FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State Women's Basketball (13-5, 8-2 MIAA)
vs. #19 Nebraska-Kearney (15-3, 8-2 MIAA)
Saturday, January 14, 2023 • 2 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
Game Sponsor: Heartland Building Center
National Anthem: FHSU Pep Band
Promotions: Senior Citizen Day- Anybody 55+ can purchase a $5 ticket at the door
Halftime: Styles Dance performance
Radio: KJLS (103.3)
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Fort Hays State women's basketball is set to play long-time rival Nebraska-Kearney for the 101st time Saturday afternoon (Jan. 14, 2 p.m.) when the 19th-ranked Lopers make the short drive to Gross Memorial Coliseum. The Tigers (13-5, 8-2 MIAA) and Lopers (15-3, 8-2 MIAA) currently sit in a tie for second in the MIAA standings at the midway point of the league season.
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.
Tiger Notables
- Fort Hays State has more wins against Nebraska-Kearney (60) than any other school in program history. The Tigers and Lopers met for the 100th time in last year's MIAA Semifinals, also the team record for games against one school.
- The Tigers (3rd, 1.33) and Lopers (5th, 1.31 A/TO) both rank in the top five nationally in assist/turnover ratio.
- Katie Wagner (9.7 ppg), Olivia Hollenbeck (7.5 ppg) and Kate Dilsaver (7.0 ppg) all average at least seven points per game when playing Nebraska-Kearney.
- The Tigers have not lost consecutive games at home in nearly 12 years (1/15-19/11 vs PSU, ESU).
- Tony Hobson is three wins away from 200 career victories inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
- 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.
- Fort Hays State has won 223 games since the start of the 2014-15 season, by far the most of any MIAA team (UCM - 193 wins).
- The Tigers are 212-114 (.650) 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 555-135 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 156-15 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season (.912).
- FHSU is 197-32 (.860) at home under Hobson, including a 121-25 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.
Last Time Out
- Fort Hays State scored a season-low 19 points in the first half before falling at home against Pittsburg State last Saturday (1/7/23), 87-65.
- It was the largest margin of defeat for the Tigers since 2010 (71-42 at WU, 12/8/10).
- The Tigers trailed by as many as 33 in the second quarter before rallying within 14 by the fourth quarter.
- Olivia Hollenbeck scored a team-high 20 points.
- FHSU failed to hit a 3-pointer for the first time in 303 games, going 0-for-19 from behind the arc.
Series History with Nebraska-Kearney
- Fort Hays State holds a 60-40 lead in the all-time series with Nebraska-Kearney.
- The Tigers have played and defeated UNK more often than any other team in program history.
- The teams played for the 100th time in the MIAA semifinals last season.
- The Tigers are 35-14 against the Lopers at home.
- Tony Hobson has more wins against Nebraska-Kearney than any other school during his tenure at FHSU. The Tigers are 21-6 against UNK during the Hobson era, including a 9-5 mark at home.
- Both teams won on the road in the regular season last year before FHSU beat the Lopers in the MIAA semifinals.
On This Day
- The Tigers are 7-4 in recorded history on January 14.
- Most recently, Fort Hays State defeated Northwest Missouri State at home in 2021, 74-49.
The Coach
- Tony Hobson is in his 15th season at Fort Hays State and his 31st season as a head coach at the collegiate level in 2022-23.
- He is 325-114 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 Lopers
- The Lopers lead the country in scoring defense, allowing just 49.6 points per game.
- UNK ranks fifth in Division II with an assist/turnover ratio of 1.31 while slotting fourth with just 11.7 turnovers per game.
- All five starters average more than eight points per game for the Lopers, with Shiloh McCool leading the way with 11.6 points per night.
- Elisa Backes ranks second in the MIAA and 13th nationally with 30 blocks on the year.
- All three Loper losses came away from home this season. UNK is 10-0 at home, 4-2 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site battles.
- Saturday's contest is the first of three-straight games in the state of Kansas for the Lopers (at ESU, WU).
Looking Ahead
The Tigers hit the road to play seven of their final 11 games of the regular season on the road starting Wednesday, January 18 when FHSU takes on Washburn beginning at 5:30 p.m. in Topeka.