FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State (23-6)
vs. Northwest Missouri State (23-6)
Saturday, March 9, 2024 • 2:15 p.m.
Kansas City, Mo. • Municipal Auditorium
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Video: The MIAA Network CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
The Fort Hays State women's basketball team continues its postseason run Saturday against Northwest Missouri State in the semifinal round of the 2024 MIAA Basketball Championship, presented by Southern Bank. The third-seeded Tigers (23-6) and No. 2 Bearcats (23-6) will clash in the second semifinal of the day, slated for a 2:15 opening tip inside historic Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, Mo.
The winner of Saturday's contest will advance to the MIAA title game on Sunday (March 10, 1 p.m.) where they will meet up with the winner of the other semifinal, top-seeded Missouri Western and No. 5 Pittsburg State.
The Tigers and Bearcats split the regular season series, with each team winning on its home floor. Northwest's win over the Tigers last month snapped a 10-game FHSU winning streak in the series.
Fort Hays State earned its spot in the semifinals thanks to a gritty 65-63 win over sixth-seeded Central Missouri in the conference semifinals on Friday. Northwest Missouri State secured its first trip to the semifinals since 2011 with a convincing 64-42 win over Nebraska-Kearney Thursday afternoon .
Fort Hays State is continuing its annual tradition of playing into the weekend in Kansas City in early March. The Tigers are playing in the semifinals for the 11th time out of the last 12 years, four more than any other women's basketball team during that span. FHSU's streak of seven-straight semifinals is the longest active streak in the league.
This is FHSU's 15th trip to the MIAA Championship since joining the conference 18 years ago in 2006-07. The Tigers are 21-12 all-time in the tournament, including a 5-5 record in the semifinals, a 4-2 record as the No. 3 seed, a 2-6 record against the No. 2 seed and a 16-11 record inside Municipal Auditorium. This is the first-ever meeting between the Tigers and the Bearcats in the postseason.
MIAA Player of the Year Katie Wagner led the Tigers with 21 points in Friday's win over Central Missouri, including 10 points in the first quarter. The Maize, Kan. native has scored 131 points in nine career games in the MIAA Championship, 10 points shy of cracking the top 10 in tournament history. Her 493 points this season are tied for ninth-most in a single season in program history, while her career total of 1,656 points is one shy of tying for fourth place in FHSU women's basketball history.
Olivia Hollenbeck also climbed up FHSU's all-time scoring list Friday, totaling 19 points to move into 11th with 1,361 career points. The forward has scored in double figures in all seven of her career games against Northwest Missouri State, averaging 15.7 points per game against the Bearcats.
Jessie Sallach poured in a career-high three 3-pointers in Friday's win over Central Missouri, giving the senior 10 points in the game. She has scored in double figures three times in eight matchups with NWMSU.
Sydney Golladay is now less than 10 assists away from moving into sixth all-time at Fort Hays State. The Fremont, Neb. native distributed a pair of assists against UCM Friday, giving the point guard 348 for her career.
Emma Ruddle knocked down a critical 3-pointer for the Tigers late in Friday's victory. The senior has now hit a 3-pointer in four-straight games and six of the last seven contests. She leads the team with 40 long-range makes this season.
Fort Hays State is 22-11 all-time against the Bearcats, with the teams splitting a pair of neutral-site matchups over 30 years ago. Northwest Missouri State snapped a 10-game losing streak against FHSU with a win in the most recent matchup. The Tigers are 1-1 against the Bearcats under head coach Talia Kahrs. This is the first-ever postseason meeting between FHSU and NWMSU.
Northwest Missouri State tied for second in the MIAA regular season standings with a league record of 16-6. The Bearcats opened the postseason with a decisive 64-42 win over Nebraska-Kearney in the MIAA quarterfinals Thursday. NWMSU ranks eighth in the league in scoring, averaging 67.6 points per game, while the defense is third with an average of 59.4 points allowed per contest. Molly Hartnett (12.7 ppg) and Caely Kesten (12.5 ppg) both average in double figures in scoring. The Bearcats had three All-MIAA honorees, with Hartnett earning second team accolades, Kesten picking up third team honors and Jayna Green joining Wagner on the MIAA All-Defensive Team.