Fifth-ranked Tigers end rivalry run at Nebraska-Kearney

No. 5 Fort Hays State University closes out its rivalry run this Saturday on the road at Nebraska-Kearney. Game time from the Health and Sports Center in Kearney, Neb., is set for 5:30 p.m., and is the first of three away games to close the year for FHSU.

The Tigers (23-2, 15-1 MIAA) closed out their home portion of the regular season with a 74-67 win over Washburn on Wednesdayevening, going 16-0 at Gross Memorial Coliseum on the year. In the game, Beth Bohuslavsky reached a career-high 25 points, finishing 14-of-14 from the free throw line. That home court advantage has been key in the Tigers’ first place MIAA record, as FHSU is one game ahead of Pittsburg State and three ahead of Emporia State with three games remaining. FHSU and PSU have both claimed first round byes in the MIAA Tournament, held in early March.

FHSU is in the hunt for its first MIAA Championship, and recently was slotted in the top spot for the first NCAA Central Region rankings, released Wednesday (Feb. 18) as part of the run-up to the NCAA Tournament, which begins after the MIAA Tournament.

Last time FHSU and the Lopers squared off, the Tigers won, 69-52 at Gross Coliseum behind a double-double from Kate Lehman as she scored 17, pulled down 15 rebounds and had five blocks. For the season, Lehman is averaging 20 points and 10.5 points per game, while Chelsea Mason is second on the team with 11.6 points per contest. Of late, Bohuslasky and Jill Faxon have been amongst the team’s leading scorers and have seen their scoring averages rise to 8.7 and 9.5, respectively.

The Lopers (11-14, 5-11 MIAA) have lost six consecutive but still feature five players averaging over 10 points per game. Amarah Williams leads the team with 15.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while Laramey Lewis is second on the team in both points (14.6) and rebounds (7.0). Other Lopers in double-digits are McKenzie Brown (12.0), Kelsey Fitzgerald (10.8) and Alexa Hogberg (10.2). Hogberg leads the MIAA currently in assists with 124 (5.0 per game) on the year.