FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State Women's Basketball (15-6, 10-3 MIAA)
vs. Missouri Western (17-4, 11-2 MIAA)
Thursday, January 26, 2023 • 5:30 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
Game Sponsor: High Plains Farm Credit
National Anthem: O'Loughlin Elementary
Promotions: Pink Night & FHSU Center for Student Success/Greek Life Night
Halftime: Jackie Creamer's The Dance Studio
Radio: KJLS (103.3)
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The Fort Hays State women's basketball team looks to complete the season sweep of Missouri Western when the Tigers host the Griffons Thursday evening inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. The Tigers enter their penultimate homestand of the regular season with a record of 15-6 overall and 10-3 in the MIAA, while the Griffons head to Hays at 17-4 overall and 11-2 in league play.
The Tigers and Griffons are right in the middle of a logjam atop the league standings, where the top six teams in the MIAA are separated by just three games with nine games to go. Central Missouri leads the conference with one loss, coming at the hands of the Griffons last week, while Nebraska-Kearney and MWSU are tied for second with two losses. The Tigers and Pittsburg State then rank fourth with three losses, followed by preseason favorite Missouri Southern with four conference defeats.
Live video of the conference clash 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.
Live radio coverage with voice of the Tigers Gerard Wellbrock along with Dustin Armbruster will be available over the air on KJLS 103.3 FM and online at hayspost.com.
Tiger Notables
- The Tigers have now played each team in the MIAA once this season. They have a chance to avenge three prior losses (UCM, PSU, UNK) and the opportunity to sweep six league rivals (MWSU, NWMSU, NU, UCO, LU, MSSU) over the final nine games of the regular season.
- The Tigers have won 11-straight regular season home games against the Griffons, with the last MWSU road win in the regular season coming in 2007. The Griffons managed one other win inside the Coliseum during that span in last year's NCAA II Central Region Championship game.
- The Griffons have had trouble shutting down Olivia Hollenbeck over the last two-plus seasons, with the sophomore forward averaging 14.2 points per game in six matchups against MWSU. She has scored in double figures in five of those six contests.
- Eight different players have led the Tigers in scoring this season.
- Katie Wagner scored in double figures for the 50th time in her career on Sunday against ESU. The Maize, Kan. native is 54 points shy of becoming the 24th 1,000-point scorer at FHSU.
- The Tigers are in pursuit of their 12th-consecutive 20-win season. Their current streak of 11 such seasons is the longest active streak in Division II.
- Fort Hays State has won 225 games since the start of the 2014-15 season, by far the most of any MIAA team (UCM - 196 wins).
- The Tigers are 214-115 (.650) in conference games since joining the MIAA in 2006.
- 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 555-136 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.
- The Tigers are 156-16 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season (.907).
- FHSU is 197-33 (.857) at home under Hobson, including a 121-26 record in conference games and a 76-7 mark in non-conference games.
- FHSU has not lost more than three games at home in a season since 2010-11.
Last Time Out
- After trailing by as many as 11 in the first quarter, Fort Hays State outscored Emporia State 45-28 in the second half to defeat the Lady Hornets on the road by nine, 77-68 (1/22/23).
- Katie Wagner led all scorers with 21 points, including 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the third quarter alone.
- FHSU hit 9-of-11 from the free-throw line down the stretch to secure the win.
Series History with Missouri Western
- Fort Hays State holds a 33-24 lead in the all-time series with Missouri Western that dates back to the 1976-77 season.
- The Tigers are on a one-game winning streak over the Griffons and have won eight of the last 10 matchups.
- FHSU holds a dominant 21-6 advantage in games played in Hays, including wins in 11-straight regular season home games against the Griffons. The last MWSU road win in the regular season occurred in 2007. The Griffons managed one other win inside the Coliseum during that span in last year's Central Region Championship game.
- The Tigers are 17-7 against the Griffons under head coach Tony Hobson, including a 10-1 mark at home.
- Tony Hobson has more wins against Nebraska-Kearney than any other school during his tenure at FHSU. The Tigers are 21-6 against UNK during the Hobson era, including a 9-5 mark at home.
On This Day
- The Tigers are 10-2 in recorded history on January 26.
- Most recently, Fort Hays State defeated Northwest Missouri State at home in 2019, 91-63.
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 327-115 as a Tiger and 740-221 all-time.
- Hobson ranks third all-time amongst MIAA head coaches with 327 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 Griffons
- The Griffons are one of nine Division II teams currently riding a double-digit winning streak. MWSU has not lost since falling to the Tigers at home last month.
- Missouri Western leads the conference and ranks ninth in the country with 17.5 assists per game.
- MWSU's Brionna Budgetts is the latest MIAA Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week after averaging 18.5 points on 56-percent shooting from behind the arc in wins over Lincoln and Central Missouri last week.
- Budgetts leads the team with 17.1 points per game, fourth-best in the MIAA. She ranks sixth in the country with a 3-point percentage of 47.9 percent and has hit 57 3-pointers on the year, second-most in the league and sixth-most nationally.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers wrap up the weekend at home against Northwest Missouri State on Saturday, January 28 beginning at 2 p.m.