No. 4/4 Fort Hays State (28-3, 19-3 MIAA) vs.
Minnesota State (21-6, 16-5 NSIC)
Friday, March 11 • 5 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
2022 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship
Central Region Quarterfinals
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The fourth-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team looks for its 10th win in a row Friday evening (March 11) when the Tigers take on Minnesota State in the quarterfinals of the 2022 NCAA Division II Central Region Championships. First tip is slated for 5 p.m. in the third of four regional quarterfinal contests inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Fort Hays State (28-3) is the top overall seed in the regional tournament for the fourth time. This is the third time the Tigers have served as the host of the regional. Minnesota State (21-6) is the No. 8 seed after finishing third in the NSIC regular season standings and reaching the semifinal round of the NSIC postseason championship.
The last matchup between the Tigers and Mavericks occurred in this very same situation, with top-seeded FHSU defeating No. 8 MSU in the quarterfinals of the 2015 regional, 74-57 (3/13/15).
This is the eighth time the Tigers have been selected to play in the NCAA DII Championship, including seven trips over the last eight years. Fort Hays State is 5-6 overall in the tournament, including a 4-3 record as the top seed, a 2-0 record against the No. 8 seed, a 4-2 record in Hays, a 4-4 record while ranked in the WBCA DII Coaches Poll and a 3-1 mark against teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
Three of the five longest active winning streaks in Division II are on the line this weekend in Hays - including Minnesota Duluth (3rd W16), Southwestern Oklahoma State (4th W14) and Fort Hays State (5th W9). A win Friday would give the Tigers 10 consecutive victories for the 14th time in program history.
Fort Hays State is up to No. 4 in both national polls after winning its second MIAA championship tournament title over the weekend. Whitney Randall earned Most Outstanding Player honors after averaging 15.0 points per game in KC, with Jaden Hobbs joining her on the All-Tournament Team with an average of 11.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in the tournament.
Minnesota State ranks fourth in Division II with 14.6 steals per game and fourth with a turnover margin of +10.3. The Mavericks force an average of 24.0 turnovers per game. The Mavericks also have a high-powered offense, ranking 12th in the country with an average of 79.0 points per game. They shoot 42.1 percent from the floor and 33.7 percent from behind the arc. The Mavericks had three players earn All-NSIC honors, including first teamer Joey Batt (second year in a row) and a second team distinction for Maddy Olson, while Destinee Bursch was named NSIC Freshman of the Year.
The winner of Friday's quarterfinal will move on to play either fourth-seeded Missouri Southern or fifth-seeded St. Cloud State in the semifinals Saturday evening beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Complete 2022 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship Central Regional Schedule
Friday, March 11 - NCAA Central Region Quarterfinals
Session 1
Game 1 - 12:00 p.m. - #3 Minnesota Duluth (24-4) vs. #6 Nebraska-Kearney (23-7)
Game 2 - 2:30 p.m. - #2 Southwestern Oklahoma State (29-4) vs. #7 Missouri Western (21-9)
Session 2
Game 3 - 5:00 p.m. - #1 Fort Hays State (28-3) vs. #8 Minnesota State (21-6)
Game 4 - 7:30 p.m. - #4 Missouri Southern (24-6) vs. #5 St. Cloud State (23-4)
Saturday, March 12 - NCAA Central Region Semifinals
Game 5 - 5:00 p.m. - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 6 - 7:30 p.m. - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4
Monday, March 14 - NCAA Central Region Championship
Game 7 - 7:00 p.m. - Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6
Winner advances to NCAA Elite Eight in Birmingham, Ala.