By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The 10th-ranked Fort Hays State women’s basketball team looks to continue its winning ways Thursday (Jan. 23) when the Tigers hit the road to take on Missouri Western. First tip in the Battle of the Black and Gold is set for 5:30 p.m. in St. Joseph, Mo.
A win Thursday would give the Tigers a 10+ game winning streak for the 13th time in program history. Fort Hays State’s nine-game winning streak is the second-longest active streak in the MIAA and 13th-longest in DII.
Winners of three in a row over the Griffons and seven of the last nine, Fort Hays State holds a 28-22 lead in the all-time series. The home team has dominated the series, with Missouri Western leading 15-8 in St. Joseph and the Tigers leading 19-5 in Hays. Missouri Western has won each of the last two meetings in St. Joseph, with the last Tiger road win coming on December 7, 2013 (67-53). Fort Hays State is 12-5 against Missouri Western under head coach Tony Hobson, including a 3-5 mark on the road.
The Tigers are 7-5 in the Joe under Hobson thanks to a 4-0 mark in neutral site contests.
Taylor Rolfs has scored an average of 9.0 points per game in four meetings with MWSU, including 16 points in the most recent meeting. Belle Barbieri averages 8.6 points and 8.0 rebounds in three games against the Griffons.
Barbieri has been a strong presence for the Tigers in conference games, leading the MIAA with 2.6 steals per game, ranking third in field goal percentage (62.3 percent) and fifth in rebounds (8.0 per game).
Missouri Western is off to a 13-3 start to the season, including a 5-2 mark in conference play. The Griffons are one-half game behind the Tigers in the conference standings. They are a perfect 8-0 at home and 5-3 away from MWSU Fieldhouse. The Griffons rank sixth in the conference in both scoring offense and scoring defense, averaging 73.6 points per contest while allowing 58.8 points per night. They have the third-best shooting percentage in the league, ranking 26th nationally at 45.5 percent. Two Griffs rank in the top 10 in scoring in the MIAA, led by Chris Wilson’s 15.1 points per game and Corbyn Cunningham’s 14.9 points per contest. Wilson also ranks fourth in the league with 8.4 rebounds each night. Cunningham buries 55.2 percent of her shots from the floor, third-best in the conference.