By CONOR NICHOLL

cnicholl@dailynews.net

Fort Hays State University head women's basketball coach Tony Hobson sees just one gear for junior guard Kayla Klug.

"She always goes full bore," Hobson said.

After a slow start to the season, Klug's constant energy has produced back-to-back double figure games and helped produce an historical night for the Tigers on Saturday. Led by Klug's 18 points, Fort Hays broke the century mark for the ninth time in school history in a 104-56 victory against NAIA Ottawa University at Gross Memorial Coliseum.

The Tigers, who had seven players in double figures, matched the third-most single game points in Fort Hays history. The 48-point win, third-largest in the last 70 games, helped to erase a six-point loss to Kansas Wesleyan on Monday, the second defeat to an NAIA school this year.

"We needed that win tonight," Klug said. "I definitely wish that we would have that energy Monday. I was pretty impressed with our defense tonight. We bounced back well."

Fort Hays improved to 3-3 and shot 56 percent from the field, the best mark by a Tiger team in the past two seasons. The Tigers also forced 28 turnovers and collected 19 steals, also the top marks in Fort Hays' last 33 games. Ottawa, which played the game as an exhibition, entered the contest 1-6. Fort Hays outrebounded the Braves by 19 and delivered multiple easy layups in its transition offense.

"It was pretty evident tonight that we had a lot more energy," Hobson said. "We defended better. We rebounded better and our offense looked good because we got so many fast break points. I thought we ran the floor a little better, but again, it might have been who we were playing a little bit."

Defensively, the Tigers forced an Ottawa shot clock violation and three five-second defensive calls. Ottawa was held to just 36 percent shooting.

"Their fast break points were really killing us," Ottawa head coach Bruce Tate said. "We weren't getting back on defense. They defended extremely well and they got second chance opportunities on the offensive end when they did miss shots. That was probably the three things that hurt us the most."

Klug helped Fort Hays jump out to 55-26 halftime lead. One of the team's few returning players that saw consistent playing time in 2007-08, Klug had offseason surgery in two places. She had hurt her finger in conference play against Truman State (Mo.) University and had a lingering shoulder injury since high school.

"I think I am just slowly coming back," she said. "I feel good again. The first games weren't good for me."

Klug had just 16 points and didn't start any contests in the Tigers' first four games. Hobson put her into the starting lineup against Wesleyan and Klug collected season-highs in minutes (35), points (14) and assists (five).

"The reason why she starts and why she has worked her way into the starting lineup is because she plays hard all the time," Hobson said. "All the time. That's never a factor for her."

Versus Ottawa, Klug hit two 3s in the first seven minutes and helped Fort Hays sink 5 of its first 7 shots from beyond the arc.

"We were pretty much on fire at the beginning of the game," she said.

Klug also delivered a jumper off a steal from senior guard Ashley Cornett and gathered two rebounds on the same possession that yielded a trey from junior Naomi Bancroft.

Late in the first half, Klug scored on a transition layup and then drove down the left baseline for a short jumper and a 47-23 lead. Klug collected 14 first half points -- and tied her season-best in the game's first 20 minutes. Overall, Klug finished with 18 points, five off her career-high set against Emporia State University last season, five rebounds, and three apiece of assists, turnovers and steals.

"What gets her in trouble is that she doesn't have a gear that she can shift down into and she turns it over once in awhile," Hobson said. "But you have to like what she is doing because it means a lot to her. She plays hard all the time and I will take a player like that any time."

With Fort Hays up by 29 at intermission, Klug played just 11 minutes in the second half. Cornett, though, tallied a team-high eight second half points. She had three steals, including one in the second half, where she intercepted a pass, knocked it down the court and sunk a layup.

"They kind of played into our hands a little bit because offensively they don't set any screens," Hobson said of Ottawa's offense.

"They just pass and cut, five out, pass and cut and where we get hung up on is when we don't communicate on switches on screens. That played into our hands. That was one reason that it looked a little better than it has."

Hobson emptied his bench throughout the second half and pulled all of his starters with 3:04 remaining and Fort Hays ahead by 47.

The Tigers crossed 100 points for the first time since Fort Hays set a school record in a 116-28 win in the 2006-07 season opener versus Stephens (Mo.) College. Sophomore Sara Stoecklein, a Thomas More Prep-Marian graduate, helped the Tigers reach 100 when ahe stole the ball and sunk a layup with 2:07 left for her first basket of the season.