FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State Women's Basketball (16-7, 11-4 MIAA)
at Newman (6-13, 3-11 MIAA)
Thursday, February 2, 2023 • 5:30 p.m.
Wichita, Kan. • Fugate Gymnasium
Radio: KJLS (103.3)
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The Fort Hays State women's basketball team enters the final month of the regular season Thursday (Feb. 2) when the Tigers travel to Wichita, Kan. to take on Newman. First tip between the Tigers and Jets is slated for 5:30 p.m.
Fort Hays State enters the weekend 16-7 overall and 11-4 in MIAA play, while the Jets are 6-13 on the year and 3-11 in league action.
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.
Tiger Notables
- Ellie Stearns scored a season-high 16 points after pouring in four 3-pointers against Newman earlier this season.
- Olivia Hollenbeck averages 11.6 points per game in five career matchups with Newman, including three games with 10 or more points and one game with at least 20 points.
- With 993 points in 81 games over the last three seasons, Katie Wagner is seven points shy of becoming the 24th 1,000-point scorer at FHSU.
- Olivia Hollenbeck needs four blocks to climb into a tie for sixth at FHSU with 121 (Jamie Heiman, 1999-03). She is nine blocks behind Tatyana Legette (2015-19), who ranks fifth all-time with 126 blocks.
- The lone Jet victory in series history came inside Fugate Gymnasium more than 12 years ago (11/23/10).
- 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 226 games since the start of the 2014-15 season, by far the most of any MIAA team (UCM - 197 wins).
- The Tigers are 215-116 (.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).
Last Time Out
- The Tigers built a double-digit lead in the first half before holding on down the stretch to defeat Northwest Missouri State by one point on Saturday (Jan. 28), 50-49.
- Katie Wagner led the Tigers with 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the floor and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe.
Series History with Newman
- Fort Hays State has dominated the all-time series against Newman, winning 23 of the 24 matchups.
- The Tigers have won 13-straight against the Jets.
- The lone Newman victory came in Wichita more than 12 years ago (11/23/10). FHSU is 8-1 on the road against the Jets.
- The Tigers are 14-1 against Newman under Hobson, including a 5-1 mark on the road.
On This Day
- The Tigers are 8-5 in recorded history on February 2.
- Most recently, Fort Hays State rallied from a 20-point deficit to Nebraska-Kearney on the road in overtime in 2019, 74-64.
The Coach
- Tony Hobson enters his 15th season at Fort Hays State and his 31st season as a head coach at the collegiate level in 2022-23.
- He is 328-116 as a Tiger and 741-222 all-time.
- Hobson ranks third all-time amongst MIAA head coaches with 328 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 Jets
- Newman is 3-4 at home this season, including a conference win over Emporia State.
- The Jets lead the MIAA and rank 14th in Division II with a 3-point shooting percentage of 36.6 percent.
- Newman ranks 14th out of 14 teams in the conference in turnovers (19.7 per game), turnover margin (-4.84) and offensive rebounds per game (9.4).
- Carissa Beck leads the MIAA and ranks fourth nationally with a 3-point shooting percentage of 47.6 percent.
- Britney Ho leads the Jets with 17.8 points per game, third-most in the conference.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers wrap up the road trip at Central Oklahoma on Saturday, February 4 beginning at 1:30 p.m. in Edmond before returning to Gross Memorial Coliseum for their final two regular season home games next weekend.