MARYVILLE, Mo. –  The No. 3-ranked Fort Hays State Tigers used a 12-0 scoring surge in the third quarter to seal a 70-60 victory over the Northwest Missouri State women's basketball team Thursday night at Bearcat Arena. 
 
Northwest dips to 7-6 on the season, 0-3 in the MIAA. Fort Hays State stays unbeaten, improving to 12-0 overall and 3-0 in conference play. 
 
Caely Kesten put up 19 points and pulled down five rebounds to lead the 'Cats. Emree Zars registered a season-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting (3-of-4 3PT), as Aaliyah Riley tacked on 10 points. 
 
The Tigers led 10-6 at the first media timeout, with Kesten leading the 'Cats with four points. Zars knocked in Northwest's first triple of the night, cutting the Tigers' lead to three with just under two minutes to play in the opening quarter. Zars cut it to one, followed by a Kesten floater at the buzzer, gave Northwest a 13-12 lead after one. 
 
FHSU scored on each of its possessions to open the second quarter, forcing a Northwest timeout with seven minutes to play, leading 25-17. Shots were falling at a premium for the Bearcats, hitting their last 5-of-6 shots from the floor. Midway through the second quarter, Aaliyah Riley gave Northwest a 30-29 lead. The Bearcats shot 50% from the floor, led by Kesten's 16 first-half points, leading 38-36 at the break. 
 
Back-to-back three's from FHSU's Kate Dilsaver brought its lead to 44-42 at the 5:09 mark. Kelsey Fields ended a Tigers' 12-0 run with a bucket with 2:23 to go, trailing 50-44. FHSU pushed out to a 10-point lead, outscoring Northwest 20-8, entering the fourth quarter. 
 
Zars knocked in her third triple of the night, cutting Northwest's deficit to 60-53 with 6:09 to go. FHSU would answer with buckets of its own, leading 66-57 at the final media timeout. FHSU would stay steady the rest of the way, taking a – victory over Northwest. 
 
From the floor, Northwest shot 43.9% (25-of-57) and 37.5% from three-point range (6-of-16). FHSU went 25-of-51 from the floor, and 4-of-10 from long-range. Tigers' forward Olivia Hollenbeck totaled a game-high 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. 
 
Up Next:
Northwest will return to the hardwood on Saturday, Jan. 4, with an adjusted schedule time due to impending weather. The Bearcats are set to face Nebraska-Kearney at 11 a.m. in Bearcat Arena, moving up from the original 1:30 p.m. tip-off. The men's game will follow at 1 p.m.