By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
Fort Hays State Women’s Basketball vs. Pittsburg State
MIAA Championship Quarterfinals | Kansas City, Missouri | Municipal Auditorium
Friday, March 6, 2020 | noon
The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team heads into the postseason Friday (March 6) against in-state rival Pittsburg State in the MIAA Championship Quarterfinals. First tip from historic Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. is set for noon.
Tiger fans making the trip to Kansas City are encouraged to visit the FHSU Alumni Association’s website for more information on Tiger Spirit Parties all weekend!
Live video will be available via the MIAA Network. Fans can watch the broadcast just like a normal road game, those with season passes or all-access passes will have access to the entire MIAA Championship tournament. For those without a season-long pass to the MIAA Network, full tournament passes and single-day passes are also available. Click the Watch Live link above for more information.
After finishing the regular season in a three-way tie for fourth place in the MIAA standings, the Tigers (22-6, 13-6 MIAA) enters the tournament as the No. 5 seed. The Gorillas (17-10, 13-6 MIAA) earned the No. 4 seed over the Tigers and Missouri Western due to a better record between the teams involved in the tie.
Fort Hays State defeated the Gorillas in their only meeting this year, holding on for a narrow one-point win two months ago in Hays (1/6/20).
Fort Hays State is 31-27 against Pittsburg State all-time, including a 1-1 mark in neutral site contests, both of which were played in Kansas City. The Tigers have won six straight in the series, including two wins in the postseason (2019 Central Regional, 2018 MIAA Championship). FHSU is 10-13 against the Gorillas under head coach Tony Hobson.
The Tigers have had plenty of success in the MIAA Championship tournament of late, reaching the championship game each of the last two years. This year’s senior class is 6-2 overall and 5-2 in Kansas City in the MIAA Championship.
In the MIAA Championship, the Tigers are…
-13-9 all-time
-10-9 in Kansas City
-6-4 in the quarterfinals
-1-1 against Pittsburg State
-2-2 as the No. 5 seed
-2-1 against the No. 4 seed
Career stats in the MIAA Championship
Taylor Rolfs – 7.6 ppg in eight games
Kacey Kennett – 7.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.3 apg in eight games
Belle Barbieri – 5.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg in eight games
Madison Mittie – 5.8 ppg in four games
Kacey Kennett, Jaden Hobbs and Belle Barbieri were named All-MIAA performers for their outstanding seasons. Kennett was named to the second team for the second year in a row, picking up the honor for a third time after being listed as honorable mention as a sophomore. Hobbs earned a spot on the third team in her first season as a Tiger. Barbieri picked up honorable mention status for the second year in a row.
Hobbs is coming off her best game of the year after scoring 29 points behind seven 3-pointers in the season finale against Newman. The junior guard has scored in double figures in each of the last 10 games, the longest stretch for a Tiger this season.
Kennett hit a pair of 3-pointers of her own against the Jets, lifting the senior into a tie for second all-time with 172 career makes from behind the arc (Chelsea Mason).
The Tigers would play in the noon semifinal on Saturday against the winner of 15th-ranked Central Missouri and Washburn with a win. A loss and the Tigers would set their sights on the NCAA Division II Selection Show, scheduled for 9 p.m. Sunday on NCAA.com.
Pittsburg State is coming off a loss to Central Missouri to wrap up the regular season. The Gorillas are 6-6 away from John Lance Arena this season, including an 0-1 mark in neutral-site contests. They have turned the ball over just 340 times this season (12.6 per game), second behind FHSU in the MIAA. Third-team All-MIAA selection Tristan Gegg scores an MIAA-best 18.5 points per game while first-teamer Kaylee DaMitz leads the league with 5.7 assists per game.
Career stats vs. PSU
Kacey Kennett – 9.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.0 apg in seven games
Belle Barbieri – 8.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg in six games
Taylor Rolfs – 8.6 ppg in seven games
Jaden Hobbs – 14.0 ppg, 6.0 apg in one game
Cydney Bergmann – 13.0 ppg in one game