FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State Women's Basketball (13-4, 8-1 MIAA)
vs. Pittsburg State (10-4, 5-3 MIAA)
Saturday, January 7, 2023 • 2 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
Game Sponsor: Nex-Tech
National Anthem: TMP Marian Pop Singers
Promotions: Education Appreciation - Faculty/Staff at USD 489, TMP-Marian, and FHSU get (1) GA ticket for FREE! Please show your school ID at the gate to get your FREE ticket.
Mascot Day - Victor E. Tiger and his mascot buddies hang out for pictures, high fives, and fun throughout the afternoon. They will be out on the court for a fun activity at halftime of the men's game.
Halftime: Twirl Academy performance
Radio: KJLS (103.3)
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Fort Hays State women's basketball continues its homestand Saturday afternoon (Jan. 7, 2 p.m.) when the Tigers host Pittsburg State. After playing just once per season each of the last three years, this is the first of two meetings between the in-state rivals.
The Tigers enter the contest 13-4 overall and 8-1 in the MIAA after defeating No. 11 Missouri Southern on Thursday, while Pittsburg State is 10-4 this season and 5-3 in conference play after falling on the road against No. 22 Nebraska-Kearney.
Live video of the conference clash 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
- Fort Hays State rallied from 11 down to defeat No. 11 Missouri Southern by 18 Thursday evening in Hays, 72-54 (1/5/23).
- Kate Dilsaver led the team with a career-high 16 points, with Ellie Stearns and Olivia Hollenbeck adding 12 points each.
- The Tigers hit 50.0 percent from the floor (25-of-50), doing so for the sixth time this season and the fourth time over their last five games.
- The FHSU defense held reigning MIAA Player of the Year Lacy Stokes to four points on 1-of-11 shooting.
Tiger Notables
- The Tigers are shooting .487 from the floor and .456 from behind the arc since returning from the holiday break. Four different players have hit at least four three-pointers over the last three games (Earney 7, Sydney Golladay 7, Emma Ruddle 4, Ellie Stearns 4).
- Katie Wagner has a pair of strong performances in her career against Pittsburg State, averaging 18.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in two matchups with the Gorillas.
- Golladay is averaging 5.7 assists per game over the last six contests, including a career-high eight in Monday's win at Lincoln.
- Fort Hays State has won nine in a row against the Gorillas, the longest streak in series history. FHSU has won seven in a row at home against PSU.
- The Tigers knocked down 50 percent from the floor in Thursday's win over Missouri Southern, hitting at least half of their shots for the sixth time this year and the fourth time out of their last five games.
- Tony Hobson is three wins away from 200 career victories inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
- The Tigers have outscored their conference opponents by an average of 19.3 points per game, second-best in the league behind Nebraska-Kearney (20.6).
- The Tigers are in pursuit of their 12th-consecutive 20-win season. Their current streak of 11 such seasons is the longest active streak in Division II.
- Starting Saturday Fort Hays State will play four-straight rivalry games, including three against in-state rivals in Pittsburg State, Washburn and Emporia State as well as long-time rival Nebraska-Kearney.
- Fort Hays State has won 223 games since the start of the 2014-15 season, by far the most of any MIAA team (UCM - 192 wins).
- The Tigers are 212-113 (.652) in conference games since joining the MIAA in 2006.
- 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 555-134 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 in nearly 12 years (1/15-19/11, vs PSU and ESU).
- The Tigers are 156-14 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season (.918).
- FHSU is 197-31 (.864) at home under Hobson, including a 121-24 record in conference games and a 76-7 mark in non-conference games.
- FHSU has not lost more than three games at home in a season since 2010-11.
Series History with Pittsburg State
- Fort Hays State leads the all-time series, 34-27.
- The Tigers have won nine in a row in the series, the longest winning streak by either school in series history.
- The Tigers are 20-10 against the Gorillas in Hays.
- FHSU is 13-13 against the Gorillas during the Hobson era, including an 8-4 mark at home.
- The Tigers won a back-and-forth battle over the Gorillas last year in Hays, 86-82 (1/22/22), with Katie Wagner leading the team with 20 points and nine rebounds.
On This Day
- The Tigers are 10-3 in recorded history on January 7.
- Most recently, Fort Hays State lost on the road at Central Missouri in 2021, 79-72.
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 325-113 as a Tiger and 738-219 all-time.
- Hobson ranks third all-time amongst MIAA head coaches with 325 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 Gorillas
- The Gorillas are 6-2 away from home this season, including a 3-1 record in true road contests.
- Pittsburg State entered the weekend leading the MIAA in three categories, including free-throw percentage (76.7 percent), rebounds per game (42.7 rpg) and 3-pointers per game (8.1 3FG).
- Tristan Gegg leads the MIAA and ranks eighth in the country with 3.15 3-pointers per game.
- Karenna Gerber tops the conference and ranks 21st in DII with a field-goal percentage of 56.9 percent.
- Gerber and Gegg are tied for the team lead with an average of 15.2 points per game.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will wrap up this three-game homestand in one week when the Tigers host No. 22 Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday, January 14 beginning at 2 p.m. After that contest the Tigers are scheduled to play on the road seven times down the stretch of the season, compared to just four at home.