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FHSU women top Bearcats
12/10/2009
By RANDY GONZALES
rgonzales@dailynews.net
When the Tigers need a basket late in a game, Naomi Bancroft wants the ball in her hands.
Not such a bad idea, if you're a Tiger fan.
The Fort Hays State University women's basketball team went on a 16-2 run to end the game Wednesday night, as the Tigers claimed a 76-66 win over Northwest Missouri State University in Gross Memorial Coliseum.
The Tigers' home opener in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association was close throughout until the Bancroft-fueled run to end the game.
Fort Hays (7-1 overall, 1-1 MIAA) trailed 64-60 with 4:13 left in the game when Bancroft, the Tigers' senior point guard, took over. Bancroft scored 10 of her team-high 22 points from that point, hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the process.
"Naomi made the 3-pointers, kind of closed them out," Fort Hays coach Tony Hobson said.
Earlier in the game, Bancroft looked for her teammates. At the end ...
"Beginning of the game, I tried to get everybody involved, that's the point guard's job," Bancroft said.
"End of the game, I like to take the big shots.
"Girls set screens, got me the ball," she added.
Northwest Missouri State (5-4, 1-2) kept it close in the first half, thanks to 6-foot-2 junior forward Gentry Dietz.
In the first 20 minutes, Dietz scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds, including five on the offensive end, where she had four put-backs for scores.
Dietz was held to eight points and three rebounds in the second half to finish with 28 points and 12 rebounds.
Hobson said the Tiger guards had trouble stopping dribble penetration in the first half, and when senior forward Erica Biel left Dietz to help out, the Bearcat forward was loose underneath to get the rebound.
The Tigers changed things around in the second half.
"Second half, we told Erica not to help," Hobson said. "It seemed to work."
Senior guard Kayla Klug scored 12 of her 16 points in the first half for the Tigers.
"I thought Kayla kept us in it in the first half," Hobson said.
After dropping their conference opener on the road at University of Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday, Bancroft said it was important to bounce back on Wednesday.
"It's huge," Bancroft said of the win. "Had to get (Saturday's loss) off our shoulder.
"Lot of people did lots of positive things," she added.
Freshman Whitney Taylor added 10 points off the bench and Biel grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Tigers.
Junior guard Gabby Curtis scored 12 points and sophomore guard Shelly Martin added 10 for Northwest Missouri State.
Fort Hays continues conference action Saturday with a 2 p.m. game against Missouri Western State University at GMC.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| BB | 03/17 | Missouri S&T | W 2-1 (10) |
| SB | 03/17 | Bethany | W 6-1 |
| SB | 03/17 | Bethany | W 8-1 |
| BB | 03/16 | Misosuri S&T | L 13-4 |
| MB | 03/14 | Central Missouri | L 80-73 |
| BB | 3/13 | NW Missouri | W 13-10 |
| BB | 03/13 | NW Missouri | W 4-3 |
| MB | 03/13 | Central Oklahoma | W 80-64 |
| SB | 03/08 | Fort Lewis | W 5-4 |
| BB | 03/07 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 13-7 |
| BB | 03/06 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 16-4 |
| BB | 03/06 | No. 9 Emporia State | W 3-0 |
| MB | 03/05 | Emporia State | L 65-61 |
| BB | 03/05 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 10-3 |
| WB | 03/04 | No. 15 Emporia | L 72-66 |
| WB | 02/28 | No. 12 Emporia State | L 87-80 |
| MB | 02/28 | Emporia State | W 94-47 |
| SB | 02/28 | Quincy | L 6-0 |
| SB | 02/27 | Mo Southern | W 9-3 |
| SB | 02/27 | Missouri S&T | L 8-3 |