FHSU Sports Information Department
HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team will face off with Missouri Southern Tuesday evening (Feb. 28) in the first round of the MIAA Tournament. First tip inside Gross Memorial Coliseum is set for 7 p.m.
The winner of Tuesday’s game will advance to Kansas City to play 13th-ranked Emporia State in the quarterfinals inside Municipal Auditorium on Friday (March 3) at noon.
The Tigers, the No. 6 seed in the tournament, finished the regular season 21-7 overall and 12-7 in league play, winning their final two games and six of their last seven. The 11th-seeded Lions enter the postseason with a 12-16 record, including a 7-12 mark in the MIAA.
The Tigers lead the all-time series with MSSU, 29-18, including a 19-4 record inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. Fort Hays State is 10-6 against the Lions under head coach Tony Hobson, winning six of the seven games played in Hays since 2008. The Tigers have won eight of the last 10 against the Green and Gold. FHSU is 2-0 against the Lions in the MIAA Tournament, with both games taking place in KC. The Lions took the lone regular season meeting between the schools, a 75-64 win in the conference-opener in Joplin (Dec. 1).
The Tigers will be playing in the postseason for the sixth-straight season. Fort Hays State is 7-7 all-time in the MIAA Tournament, all under Hobson. The Tigers are 2-0 in Hays, 5-7 in KC, 0-1 in overtime and 0-5 against ranked opponents in the tournament.
A win Tuesday would give Fort Hays State 98 wins over the last four seasons, equaling the best four-year stretch in team history (2012-13 through 2015-16).
The Tigers finished the regular season giving up just 57.8 points per game, best in the MIAA and ranking 26th in Division II.
Jill Faxon closed the regular season with a scoring average of 11.1 points per game, best on the team. Tatyana Legette has posted 9.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest this season, including averaging a double-double over the last six games (12.2 pts, 10.3 reb). Nikola Kacperska paces the squad with 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals each night.
The Lions bring in a pair of active players averaging in double-figures in scoring. Desirea Buerge drops in 12.7 points per night with Chelsey Henry adding 10.4 points each game. Buerge also leads the team in rebounds, averaging 6.3 boards per contest. The Lions give up 72.4 points per game, second-most in the MIAA.