By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
After winning its first MIAA Tournament Championship last weekend, the third-ranked Fort Hays State women’s basketball team returns home to host the 2019 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Central Regional starting Friday (March 15). The top-seeded Tigers (30-1) open the national tournament against No. 8 seed and conference rival Pittsburg State (21-8) at 5 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Important Fan Information
Tickets: All seats are general admission for the regional tournament. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for youth/students, with FHSU students admitted for FREE with a valid Tiger card.
Session Format: Friday’s quarterfinals will be split into two sessions, with the FHSU/PSU clash opening the second session. Fans attending the opening session (noon & 2:30 p.m. games) would need a separate ticket to attend the night session. The Coliseum will be cleared out at the conclusion of the 2:30 p.m. game before the doors open for the Fort Hays State contest.
Parking: Due to the continued soggy conditions, the grass lot adjacent to Gross Memorial Coliseum will be closed. Auxiliary parking will be available at Lewis Field Stadium, on the south edge of the FHSU campus. Shuttles will run from Lewis Field to the Coliseum every 10 minutes beginning at 4 p.m. and continuing until the end of the final game of the night.
Tiger Pregame Parties: The FHSU Alumni Office will host Tiger Spirit Parties before each Fort Hays State game this weekend inside the Eagle Communications Hall at the Robbins Center. Friday’s festivities are scheduled from 2 p.m to 4 p.m. More information can be found here.
The Tigers have won the last four games against Pittsburg State, including a 67-62 win on Senior Day less than two weeks ago, to take a 29-27 lead in the all-time series. Fort Hays State is 17-9 at home against the Gorillas, including four straight home wins dating back to 2014-15. FHSU is 8-13 overall and 5-4 at home against PSU under Hobson. The Tigers have never defeated Pittsburg State three times in a single season.
This is the second time that the Tigers have hosted the regional tournament, as they were the No. 1 seed in the Central region at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season. Fort Hays State reached the NCAA regional title game for the only time in program history that year before falling to Emporia State. This is Fort Hays State’s fifth trip to the NCAA Championship tournament.
The friendly confines of Gross Memorial Coliseum have stood up to their reputation of one of the best home court advantages in the country this year, with the Tigers winning all 16 home games to date. Fort Hays State has won 23-straight home games going back to last season, two shy of the program record. That streak is tied for fifth-longest in Division II The Tigers are an incredible 107-5 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season, losing no more than one game at home in each of the last seven years.
Pittsburg State heads back to Hays for the second time in two weeks after dropping the regular season finale inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. After losing their first game in Kansas City, the Gorillas enter the tournament on a two-game losing streak. The Gorillas rank fifth in the MIAA in scoring (72.2 ppg) and sixth in scoring defense (63.6 points allowed per game). They shoot the ball well, ranking second in both field goal percentage (44.9 percent) and three-point field goal percentage (34.9 percent). PSU leads the league and ranks 37th nationally with 29 defensive rebounds per game. Senior Shelby Lopez was named second team All-MIAA after averaging 11.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Third team All-MIAA selection Maya Williams leads the team in scoring with 11.7 points each night. Assists leader Kaylee DaMitz (4.5 apg) leads the MIAA and ranks 31st in the country with a 2.03 assist/turnover ratio.
Tatyana Legette averages 9.9 points and 6.0 rebounds in eight career games against PSU. Kacey Kennett has scored 9.6 points per contest (5 games) and Lanie Page is averaging 10.3 points against the Gorillas (3 games).
The winner of Friday’s quarterfinal will turn around and take on the winner of No. 4 Minnesota Duluth and No. 5 MSU Moorhead in the regional semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
The complete 2019 Central Region schedule can be found below.
Friday, March 15
Session 1
Game 1 – 12:00 pm – No. 3 seed Central Missouri vs. No. 6 seed Lindenwood
Game 2 – 2:30 pm – No. 2 seed Southwestern Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 seed Emporia State
Session 2
Game 3 – 5:00 pm – No. 1 seed Fort Hays State vs. No. 8 seed Pittsburg State
Game 4 – 7:30 pm – No. 4 seed Minnesota Duluth vs. No. 5 seed MSU Moorhead
Saturday, March 16
Session 3
Game 5 – 5:00 pm – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Game 6 – 7:30 pm – Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4
Monday, March 18
Session 4
Game 7 – 7:00 pm – Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6