No. 9/10 Fort Hays State (22-3, 16-3 MIAA) at
Central Missouri (17-9, 13-6 MIAA)
Saturday, February 19, 2022 • 1 p.m.
Warrensburg, Mo. • UCM Multipurpose Building
Radio: KJLS (103.3-FM)
FHSU Athletics
Two regionally-ranked women's basketball teams will face off Saturday afternoon (Feb. 19) when ninth-ranked Fort Hays State, the top team in the initial 2022 NCAA DII Central Region rankings, looks to complete the season sweep of Central Missouri, currently 10th in the region. First tip between the Tigers (22-3, 16-3 MIAA) and the Jennies (17-9, 13-6 MIAA) is set for 1 p.m. inside the UCM Multipurpose Building in Warrensburg, Mo.
A Tiger win would give FHSU a regular-season sweep of Central Missouri for the first time since 2015-16. Fort Hays State used a big second half to pull away from the Jennies last month in Hays, 84-59 (1/6/22).
Jaden Hobbs has played in six games against UCM and has scored in double figures each time. The senior averages 17.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists against the Jennies, including one double-double last season. Katie Wagner has also scored in double figures in all four of her matchups with the Jennies, averaging 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists against UCM.
Whitney Randall surpassed the 1,300-point plateau in Thursday's win over Lincoln, bringing her career total to 1,301 points. The senior needs 20 points to tie for 10th place all-time at FHSU (Chris Biser, 1986-90).
Emma Ruddle has scored in double figures in each of the last two games after doing so just once in her first 40 appearances as a Tiger. She's hit five of her last six shots from behind the arc over that span.
Lauren West connected on five 3-pointers Thursday, the most makes from behind the arc in a game for a Tiger this season. She's hit 40 3-pointers this season, second on the team behind Hobbs.
Head coach Tony Hobson is up to 304 wins as a Tiger, two away from tying for fourth place amongst MIAA head coaches all-time. He has won 717 of the 931 games he has coached at the collegiate level over the last 30 years.
Central Missouri holds a slim 19-16 lead in the all-time series. The Jennies are 11-4 against the Tigers in Warrensburg, including three consecutive home wins over FHSU. The last Tiger victory in Warrensburg came three years ago (1/3/19). The Tigers are 14-14 against UCM under Hobson, including a 3-8 mark on the road. Hobson has only coached against Emporia State (30 meetings) more often than he has against UCM in this the 29th meeting during the Hobson era.
UCM is 10-3 at home this season, with losses to Missouri Southern, Missouri Western and Washburn. The Jennies just knocked off another regionally-ranked team in Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday, 65-59. They lead the league and rank fifth nationally with 409 free throws made while ranking 18th nationally in free-throw percentage (78.1 percent) and 18th in field-goal percentage (45.5 percent). Brooke Littrell ranks second in the conference and 11th nationally with 20.3 points per game. Nija Collier leads the MIAA and is 12th nationally with 11.3 rebounds per contest. Her 15 double-doubles are fourth-most in DII.