The Fort Hays State Lady Tigers opened with a 9-0 run and never trailed as they rolled to an 82-51 win over Arkansas Tech on Friday afternoon in the first game of the Capitol Plaza Thanksgiving Classic at Lee Arena in Topeka, Kan. The win improves Fort Hays State to 5-0 overall. They will play Texas-Permian Basin on Saturday at 4 pm, also at Lee Arena. The game can be heard on KAYS (1400-AM) and on-line at www.hayspost.com.
The Lady Tigers used a 13-0 run to build a 27-point lead with 2:43 to play in the first half and led 48-21 at the half. They would build their largest lead of the game, 36, at the 11:59 mark of the second half.
Melissa Nelson, Traci Keyser and Kate Lehman all tied for a team-high 16 points. Nelson and Keyser each dropped four 3-point field goals, combining for eight of the team’s 10. Lehman added five blocked shots. Kate Edwards led FHSU in rebounds with eight and added 11 points. Kai Brown finished with team-high five assists. Tera Inglesbee also reached double figures in scoring with 10 points.
The Lady Tigers shot a season-high 54.4 percent (31-of-57) from the field while holding Arkansas Tech to just 34.5 percent from the field, including just 9.1 percent from beyond the 3-point line (1-of-11).