BY FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team wraps up its home schedule against Northeastern State on Saturday (Feb. 22). First tip on Senior Day is slated for 2 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Promotions
Game Sponsor: Nex-Tech
National Anthem: Tricia Lynch and Friends
Student Section Theme: U.S.A.
Senior Day: Fort Hays State will recognize the five seniors playing in their final home game on Saturday
Halftime Performance: Styles Dance
Big Creek Crossing Baby Crawl: Halftime of the men’s game
Basketball Bingo: Play along for your chance to win a FREE box of popcorn courtesy of our game sponsor, Nex-Tech
The Tigers will recognize their senior class with a special ceremony before the opening tip. This year’s senior class includes Belle Barbieri, Kyleigh Kasper, Kacey Kennett, Lanie Page and Taylor Rolfs. These seniors have helped the Tigers to 99 wins over the last four years and can become just the second class in program history to win 100 games at FHSU with a win Saturday. They have earned a combined five All-MIAA honors and have appeared on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll 13 times.
Fort Hays State has dominated the all-time series with NSU, winning 14 of the 17 contests and 13 straight. The Tigers have never lost to Northeastern State in Hays, winning all six home games against the RiverHawks. The last RiverHawk victory in the series came midway through the 2013-14 season, more than six years ago (1/18/14, 49-48 in Tahlequah). FHSU is 14-2 overall and 6-0 at home against NSU under Hobson.
A win Saturday would give the Tigers 20 wins for the ninth year in a row. Fort Hays State had eight 20-win seasons in the first 42 years of the program before the current streak began in the 2011-12 season.
While the Tigers have secured a trip to Kansas City for the 2020 MIAA Championship, a lot is still up for grabs in the final league standings. FHSU can finish anywhere from third through eighth with three games to go. The teams seeded third through sixth in the tournament will open play with the quarterfinals on Friday, March 6, while the seven through 10 seeds have to play in the opening round on Wednesday, March 4. Tiger fans can get discounted tickets to the conference championship tournament while supplies last through the FHSU Athletic Department office.
Barbieri led the Tigers with 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting in a road win over the RiverHawks last month (77-66, 1/9/20). Jaden Hobbs added 17 points and six assists while Rolfs scored 16 after hitting four 3-pointers.
Kennett averages 10.9 points in seven career games against NSU, scoring in double figures three times. She put up 23 points against the RiverHawks as a junior, her most points in a game against a Division II opponent.
After turning the ball over just nine times in Thursday’s 100-59 win over Rogers State, the Tigers lowered their season average to 11.2 turnovers per game, fewest in the MIAA and third-fewest in the country.
Northeastern State is searching for its first win outside Tahlequah this season, entering the weekend 0-10 in road or neutral contests. The RiverHawks rank 13th in the MIAA in scoring offense, averaging 59.4 points per game, while ranking 12th with 68.7 points allowed per contest. NSU hits 74.2 percent from the free-throw line as a team, fifth-best in the league. Junior Cenia Hayes leads the team in nearly every statistical category, ranking in the top 20 in the MIAA in seven different categories. She averages 15.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals while hitting 84.3 percent from the free-throw line.