FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State Women's Basketball (4-3, 0-0 MIAA)
vs. Northeastern State (4-1, 1-0 MIAA)
Thursday, December 1, 2022 • 5:30 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
Game Sponsor: Cancer Council of Ellis County
National Anthem: Tiger Tots
Promotions: And-1 Night - Attend the game and get one free item from the concession stand (candy, popcorn, pop, nachos)
Yaritza Vega (FHSU feature twirler) performance at halftime
FHSU women's soccer recognition
Radio: KJLS (103.3)
CLICK TO LISTEN
The Fort Hays State women's basketball team opens its 17th season of conference play in the MIAA Thursday evening (Dec. 1) against Northeastern State. First tip is set for 5:30 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
The Tigers enter conference play at 4-3 overall, while Northeastern State is 4-1 on the year and 1-0 in conference play after defeating Washburn at home on Monday.
Live video of the matchup between the Tigers and Bluejays will be available on The MIAA Network, presented by Tiger Media 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.
Last Time Out
- FHSU forced 22 turnovers and scored 36 points in the paint in a 65-51 wire-to-wire victory over Tabor last Saturday (11/26/22).
- Eight different Tigers scored at least five points in the win.
- FHSU combined for a season-high 22 assists on 30 made buckets.
- Katie Wagner led the team with 16 points on 8-of-13 shooting.
- Brooke Loewe and Sydney Golladay both distributed five assists.
Tiger Notables
- Fort Hays State has won 214 games since the start of the 2014-15 season, by far the most of any MIAA team (ESU - 186 wins).
- The Tigers are 204-112 (.646) in conference games since joining the MIAA in 2006.
- Olivia Hollenbeck averages 9.0 points in four career games against the RiverHawks. Wagner averages 6.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in four matchups with NSU.
- Wagner's four double-doubles are tied for fourth-most in Division II and ranks first in the MIAA.
- Wagner's 66 rebounds are eighth-most in Division II. She leads the MIAA with 9.4 boards per game.
- The Tigers are receiving votes in the latest WBCA DII Coaches Poll, ending the second-longest consecutive streak in the polls in program history at 26 weeks. This is the first time the Tigers have been outside the top 25 since February 11, 2020.
- Four different Tigers have led the team in scoring so far this season (Wagner 3, Hollenbeck 2, Brown 1, Stearns 1).
- Hollenbeck needs four blocks to become just the eighth Tiger all-time to reach 100 career blocks.
- All three teams that beat FHSU this season are still undefeated and now rank in the top 25 (No. 3 WTAMU, No. 6 MSU, No. 24 AUGIE).
- 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).
Home Cooking
- This is the 50th season of basketball inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
- The women are 549-134 at home over the last 50 seasons, good for a winning percentage better than 80 percent.
- The Tigers have won at least 10 home games in 34 of the last 49 seasons inside the Coliseum, including each of the last 12 seasons and 13 of 14 during the Tony Hobson era.
- FHSU has only two losing records at home during the GMC era.
- Fort Hays State has not lost consecutive home games since January 15 & 19, 2011 (PSU, ESU).
- The Tigers are 150-14 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season (.915).
- FHSU is 191-31 (.860) at home under Hobson, including a 116-24 record in conference games and a 75-7 mark in non-conference games.
- FHSU has not lost more than three games at home in a season since 2010-11.
Series History
- Fort Hays State is 18-4 all-time against Northeastern State, including a perfect 9-0 record at home.
- Fort Hays State is 18-3 against the RiverHawks during the Hobson era, including a 9-0 record inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
- The Tigers played Northeastern State twice in six days last season, falling on the road on a Monday afternoon before winning by 19 at home the following Saturday (2/12/22), 78-59. FHSU never trailed in the win after scoring four points in the opening minute. Emma Ruddle scored 11 points in 11 minutes off the bench thanks to a trio of 3-pointers, while Cydney Bergmann led the team with 15 points.
On This Day
- The Tigers are 9-3 in recorded history on December 1.
- Most recently, the Tigers defeated Washburn on the road 72-50 in 2021.
-This is the third year in a row that the Tigers have played on December 1.
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 316-112 as a Tiger and 729-218 all-time.
- Hobson ranks third all-time amongst MIAA head coaches with 316 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 RiverHawks
- NSU enters the weekend 4-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play after opening MIAA action with a home win over Washburn on Monday. The RiverHawks lone loss was by only three points on the road against Arkansas-Fort Smith.
- The RiverHawks started their season a week late after a trip to North Dakota was canceled due to winter weather in early November.
- The RiverHawks have outscored their opponents by 18 points per game this season, 27th-best in DII.
- NSU leads the league and ranks ninth in the country with 18.4 free throws made per game this year.
- Courtney Lee ranks second in the MIAA behind Katie Wagner with three double-doubles so far this season.
- Ashton Hackler (18.4 ppg) and Courtney Lee (16.8 ppg) both rank in the top eight in the MIAA in scoring.
Looking Ahead
Fort Hays State wraps up a five-game home stand against Rogers State on Saturday, December 3 at 2 p.m. before hitting the road to take on Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri State on back-to-back days next Saturday and Sunday, December 10-11.