Fort Hays State head coach Tony Hobson announced the signing of high school senior Jill Faxon from Beatrice High School in Beatrice, Neb. Faxon will join the Lady Tigers in 2013-14.

Faxon has twice been tabbed as an all-state honorable mention selection by the Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha World Herald. She has also been a first-team all-conference selection at BHS. In 2011-12, she averaged 10 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and five steals per game. Faxon is a guard that stands at 5’10”. She is also a four-year letterwinner in soccer and a three-year letterwinner in volleyball. She is currently playing her senior year at Beatrice High School. She plans to major in Education at FHSU.

– FHSU Sports Information –

Fort Hays State women’s basketball has cracked the Top 25 of the national rankings for the first time since the 1996-97 season. The Lady Tigers are No. 23 in this week’s WBCA NCAA Division II Poll, which is their highest ever national ranking in the program’s NCAA Division II history. FHSU has started the season 6-0.

The only time FHSU women’s basketball graced the NCAA Division II national rankings prior to this week was for two weeks in 1996-97. The Tigers entered the national rankings for the first time ever on February 10, 1997 at No. 25, then remained in the poll in the same spot the following week before falling out on February 24. FHSU is 4-1 all-time while in the Top 25.

Fort Hays State moving into the rankings gives the MIAA four ranked schools, which are all of the Kansas MIAA schools. Pittsburg State holds its No. 3 ranking this week after starting the season 4-0, Washburn moved up one spot to No. 12, also at 4-0 overall, and Emporia State remained at No. 20 at 3-1 overall.

Below are the WBCA Division II Women’s Basketball Rankings for November 27, 2012.

Fort Hays State’s Kate Lehman has been named the MIAA Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week for week three. It is the second time the sophomore has earned the honor as she was named athlete of the week last season on Feb. 20, 2012.

Lehman, a sophomore from Newton, Kan., helped the Tigers to a 3-0 week with three blowout wins. FHSU defeated Newman (66-46), Arkansas Tech (81-52) and Texas-Permian Basin (63-43).

In two of the three games, Lehman recorded double-doubles and scored in double figures in points in all three games. Her best performance of the week came against Newman on Tuesday when she poured in a game-high 22 points and 13 rebounds. She also added a game-high four blocks.

Lehman’s second double-double of the week came in a 63-43 win over UTPB on Saturday.  The sophomore center grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds and scored 10 points, while adding four blocked shots.

In the 81-52 win against Arkansas Tech, Lehman tied a game high in points with 16 and had six rebounds. She added four blocks, a game high, and three assists.

For the week, Lehman averaged a team-high 16.0 ppg, 10.7 rpg and 4.3 bpg. She shot 51.7 percent from the field and 78.3 percent from the free throw line.

On the season, Lehman is averaging 17.7 ppg, 8.2 rpg, and 4.7 bpg. She is shooting 65.5 percent from the field and 81.1 percent from the free throw line. She has made all six starts and is averaging 22.7 minutes a game.

The Tigers are 6-0 and are not in action again until Dec. 5 when FHSU opens the MIAA season with a home game against Central Missouri. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at Gross Memorial Coliseum.

– FHSU Sports Information –

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.

fhsu women highlights 11-23

Coach Tony Hobson

Traci Keyser

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).

The Fort Hays State Tigers used a 19-2 second half run to build a 20-point led and knock off the Newman Jets 66-46 Tuesday night at Gross Coliseum. The victory improves the Lady Tigers to 4-0 while Newman falls to 0-4 with all four losses coming on the road.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview 11-20-12

The Tigers struggled shooting until the decisive second half run. The finish hitting a season low 40-percent and were just 1-for-10 from 3-point range but hit 10 of their last 15 shots of the game.

Melissa Nelson Postgame Interview 11-20-12

The Lady Tigers used a 9-0 run to build a 10-point lead with 7 1/2 minutes to play in the first half before the Jets closed within two. The Tigers scored the final four of the half and led 26-20 at the break.

Highlights 11-20-12

Kate Lehman led three Lady Tigers in double-figures with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Kate Edwards and Tera Inglesbee both add 10.