No. 5/6 Fort Hays State (27-3, 19-3 MIAA) vs.
RV/RV Missouri Southern (24-5, 19-3 MIAA)
Sunday, March 5 • 1 p.m.
Kansas City, Mo. • Municipal Auditorium
2022 MIAA Basketball Championship
presented by Citizen's Bank & Trust
Championship Game
Radio: KJLS (103.3-FM)
LISTEN LIVE
Fifth-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball plays Missouri Southern in the championship game of the 2022 MIAA Basketball Championship presented by Citizen's Bank & Trust Sunday afternoon (March 6). First tip between the regular season co-champions is set for 1 p.m. inside historic Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, Mo.
Single-session, general admission tickets are available online or at the box office for $20. Live video will be available on The MIAA Network on a pay-per-view basis, with Gerard Wellbrock's radio call (KJLS 103.3 FM in the Hays listening area) also available online.
Both the Tigers and Lions had their hands full in Saturday's semifinals, with Fort Hays State holding off a fourth-quarter run by Nebraska-Kearney and Missouri Southern rallying from 11 points down to beat Missouri Western, setting up a winner-take-all heavyweight bout Sunday.
Missouri Southern (24-5) has not lost since early January, coming in on a 17-game winning streak, the fifth longest active streak in Division II. Fort Hays State (27-3) has won its last eight, the 10th-longest active streak in the country.
The Tigers and Lions both finished the regular season 19-3 in conference play, making this the first shared regular season trophy in the MIAA since 2007-08 and the eighth all time. Missouri Southern is playing as the No. 1 seed in the tournament thanks to its 54-41 win over then-No. 2 Fort Hays State in Hays (1/20/22). Over the last 10 years (since 2012-13), the Tigers have played with a chance to avenge a prior loss in the same season 23 times. FHSU is 15-8 in those games. Shorten the timeframe to five seasons and the Tigers are 10-3 in such contests. As the lower seed, the Tigers are expected to wear their black jerseys, which could be a good sign as they are 13-0 in their dark uniforms this season.
Fort Hays State is playing in its fifth MIAA championship game, including appearances in four of the last five conference finales. No other program has appeared in more than two title games over the last five years. The Tigers are 1-3 on Championship Sunday, with the one win coming in 2019 against Central Missouri, 63-56. Fort Hays State dropped last year's title game against Nebraska-Kearney at home, 57-51.
This is Missouri Southern's fourth title game appearance, and the first since 1996. The Lions are 2-1 in championship game opportunities.
The Tigers are 4-0 all-time against MSSU in the tournament, including a 2-0 mark in KC. The Tigers are 18-11 all-time in the tournament, 2-0 when playing as the No. 2 seed, 0-2 when playing the No. 1 seed and 13-10 in Municipal Auditorium. With a win, head coach Tony Hobson would become the 10th coach to win multiple MIAA tournament championships. Hobson has 18 wins in the tournament, fifth-most all-time.
The Tigers are 36-19 all-time against Missouri Southern. The teams have played two neutral site games, with FHSU winning both. Fort Hays State is 17-7 against MSSU under Hobson, including a 2-0 record on a neutral floor.
Whitney Randall is averaging 18.5 points per game this tournament, with Jaden Hobbs chipping in 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, Lauren West totaling 9.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest, Katie Wagner contributing 8.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists each night and Olivia Hollenbeck collecting 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest. The Tigers have turned the ball over just 17 times through two games in KC, an average of just 8.5 per game.