Fort Hays State (8-2, 8-2 MIAA) at
Pittsburg State (8-4, 8-4 MIAA)
Saturday, January 23 • 1:30 p.m.
Pittsburg, Kansas • John Lance Arena
Radio: KJLS (103.3-FM)
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Fort Hays State women's basketball will face off with Pittsburg State in a crucial matchup Saturday beginning at 1:30 p.m. in Pittsburg, Kan. This is the only scheduled regular season matchup between the Tigers (8-2, 8-2 MIAA) and Gorillas (8-4, 8-4 MIAA), who both enter Saturday's matchup in the top five in the MIAA standings.
Per PSU policy, fan attendance is being limited to 25 percent capacity inside John Lance Arena. Fans are highly encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance.
The Tigers are 32-27 all-time against Pittsburg State, including an 11-15 mark in Pittsburg. Fort Hays State has won the last seven meetings in the series, with the last PSU victory coming more than four years ago (12/3/16). It is tied for the longest winning streak in series history. The Tigers are 11-13 against Pittsburg State under Hobson, including a 2-8 record inside John Lance Arena.
The teams played twice last season, including a 69-53 Tiger victory in the MIAA Championship Quarterfinals (3/6/20). It was the third consecutive year that FHSU ended the Gorillas' season. Whitney Randall scored 16 points and added five rebounds, two assists and two blocks in the win. Jaden Hobbs totaled seven points and six assists while Madison Mittie hit two big 3-pointers.
Hobbs averaged 10.5 points and 6.0 assists per game in two games against PSU last season. Randall has played against the Gorillas seven times, averaging 7.4 points per game. She averaged 15.5 ppg against PSU last season as a junior. Cydney Bergmann averages 6.5 points in two career contests against the Gorillas.
Fort Hays State leads the MIAA in scoring (74.9 ppg), shooting percentage (44.1 percent) and shooting from behind the arc (34.6 percent).
Both the Tigers and Gorillas are among the best in making the most of each possession, with each team averaging just 12.6 turnovers per game, tied for second-fewest in the MIAA and in the top 20 in Division II. FHSU ranks first in the league and 14th in the country with an assist/turnover ratio of 1.21 while Pitt State is close behind in 19th nationally at 1.11.
Hobbs leads the MIAA in 3-point shooting (54.8 percent) and is second in the league in field goal percentage (55.1 percent).
Pittsburg State carries an 8-4 record into the weekend after dropping a close contest to No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday (Jan. 21). The Gorillas are 4-2 at home. After starting the year 1-3, PSU won seven consecutive contests before Thursday's loss. They are one of the best teams in the conference in getting to the free throw line and the best in capitalizing at the line. PSU ranks fourth in the MIAA and 11th nationally with 210 free throw attempts, first in the league and 4th nationally with 172 makes and tops in the association and eighth in the country with a free throw percentage of 81.9 percent. Tristan Gegg ranks fifth in the conference with an average of 17.1 points per game. Kaylee Damitz is the top assister in the league, dishing out 5.4 assists each night.
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