No. 6/8 Fort Hays State (24-3, 18-3 MIAA) at
Northwest Missouri State (17-10, 12-9 MIAA)
Saturday, February 26, 2022 • 1:30 p.m.
Maryville, Mo. • Bearcat Arena
Radio: KJLS (103.3-FM)
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The sixth-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team wraps up the regular season Saturday afternoon (Feb. 26) with a road contest against Northwest Missouri State. First tip in the season finale is slated for 1:30 p.m. in Maryville, Mo.
With a win, the Tigers (24-3, 18-3 MIAA) would clinch at least a share of their fourth regular season MIAA championship. Fort Hays State enters the final day of the regular season tied for first with Missouri Southern, who plays on the road at Central Oklahoma Saturday. The Tigers would be the first team to win back-to-back conference titles in the MIAA since Washburn did so in 2012 and 2013.
Should the FHSU men and women come away victorious in Maryville, it would be the first time the same school won both titles since 2014 (Central Missouri).
The Tigers held off a late Northwest (17-10, 12-9 MIAA) run to beat the Bearcats by three at home last month, 63-60 (1/12/22). Katie Wagner scored 20 points in that contest, raising her career average against NWMSU to 10.7 points per game in three matchups. She is one of five Tigers averaging in double figures against the Bearcats, joined by Jaden Hobbs (14.8 ppg, 4 games), Olivia Hollenbeck (13.3 ppg, 3 games), Whitney Randall (10.3 ppg, 6 games) and Jessie Sallach (10.0 ppg, 3 games).
Seniors Hobbs and Randall both hit career milestones in Fort Hays State's overtime win over Missouri Western on Wednesday. Hobbs reached 1,000 points in her career at FHSU, becoming the 23rd player in program history to hit that plateau, while becoming just the third player to surpass 400 assists at Fort Hays State. She is the first to accomplish both feats. Randall, meanwhile, climbed into the top 10 on the all-time scoring list at Fort Hays State. Now with 1,329 points, she needs 14 more points to pass former teammate and current student assistant Kacey Kennett to move into ninth.
Fort Hays State is 18-10 all-time against Northwest Missouri State, including wins in each of the last six matchups and 14 of the last 15. Northwest holds a slim 7-6 lead in games played in Maryville. The Tigers are 16-4 against Northwest under Hobson, including a 7-4 mark on the road.