FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team will open the 2016-17 season on Sunday (Oct. 30) with an exhibition contest against Kansas University in Lawrence, Kan. First tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. from Allen Fieldhouse.
The contest will be available on the Jayhawk Television Network in the state of Kansas and online on ESPN3 outside of Kansas. A full list of television affiliates can be found HERE.
For fans traveling to Lawrence for the Sunday afternoon tilt, reserved tickets are available for $12 while GA seats are $8 for adults and $5 for youth and seniors. Parking is free in all outdoor lots around the Fieldhouse.
The Tigers are coming off their second-straight trip to the NCAA Central Region tournament, a first in program history. Head coach Tony Hobson and company finished last season with a 25-6 record, the fifth-consecutive 20-win season for the Tigers, the second-longest active streak in the MIAA.
Fort Hays State finished the 2015-16 regular season tied for second in the conference, finishing with 18 conference victories for the second-straight year. The team led the nation with a +10.1 turnover margin last season, averaging a national-best 9.3 turnovers while forcing 19.4 opponent turnovers per game.
Seven Tigers return from a year ago, complimented by eight newcomers. Senior Jill Faxon earned third team All-MIAA honors a year ago, while fellow senior Nikola Kacperska was given honorable mention accolades. Faxon averaged 12.3 points per night last season, leading the team with 5.8 rebounds per outing. Kacperska picked up 1.9 steals per game, third-best in the MIAA, while dishing out 60 assists on the year.
Other players returning to the team are Taylor Chandler, Tatyana Legette, Carly Heim, Sarah Pimentel and Rachel Doll. Chandler appeared in all 31 contests last season, making 26 starts and scoring over six points each night. Legette came off the bench in each game, hitting 51 percent of her attempts from the field. Heim appeared in 29 games in a reserve role, playing 11 minutes per night and averaging 2.2 points and 1.4 rebounds each game. Doll and Pimentel saw limited action a year ago, playing 66 combined minutes. Among the eight new Tigers are seven freshmen and one Division I transfer.
Kansas finished the year at 6-25 a year ago, turning in an 0-18 record in Big 12 action before winning an opening round contest in the Big 12 Tournament. Several new faces will see significant playing time in transfers McKenzie Calvert and Jessica Washington. Sophomore Kylee Kopatich is the top scorer returning from last season, averaging 9.5 points and 33 minutes as a true freshman. Kopatich was high school teammates with Tiger freshman Kacey Kennett at Olathe South High School in Olathe, Kan.
Sunday will mark the ninth exhibition contest inside Allen Fieldhouse for FHSU, dating back to 2001. KU has won each of the last eight preseason meetings. The Tigers and Jayhawks have met in 14 regular season contests, with each side earning seven victories. However, the last regular season meeting between the schools came during the 1975-76 season.
After another exhibition contest at Creighton in Omaha, Neb. on Thursday (Nov. 3), the Tigers will open the regular season on Friday, Nov. 11 in St. Joseph, Mo. when they face off with Upper Iowa.