Women's Basketball Fall to Barton

Fort Hays Tech Northwest Women's Basketball fell to the Barton Community College Cougars at home on Tuesday evening, 43–83. 

Barton jumped out to an early eight-point lead before Zoey Burton put the Tigers on the board with a layup three minutes into the opening quarter. However, the Tigers' scoring troubles would continue as Barton continued to knock down their shots. The quarter would end with the Cougars leading 24–9. The Lady Tigers would manage to slow down Barton's scoring in the second quarter, but their own offense never found its rhythm—connecting on only two field goals in the period. Barton extended their advantage to 38–17 at the half.

The Cougars quickly got on the board to open the third quarter, scoring on a drive to the rim. Tech managed to keep pace for part of the period, but Barton’s size in the post continued to wear down the Tiger defense throughout the second half. The Cougars carried a 59–31 lead into the fourth, where they continued to extend their lead with Barton's Alaina Eck dropping 11 of their 24 points in the fourth, while their 6-foot-5 post, Mary Akinde, continued to drop her jump shots and layups from the paint with ease. Tech would have their most efficient quarter scoring-wise, shooting 29% from the field; however, the gap remained wide. With the Cougars leading 79-39 entering the final minutes, Tech would take most of their starters out. The game would ultimately conclude 83-43, as the Lady Tigers drop their sixth straight in conference play.

Looking at the stats, what really stands out is the difference in shooting percentage, with Barton scoring 28 of their 57 attempts, while FHNW only managed to make 14 of their 62 attempts. Additionally, Barton's frequent attempts to the free throw line didn't help either, with the Cougars scoring an additional 22 points on 33 attempts, whereas the Tigers would have 10 points on 12 attempts. 

Two Tigers finished in double figures: Vitória Fernandes led the team with 14 points and 5 rebounds, while Zoey Burton added 11 points.

FHNW will return to competition on Saturday, where they will have one final away game against Cowley Community College before Christmas Break.