No. 7/6 Fort Hays State (16-2, 10-2 MIAA) at
No. 17/14 Nebraska-Kearney (16-3, 11-2 MIAA)
Saturday, January 29 • 2 p.m.
Kearney, Neb. • Health & Sports Center
Radio: KJLS (103.3-FM)
LISTEN LIVE
The top two teams in the MIAA women's basketball standings square off for a second time on Saturday (Jan. 29) when No. 7 Fort Hays State looks for revenge against No. 17 Nebraska-Kearney. First tip in the 99th meeting all-time between the Tigers and Lopers is set for 2 p.m. inside the Health & Sports Center in Kearney, Neb.
Nebraska-Kearney (16-3, 11-2 MIAA) came away with a slim 61-56 victory last month in Hays after a big fourth-quarter comeback. Meanwhile, the Tigers (16-2, 10-2 MIAA) have won 10 of 11 meetings in Kearney under head coach Tony Hobson.
Jaden Hobbs has played well against the Lopers in her time as a Tiger, scoring in double figures in all six matchups. She averages 15.2 points and 5.3 rebounds against the Lopers. The senior guard needs nine assists to tie Beth Bohuslavsky (2012-16) for fourth all-time at FHSU with 378.
Whitney Randall has scored 1,246 points over the last 140 games, 13th-most in a career in program history. She is 10 away from tying Tatyana Legette (1,256 points, 2015-19) for 12th place and 15 shy of matching Kris Osthoff (1,261 points, 1991-95) for 11th.
Katie Wagner has led the Tigers in scoring in nine of the 18 games so far this season, including doing so in each of the last six contests.
Randall and Wagner have helped the Tigers to a perfect 4-0 record in true road games this season, with each averaging at least 15.0 points per game in road contests. Randall is putting up 16.8 points per road contest, while Wagner averages 15.0 points per game on the road.
The Tigers continue to lead Division II with an assist/turnover ratio of 1.46, good for sixth-best across all three NCAA divisions. Hobbs leads all players at the DII level with a rate of 4.11 thanks to a team-best 5.3 assists per game.
Fort Hays State is 58-40 all-time against UNK, while the Lopers have won each of the last two meetings. The Lopers hold a narrow 24-23 lead in games played in Kearney. The series is tied 5-5 over the last 10 meetings. The Tigers are 19-6 against the Lopers under Hobson, including a 10-1 record on the road.
Both of UNK's conference losses came at home this season. The Lopers lead the country with just 10.8 turnovers per game. The UNK defense leads the conference and ranks 14th nationally by allowing just 53.9 points per game. Haley Simental ranks 11th nationally and third in the MIAA with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.65. Elisa Backes leads the Lopers with an average of 11.9 points per game. She is the only Loper averaging in double figures, but a total of six players average at least seven points per game.
FHSU Athletics