Dec 03, 2022

🏀🎙️ LISTEN: Tiger women look to stay perfect against Hillcats Saturday

Posted Dec 03, 2022 4:00 PM
FHSU Athletics photo/Nicole Heitmann
FHSU Athletics photo/Nicole Heitmann

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State Women's Basketball (5-3, 1-0 MIAA)
vs. Rogers State (2-5, 0-1 MIAA)

Saturday, December 3, 2022 • 2 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
Game Sponsor: Hays Regional Airport
National Anthem: FHSU Pep Band
Promotions: And-1 Night - Attend the game and get one free item from the concession stand (candy, popcorn, pop, nachos)
Hays Regional Airport Pack Your Bags promotion
Radio: KJLS (103.3)

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

The Fort Hays State women's basketball team wraps up a five-game home stand Saturday (Dec. 3) against Rogers State beginning at 2 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.

The Tigers are now 5-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play after defeating Northeastern State on Thursday (Dec. 1), while the Hillcats enter the contest at 2-5 on the year and 0-1 in MIAA action after falling to Nebraska-Kearney.

Live video of the matchup between the Tigers and Bluejays 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.

Last Time Out
- The Tigers never trailed in a 36-point home win over Northeastern State, 88-52.
- FHSU knocked down 55.2 percent (32-of-58) from the floor, the team's best shooting effort in nearly one year (12/19/21 vs Newman, 55.4 percent).
- The Tiger defense forced 17 turnovers with nine steals, blocked four shots and held the RiverHawks to their lowest shooting percentage of the season at 39.1 percent (18-of-46).
Katie Wagner recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 10 rebounds.
- Six different players knocked down at least one 3-pointer against the RiverHawks, including two each from Ellie Stearns and Whitney Brown.
Brooke Loewe dished out eight assists in the win, the most in a game by a Tiger this season.

Tiger Notables
- Fort Hays State has won 215 games since the start of the 2014-15 season, by far the most of any MIAA team (ESU - 186 wins).
- The Tigers are 205-112 (.647) in conference games since joining the MIAA in 2006.
Olivia Hollenbeck needs one block to become just the eighth Tiger all-time to reach 100 career blocks.
- Hollenbeck has scored in double figures in all three of her career outings against RSU. She leads active players with an average of 11.7 points per game against the Hillcats.
- The Tigers average 12.1 turnovers per game, 11th-fewest in the country.
- More than 40 percent of FHSU's wins during the Hobson era have come on a Saturday (136 of 317).
- Wagner's five double-doubles are tied for third-most in Division II and ranks first in the MIAA.
- Wagner leads the MIAA with an average of 9.5 rebounds per game.
Brooke Loewe's 32 assists are third-most in the MIAA so far this season.
- The Tigers are receiving votes in the latest WBCA DII Coaches Poll, ending the second-longest consecutive streak in the polls in program history at 26 weeks. This is the first time the Tigers have been outside the top 25 since February 11, 2020.
- 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 550-134 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 since January 15 & 19, 2011 (PSU, ESU).
- The Tigers are 151-14 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season (.915).
- FHSU is 192-31 (.861) at home under Hobson, including a 117-24 record in conference games and a 75-7 mark in non-conference games.
- FHSU has not lost more than three games at home in a season since 2010-11.

Series History
- The Tigers are a perfect 6-0 against Rogers State in a series that began in the 2019-20 season when the Hillcats joined the MIAA.
- FHSU is 3-0 against the Hillcats at home and 3-0 on the road.
- The Tigers eked out a two-point win in the first-ever meeting before winning all five subsequent matchups by 15 or more points. FHSU's largest margin of victory in the series is 41 (100-59, 2/20/2020 in Hays).
- The fourth-ranked Tigers hit more than 50 percent from the floor and outrebounded Rogers State by 13 in the most recent meeting, a 78-49 home win last season (2/10/22). FHSU closed the first quarter on a 10-0 run to take the lead for good. Nine different players scored at least five points, with Olivia Hollenbeck leading the way with 14 points and Kate Dilsaver tallying 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting

On This Day
- The Tigers are 9-4 in recorded history on December 3.
- Most recently, the Tigers lost on the road against Nebraska-Kearney in 2019.
- FHSU has lost two in a row on December 3.

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 317-112 as a Tiger and 730-218 all-time.
- Hobson ranks third all-time amongst MIAA head coaches with 317 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 Hillcats
- Rogers State comes to Hays with a 2-5 record, including an 0-1 mark in conference play.
- The Hillcats are 0-5 away from home this season.
- RSU scores 55.9 points per game, last in the MIAA, while the Hillcat defense ranks fifth with 57.0 points allowed per game.
- Bailey Kliewer leads the team with 12.0 points per game, good for 20th in the MIAA.
- Kaya Goldsby averages 2.1 steals per game, ranking ninth in the league.

Looking Ahead
Fort Hays State will head out of town for the first time in nearly one month next weekend when the Tigers take on Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri State on back-to-back days. FHSU plays at MWSU on Saturday, December 10 and at NWMSU on Sunday, December 11, with both games starting at 1:30 p.m.