NW Kansas News

Fort Hays State Women's Basketball (11-3, 6-0 MIAA)
at No. 11/5 Central Missouri (9-0, 5-0 MIAA)
Saturday, December 31, 2022, • 1 p.m.
Warrensburg, Mo. • UCM Multipurpose Building

The top two teams in the MIAA women's basketball standings meet up for the first of two regular-season matchups Saturday (Dec. 31) when Fort Hays State travels to Warrensburg, Mo. to take on No. 11 Central Missouri. First tip between the Tigers and Jennies is set for 1 p.m. inside the UCM Multipurpose Building.

The Tigers (11-3, 6-0 MIAA) and Jennies (9-0, 5-0 MIAA) sit atop the league standings through one quarter of the conference schedule. UCM is 5-0 at home so far this season, while the Tigers are 3-0 in true road games on the year.

Live video of the contest will be available on The MIAA Network. Fans can purchase access to a single contest for $10, a month-long pass for $25 or a season-long, all-access pass for $125. Both the monthly and year-long passes gain access to any event in any sport streamed on The MIAA Network.

Live radio coverage with voice of the Tigers Gerard Wellbrock will be available over the air on KJLS 103.3 FM and online at hayspost.com.

Last Time Out
- Fort Hays State forced 33 turnovers and knocked down 50 percent from the floor in an 80-46 win over Bethany two weeks ago (12/19/22).
- The Tigers never trailed in the contest.
- A balanced offensive attack saw 12 different Tigers score, including nine players with five or more points.
- Ellie Stearns recorded her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Olivia Hollenbeck paced the team in scoring for the fifth time this season with 15 points.

Tiger Notables
- Fort Hays State has won 220 games since the start of the 2014-15 season, by far the most of any MIAA team (ESU - 191 wins).
- The Tigers are 210-112 (.652) in conference games since joining the MIAA in 2006.
- Fort Hays State sits in a familiar position in the MIAA standings - right at the top. The Tigers and Jennies are the lone undefeated teams remaining in league play.
- A win Saturday would give the Tigers their 15th double-digit winning streak in program history.
- Sydney Golladay is averaging 5.8 assists per game over the last four contests, including a season-high seven in two-straight.
- Olivia Hollenbeck has scored in double figures in each of the last seven games, tied for the longest streak by a Tiger this season (Katie Wagner). The forward is averaging 15.7 points per game over that stretch.
- The Tigers rank third nationally in assist/turnover ratio (1.40), sixth in turnovers per game (12.0), seventh in scoring defense (52.9) 14th in fouls per game (13.4) and 18th in turnover margin (+6.57).
- The Tigers are in pursuit of their 12th-consecutive 20-win season. The current streak of 11 such seasons is the longest active streak in Division II.
- FHSU is 62-42 when playing in the state of Missouri during the Hobson era.
- The Tigers have a chance to win the league for a third-consecutive year, a feat not accomplished in more than 15 years (Washburn 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06).
- Katie Wagner averages 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in five career games against Central Missouri.

Series History with Central Missouri
- Central Missouri leads the all-time series, 19-17, including an 11-5 edge in games played in Warrensburg.
- The Tigers have won three of the last four meetings and 10 of the last 16 dating back to the 2014-15 season.
- Fort Hays State holds a slim 15-14 lead in the series during the Hobson era, including a 4-8 mark on the road.
- The Tigers led by as many as 22 in the first half before holding on to win by six on the road last season, 60-54 (2/19/22). The Jennies closed within four in the second half before FHSU forced five turnovers down the stretch to hang on for the win. Whitney Randall (19 points) and Jaden Hobbs (15 points) combined for more than half of FHSU's scoring after each hit a trio of 3-pointers.

On This Day
- The Tigers are 2-1 in recorded history on New Year's Eve.
- Most recently, Fort Hays State defeated Kansas Christian College at home in 2016, 118-35.
- The Tigers are 0-1 on December 31 in MIAA play, falling to Washburn on the road in 2008, 77-58.

The Coach
- Tony Hobson enters his 15th season at Fort Hays State and his 31st season as a head coach at the collegiate level in 2022-23.
- He is 322-112 as a Tiger and 732-218 all-time.
- Hobson ranks third all-time amongst MIAA head coaches with 321 wins at FHSU.
- He ranks in the top 30 in win percentage amongst all active NCAA head coaches and in the top 10 in Division II.
- Hobson earned the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Women's Four-Year College Coach of the Year award last season, his 19th career coach of the year award.
- He has coached four All-Americans, four Academic All-Americans, two conference players of the year and 48 All-MIAA performers over the last 14 seasons.

Scouting the Jennies
- Central Missouri is one of eight remaining undefeated teams in Division II.
- The Jennies hold a team shooting percentage of .500, third-best in DII.
- UCM tops the league and ranks eighth in the country with a rebound margin of 10.8.
- Brooke Littrell leads the MIAA and ranks in the top 20 in the country with an average of 20 points per game.
- Olivia Nelson's 4.8 assists per game are second-most in the conference.

Looking Ahead
Fort Hays State wraps up the trip to Missouri on Monday afternoon (January 2) when the Tigers take on Lincoln in Jefferson City beginning at 1p.m. 

Original source can be found here.