defense, but ultimately it will be our defense that brings us back to who we are. It's time to get back to work next week."
Minnesota State has 10 days off between now and its next game. The Mavericks return home to face off against the No. 8 ranked Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth (1-1) on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Taylor Center in Mankato. Minnesota Duluth was the team that knocked Minnesota State out of the NCAA Tournament last season and the Bulldogs eventually lost in the National Championship to Ashland, 78-67.
