FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State Women's Basketball (8-3, 4-0 MIAA)
vs. Central Oklahoma (4-4, 1-3 MIAA)
Friday, December 16, 2022 • 5:30 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
Game Sponsor: Equity Bank
National Anthem: Lily Falk
Promotions: Kids K-12 get in FREE!
Radio: KJLS (103.3)
CLICK TO LISTEN LIVE
The Fort Hays State women's basketball team returns to Gross Memorial Coliseum to wrap up 2022 with three games in four days. First up in the homestand is a Friday evening (Dec. 16) contest against Central Oklahoma, with the first tip slated for 5:30 p.m.
Winners of six in a row, Fort Hays State enters the weekend 8-3 overall and 4-0 in conference play. The Bronchos are 4-4 so far this season and 1-3 in MIAA action after dropping their last three games.
Live video of the matchup between the Tigers and Bronchos 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 will be available over the air on KJLS 103.3 FM and online at hayspost.com.
Last Time Out
- A dominant second half helped the Tigers rally from a nine-point first-half deficit to win by 15 on the road at Northwest Missouri State, 67-52.
- Both teams went on long runs, with FHSU scoring 13-straight in the third quarter after the Bearcats scored 15 in a row across the first and second quarters.
- Olivia Hollenbeck scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
- Four Tigers scored in double figures for the second time this season.
Tiger Notables
- Fort Hays State has won 218 games since the start of the 2014-15 season, by far the most of any MIAA team (ESU - 189 wins).
- The Tigers are 208-112 (.650) in conference games since joining the MIAA in 2006.
- The Tigers rank second in the MIAA and fourth in the country in both assist/turnover ratio (1.43) and in turnovers per game (11.3).
- FHSU leads the conference in free-throw shooting percentage, knocking down 76.5 percent from the line.
- The Tigers are 0-2 on Friday so far this season and 8-1 on every other day of the week.
- Hollenbeck averages 11.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in five career games against Central Oklahoma. She's scored in double figures three times against the Bronchos, including one double-double.
- Hollenbeck has scored in double figures in each of the last four games and in six of the last eight.
- Kate Dilsaver ranks second in the MIAA and 16th nationally with an assist/turnover ratio of 3.62.
- After hitting 46.4 percent from the floor in the win over Northwest Missouri State, the Tigers are now 133-5 when hitting more than 45 percent of their shots during the Hobson era.
- Fort Hays State has outscored its conference opponents by 99 points through four games, racking up an average margin of victory of 24.8.
- Katie Wagner's five double-doubles are tops in the MIAA and 12th-most in Division II.
- Brooke Loewe's 36 assists are fifth-most in the MIAA so far this season.
- Clary Donica spent the last three seasons with the Bronchos before joining the Tigers as a graduate transfer this season.
- 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 551-134 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 152-14 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season (.916).
- FHSU is 193-31 (.862) at home under Hobson, including a 118-24 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 17-5 all-time against Central Oklahoma, including wins in each of the last six meetings.
- The Tigers are 10-1 at home against the Bronchos.
- FHSU is 16-4 against UCO under Hobson, including a 9-1 mark at home.
- Fort Hays State has won nine of the last 10 meetings.
- The teams played a home-and-home series in 1989 and 1990 before the annual series began in 2013 when UCO joined the MIAA.
- Fort Hays State scored the final eight points to outlast the Bronchos in the MIAA Championship quarterfinals last season in Kansas City, 71-63 (3/3/22).
On This Day
- The Tigers are 7-0 in recorded history on December 16.
- All seven Dec. 16 contests have been played since 1990.
- Most recently, Fort Hays State defeated Rockhurst on the road 67-50 in 2017.
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 320-112 as a Tiger and 730-218 all-time.
- Hobson ranks third all-time amongst MIAA head coaches with 320 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 Bronchos
- UCO opened its season with three consecutive wins, but has lost four of its last five.
- The Bronchos are 1-1 away from home this year.
- UCO ranks last in the MIAA and 290th out of 296 ranked schools in DII in scoring defense, allowing 78.5 points per game.
- The Bronchos rank fourth in the league with an average of 76.4 points per night.
- Central Oklahoma has four players ranked in the top 25 in the MIAA in scoring, more than any other team in the league.
- Alayzha Knapp leads the team with 15.8 points per game, with Karly Wadsworth adding 14.4 ppg, Brooke Rayner chipping in 12.6 ppg and Aliyah Llanusa contributing 10.8 ppg.
- Kassie Boorer ranks fourth in the league with an assist/turnover ratio of 3.00.
- While this is her first season on the bench at Central Oklahoma, this is not the first trip to Gross Memorial Coliseum for first-year head coach Emma Andrews. The Australian brought her Cameron Aggies to Hays last fall, defeating Newman before playing the Tigers to a hard-fought six-point FHSU win (11/20/21, 85-79).
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will play on consecutive days for the fifth and final time of the regular season when FHSU hosts Newman on Sunday (Dec. 18, 2 p.m.) and Bethany on Monday (Dec. 19, 6 p.m.).