FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State (19-8, 14-5 MIAA)
at Pittsburg State (19-5, 14-4 MIAA)
Thursday, February 16, 2023 • 5:30 p.m.
Pittsburg, Kan. • John Lance Arena
Radio: KJLS (103.3)
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The Fort Hays State women's basketball team hits the road for the final three games of the regular season beginning with a Thursday evening contest at Pittsburg State (Feb. 16). First tip from John Lance Arena is slated for 5:30 p.m.
Fort Hays State (19-8, 14-5 MIAA) is one-half game behind the Gorillas (19-5, 14-4 MIAA) in the league standings with two weeks remaining in the regular season. The Tigers within reach of first place in the standings, but would need help to get there. FHSU is 1.5 games behind third-place Central Missouri, two games behind Missouri Western and three games behind Nebraska-Kearney.
The Tigers and Gorillas are two of 10 teams listed in the initial NCAA Division II Central Region Rankings, announced Wednesday (Feb. 15) by the NCAA office. Six MIAA programs are joined by three schools from the Northern Sun and one from the Great American Conference.
Live video of the conference clash will be available on The MIAA 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.
Fort Hays State ranks fourth in the country with just 12.0 turnovers per game. Emma Ruddle has knocked down a trio of 3-pointers in four-straight games. Katie Wagner averages 16.0 points in three games against the Gorillas, scoring in double figures all three times. Olivia Hollenbeck averages 13.3 ppg against PSU. Both have one 20-point game against the Gorillas.
Hollenbeck has 121 blocks in her career, tied for sixth-most in program history (Jamie Heiman, 1999-03). She is five blocks behind Tatyana Legette (2015-19), who ranks fifth all-time with 126 blocks. Wagner became the 24th player in FHSU history to reach 1,000 career points last week against Newman. Hollenbeck is 53 points away from becoming the 25th Tiger to accomplish the feat.
The Tigers need one win to reach 20 victories for the 12th-consecutive season. Their current streak of 11 such seasons is the longest active streak in Division II.
The Tigers had a nine-game winning streak against Pittsburg State snapped last month when the Gorillas beat FHSU by 22 points (1/7/23), their largest margin of victory in series history. The Tigers are 34-28 all-time against PSU, while the Gorillas lead in games played in Pittsburg, 16-12. FHSU is 13-14 against the Gorillas during the Hobson era, including a 3-8 mark on the road. FHSU has won two in a row on the road against PSU.
Pittsburg State boasts three of the top 10 scorers in the MIAA, with Karenna Geber (15.1 ppg) ranking sixth, Tristan Gegg (15.0 ppg) ranking seventh and Grace Pyle (14.1 ppg) ranking 10th in the league. The Gorillas have the top scoring offense in the league, ranking 11th nationally with 79.0 points per game. PSU allows 68.4 points per contest, fourth-most in the conference. The Gorillas rank sixth in DII with a plus-9.5 rebounding margin. Tristan Gegg hits 3.04 3-pointers per game, tops in the MIAA and ninth-most nationally.