By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
After three straight victories away from home, the 10th-ranked Fort Hays State women’s basketball team returns to Gross Memorial Coliseum for six straight home contests in the month of December. First up for the Tigers is a 2 p.m. battle with Missouri Valley College on Saturday (Dec. 1).
The Tigers won the only previous meeting between these two programs, defeating the Vikings by 50 points nearly four years ago, 94-44 (12/14/14). Kate Lehman dominated in her limited time on the court, scoring 28 points on 10-of-13 shooting, grabbing 11 rebounds and blocking seven shots in just 21 minutes of action. Current FHSU graduate assistant Paige Lunsford recorded six points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in the victory.
Missouri Valley enters the weekend 2-7 after four straight losses. The last Viking victory came on November 14, a 55-54 win over 22nd-ranked Benedictine. MVC scores just over 60 points per game while hitting 40.5 percent from the floor, but the Vikings average 21 turnovers per contest. Jaylah Jackson leads the team with 15.4 points each night while Hilma Mededovic grabs a team-best 7.3 rebounds per contest. This year’s Vikings roster has a distinct MIAA flair, with three transfers from conference opponents. Jaylah Jackson played at Northwest Missouri State, Leba Korovou was a Missouri Western Griffon and Darcy Baird spent one season at Pittsburg State.
Fort Hays State is 32-2 at home in the month of December under Tony Hobson, including 23 straight wins. The last Tiger loss in December came nearly seven years ago (12/7/11).
The Tigers have controlled the ball quite well so far this season, making 10 or fewer turnovers in four of their five contests. FHSU averages just 10.0 turnovers per game, fewest in the country. On the other side of the ball, the Tiger defense creates 21.4 turnovers each night, giving FHSU the fourth-best turnover margin in Division II at plus-11.4