Fort Hays State (1-0, 1-0 MIAA) at
Newman (2-3, 2-3 MIAA)
Saturday, December 12 - 1:30 p.m.
Wichita, Kan. - Fugate Gymnasium
Radio: KJLS (103.3-FM)
LISTEN LIVE
The Fort Hays State women's basketball team hits the road for the first time this season Saturday (Dec. 12) when the Tigers battle Newman in Wichita, Kan. First tip is slated for 1:30 p.m. inside Fugate Gymnasium.
Since the general public is unable to attend this event, fans can watch the game live on The MIAA Network. Fans can purchase a season pass for just $100, which includes every men's and women's FHSU game this season in addition to every other MIAA basketball contest. Day passes, which need to be purchased on the day of games, are also available for $10. Aside from watching on a mobile device or computer, The MIAA Network is also available on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV (4th Generation) and Roku by searching for 'The MIAA Network' in the application store on these devices.
Fort Hays State is 18-1 all-time against the Jets, including wins in eight-straight meetings. The Tigers are 6-1 on the road against Newman and have won three in a row inside Fugate Gymnasium. The Tigers are 9-1 against the Jets under Hobson, including a 3-1 mark in Wichita. The Tigers defeated Newman twice last season by an average of 23 points.
Jaden Hobbs poured in seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 29 points in her last trip to Fugate Gymnasium, the most 3-pointers for a Tiger since Naomi Bancroft in 2010. Hobbs averaged 19.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists against the Jets last season. Cydney Bergmann averages 9.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in two career meetings with Newman. Whitney Randall has played the Jets four times, averaging 6.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per meeting.
Saturday's contest will be a homecoming of sorts for three Tigers, who all graduated high school within an hour of the Newman Campus. Allison McFarren is from Wichita, while Katie Wagner hails from neighboring Maize and Emma Ruddle is from just up the road in Canton.
The Tigers grabbed 16 offensive rebounds against Washburn, helping them lead the MIAA and rank seventh in Division II in offensive boards per game. FHSU turned those into 19 second-chance points. Katie Wagner leads the league and ranks 13th nationally with 4.0 offensive boards per contest.
After a career day against Washburn, Randall ranks second in the MIAA and fourth nationally with 26.0 points per game. Wagner's 17.0 ppg is seventh in the conference.
Freshmen Wagner, Sydney Golladay, Olivia Hollenbeck and Jessie Sallach combined to score 31 points in the season-opening win against Washburn, 41.3 percent of the FHSU total, and play just over 77 minutes (77:24), 38.7 percent of the total playing time. Golladay and Hollenbeck were the first pair of freshman to start a season opener for the Tigers during the programs' NCAA DII era (1991-present).
Newman is 2-3 to start the year, with wins over Missouri Southern and Washburn and losses to Pittsburg State, Emporia State and Nebraska-Kearney. The Jets are averaging just 52.6 points per game, fewest in the conference. They allow just 59.4 points per contest, however, ranked in the top three in the league. The Jets have hit 33.2 percent from the floor as a team, again lowest in the league. They grab an average of 36.6 rebounds per night. Brooke Haney leads the team with 11.4 points per contest, ranking 21st in the MIAA. She hits 95.0 percent of her free throws, third-best in the league and 26th-best in Division II.
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