By MAYAN PAZ
Tiger Media Network
Fort Hays State University basketball will play its first home doubleheader on Saturday when the women host Pittsburg State in a non-MIAA contest and the men host William Jewell. This will also be the first time the FHSU women’s team plays at home this season.
Women set for home opener coming off road split
Fort Hays State and Pitt State will face off in a top-10 clash on Saturday, providing both teams with an opportunity to bolster their strength of schedule. The No. 8 Tigers (7-1, 1-1) and No. 6 Gorillas (6-1, 2-0) will play a return MIAA game in Pittsburg on February 21.
Fort Hays has played in a number of close games this season, with six of their eight games being decided by 9 points or less, including their first loss against Washburn last Saturday. FHSU head coach Talia Kahrs said one of the aspects that requires improvement from the players is the intensity level necessary throughout the entire game to run away from the opponent.
Kahrs said one of the problems the Tigers faced last weekend was losing key rebound opportunities and giving their opponents too many second-chance points. FHSU allowed 15 offensive rebounds in their overtime win against UCM and 13 second-chance points against Washburn.
With PSU on the horizon, Kahrs said the team is trying to focus on limiting opponent rebounding opportunities.
“Pitt does a really good job of rebounding, because they’re bringing everybody in from the perimeter, and they’re very, very guard-oriented on the offensive side of things,” she said. “And so we really have to make sure that our guards are keeping the ball in front of them, because they really like to get downhill and get to the basket.”
Kahrs said she hopes the FHSU guards can guard the dribble well to avoid their post players coming over to help, and instead focus on guarding in the post and getting backside rebounds.
FHSU freshman guard Olivia Mortensen has played a significant role for the Tigers this season, averaging 11.6 points in just under 30 minutes per game. In FHSU’s first MIAA game against UCM, she faced a tough challenge, scoring just 2 points as she discovered that the transition from non-conference play to conference competition is significant.
However, against Washburn, she found her rhythm again, scoring 11 points, including a crucial three-pointer to tie the game with 44 seconds left.
Mortensen said she was preparing for a more challenging task when conference play came around, but it was still surprising.
“Coach Talia, she warned us. She said the conference is a whole different play. And I kind of came in with that mindset. But, I think definitely things started off a little rocky, but obviously, thanks to the veterans, they were able to come out and play their best,” Mortensen said. “And I think I definitely learned from that, and learned how different it is, and what I need to always bring my A game.”
She also added that her important shot against Washburn boosted her confidence going forward.
“I think even just getting minutes in these games, and being able to play with my team, and sometimes even be able to make plays like that has definitely helped my confidence grow. And I’m just excited to keep playing,” she said.
FHSU and Pitt State will tip off at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Tiger men look to rebound after 0-2 start in MIAA play
FHSU faced two difficult and talented teams to start their MIAA campaign, dropping road contests to UCM on Thursday and No.2 Washburn on Saturday. Now, they will step out of the MIAA for the next three games, beginning with William Jewell on Saturday.
The Tigers (5-2, 0-2) are emphasizing the importance of non-conference play this season. When considering their chances of qualifying for the NCAA tournament through an at-large bid, the Tigers need to have a good record against non-MIAA DII teams. So far, they are 5-1 out of the MIAA and 2-1 against DII non-conference opponents. FHSU hopes to finish on a positive note in the next three games, as a 5-1 record against DII non-con opponents will enhance their chances of receiving an at-large bid.
Junior guard Kyle Grill discussed the importance of non-conference play in gaining experience against diverse teams.
“Non-conference games are really important because when you’re looking at NCAA Tournament games at the end of the year, when you’re playing teams outside of your conference, they’re a big deal,” Grill said. “Because some of the teams we play might be the winners of their conference, but if we’re beating them on the road, it says a lot about our team. And they’re also good experience of playing against outside teams outside of our conference.”
Last year, the Tigers beat William Jewell (3-5, 1-2) on the road, and will look to take the win this year as well in order to get back on track. FHSU head coach Mark Johnson said that it’s important to understand that even though the Tigers lost their first couple of games in the MIAA, there is a long way to go, and that compared to last year, the Tigers are not necessarily doing worse.
Last season, the Tigers started off with two losses on the road in non-conference play, and arrived at the MIAA play with a weaker record compared to this year’s.
“If we can win these three games, we end up going 8-1 in the non-conference, which is good. You’ve done enough in the non-conference to make yourself a possibility of an at-large bid. The big thing we talked about after the game is, if you compare last year to this year, we’re actually a game ahead,” he said. “We got swept on this same road trip last year. So now we have done a lot of good things at other places. can we maintain that?”
He went on to say the sky isn’t falling and they are disappointed they didn’t get a win to open MIAA play, but said it was a tough road trip.
Tthere are things we can do to help ourselves,” Johnson said. “Basketball is a marathon, not a sprint, and we just have to keep getting better.”
Preparing to face non-conference rivals, Johnson said that it’s similar to working ahead of MIAA matchups, as the importance of the games is similar, and the Tigers need to keep their routine.
“For each game, we do the same thing. We spend a lot of time on ourselves trying to get better in what we’re doing, and then we spend the same amount of time preparing a scanner report for each game,” he said. “At the end of the day, you don’t change your routine, and you do the same stuff.”
FHSU and William Jewell will play at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Gross Memorial Coliseum.