Women's Basketball Fall at Independence

The Lady Tigers saw their season come to a close on Wednesday evening, falling to the Independence Community College Pirates, 54-60. This game was a must-win for both teams, with the winner securing their spot in the Region VI Tournament. 

Fort Hays Tech got off to a strong start, jumping to a 5-0 lead before Indy managed to score their first bucket. The Tigers maintained a fast-paced offense in the first, with the Pirates remaining close behind, eventually tying the game up, 11-11, with four minutes remaining in the quarter. The Tigers quickly answered with two back-to-back threes. However, the pace would slow for both teams in the final minutes. The quarter ended with Tech holding a 20-14 advantage.

In the second quarter, the Pirates would close in on Tech's lead, after a short 5-0 scoring run in the first two minutes. With the score now 20-19, FHNW called a quick timeout. The Tigers would quickly extend their lead back out again with a three-point shot and a quick layup with 6:15 still remaining before the half. Indy and FHNW would continue to exchange baskets, with the Pirates closing in on Tech's lead, with the score at 26-27 just under the two-minute mark. With less than a minute remaining, Indy would hit a big three-pointer to put them in the lead, 29-27. Fort Hays Tech would manage to tie the game back up before half, thanks to a jump shot from Traysha Newsome.

Starting the second half dead even, Indy took a narrow lead at the 7:33 mark, extending it to three points, 34-31. After a four-minute scoring drought, FHNW would call a full timeout to regroup. Sarah Elfrey would score a quick jump shot to narrow Indy's lead to just one 33-34. The Tigers would tie the game up 36-36 with 3:10 left and then take the lead at the 2:27 mark. Tech continued their scoring run, finishing the quarter with an eight-point lead, 44-36. 

Independence began chipping away at the Tigers' lead in the fourth quarter, starting with a five-point run before a three-pointer from Al'asia Brown got the scoring going again for the Tigers. Both teams continued to battle, with Fort Hays Tech holding a slim lead halfway through the final period. After a timeout from Indy, the Pirates intensified their pressure, eventually tying the game at 51-51 with 2:29 left, with the Pirates stealing the lead soon after. With momentum shifting in favor of the Pirates, they would proceed to go on a 9-3 scoring run, sealing the win as the Tigers' hopes of postseason play slipped away.

Looking at the stats, free throws were a decisive factor, with Independence shooting 22 compared to just two attempts for the Tigers. That disparity proved costly, as did Fort Hays Tech's struggles from beyond the arc, where they made just 7 of 28 attempts. The Pirates also did a good job of capitalizing off of turnovers, with 24 points.

Freshman Al'asia Brown led in scoring for the Tigers, with a 17-point 10-rebound double-double performance. Torrai Logan also scored in double figures with 13 points, while Sarah Elfrey grabbed double figures in rebounds with 10.

With the Lady Tigers now eliminated from the postseason, they will look forward to preparing for next season.