Feb 15, 2024

🏀🎧 LISTEN - FHSU women begin final road trip in Jefferson City Thursday

Posted Feb 15, 2024 7:00 PM
FHSU-WBKB-GAME-24.jpg
FHSU-WBKB-GAME-24.jpg

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State (18-5, 12-5 MIAA)
at Lincoln (6-16, 2-14 MIAA)

Thursday, February 15, 2024 • 5:30 p.m.
Jefferson City, Mo. • Jason Gym

Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: The MIAA Network CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)

The Fort Hays State women's basketball team opens its final road trip of the regular season Thursday when the Tigers travel to Jefferson City, Mo. to take on Lincoln beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Fort Hays State heads into the weekend 18-5 overall and 12-5 in MIAA play, two games back of first place in the league standings with five games to play, while the Blue Tigers are 6-16 overall and 2-14 in conference action.

With Lincoln transitioning to the Great Lakes Valley Conference beginning in the fall, this will be Fort Hays State's final trip to Jefferson City for the foreseeable future. The Tigers are undefeated inside Jason Gym, winning in all nine of their trips to the Missouri state capital.

Katie Wagner earned her fifth-career MIAA Player of the Week honor on Monday after averaging a double-double in home wins over Newman and Central Oklahoma, putting up 18.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. She also received the first-such honor of this season after opening the year by averaging 21.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists in a pair of wins over Minot State and No. 2 Minnesota State. The junior scored a career-high 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the win over the second-ranked Mavericks.

Wagner (1,548 career points) needs four points to match Roberta Augustine for fifth place all-time in scoring at Fort Hays State. She recently passed Tatyana Legette to move into fourth all-time in rebounds, now with 876 career boards.

Sydney Golladay has averaged 5.4 assists per game in seven games against the Blue Tigers. She's also recorded five career highs against LU, including rebounds (10 in 2021), free throws made (five in the last meeting), free throw attempts (six in the last meeting), assists (nine in the last meeting) and steals (four in 2022).

Olivia Hollenbeck averages 13.7 points in six career games against Lincoln, scoring in double figures five times. Wagner averages 13.0 points and 9.3 rebounds in six career matchups against the Blue Tigers. She's scored in double figures five times, including three double-doubles. Emma Ruddle puts up an average of 9.7 points in six career games against Lincoln, including four games with 10 or more points.

The Tigers are 8-3 in recorded history on February 15, with the most recent contest coming inside the same building in 2020 when FHSU defeated Lincoln on the road, 86-55.Fort Hays State has dominated the all-time series with Lincoln, winning 20 of the 21 meetings.

The Blue Tigers have dropped their last seven games, entering the weekend 6-16 overall, 2-14 in MIAA play and 3-6 at home. Lincoln ranks fourth in the MIAA in steals per game (8.8) and fifth in free throw attempts per game (18.45) while ranking last in the league in assists per game (11.0), rebounds per game (32.55), field goal percentage defense (45.0) and three-point percentage defense (37.2). Ashlyn Alloway leads the Blue Tigers in scoring and rebounding, averaging inside the top 10 in both categories with an average of 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per night. Her field goal percentage of 49.6 percent ranks third-best in the MIAA.