FHSU Athletics
No. 15 Fort Hays State (16-4, 10-4 MIAA)
at Northwest Missouri State (15-5, 9-5 MIAA)
Saturday, February 3, 2024 • 1:30 p.m.
Maryville, Mo. • Bearcat Arena
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: The MIAA Network CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
The 15th-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team travels to Maryville, Mo. to face off against the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats on Saturday. Tipoff between the Tigers (16-4, 10-4 MIAA) and Bearcats (15-5, 9-5 MIAA) is set for 1:30 p.m. inside Bearcat Arena. FHSU is looking to bounce back from a close loss to Missouri Western on Thursday night.
Fort Hays State is 22-10 all-time against the Bearcats, including a 62-48 win in Hays earlier this season. The Tigers have won 10 in a row, with the last loss back in 2017 in Maryville. The last matchup with the Bearcats saw Katie Wagner lead all scorers with 14 points, while Olivia Hollenbeck totaled 11 along with five rebounds.
Wagner is putting up 17.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game this season with nine double-doubles. She is tied for the MIAA lead in double-doubles with three other players. Wagner now has 1,502 career points after her 30 point performance last night against the Griffons. She is just two points shy of passing Ashlee Gustin for sixth on the all-time scoring list at FHSU. She passed Jamie Heiman for fifth on the all-time rebounds list on Thursday night, now with 850 in her career.
Hollenbeck averages 10.7 points on 48.7 percent shooting from the field. She has two double-doubles this season and has 12 games of scoring in double digits, while locking up the paint with 28 blocks and 21 steals on the year
Emma Ruddle has been a consistent scorer for the Tigers, scoring in double digits three out of the last five games. The McPherson native is shooting 38.7 percent from three on 75 shots this season. She has also done her duty on defense, forcing 25 turnovers so far.
Sydney Golladay has shown her playmaking skills recently, finishing with 15 assists over the previous two games. She has produced three or more assists in 12 games, while scoring in double figures five times averaging 6.9 points per game.
Kate Dilsaver was a spark last game, scoring 12 off the bench. This season she is 50 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from three. She averages 3.9 points in just 15 minutes per game. Megan Earney was on fire last Saturday against Emporia State, scoring 20 after splashing six three-pointers.
The Tiger defense continues to lead the MIAA in scoring defense at just 55.7 points per game. They rank 16th in NCAA Division II.
The Bearcats dropped their last game against Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday night. NWMSU has two players averaging double figures in scoring, Molly Hartnett (12.9) and Caely Kesten (11.3).