(5) Fort Hays State (20-8, 12-8 MIAA) vs (4) Central Missouri (19-7, 13-7)
Thursday, March 1, 2012, 2:15 p.m.
Municipal Auditorium - Kansas City, Mo.
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The Fort Hays State women's basketball team will be looking to win their first postseason game in nearly seven years on Thursday (March 1) at the MIAA Tournament. The Lady Tigers, who qualified as the No. 5 seed, will face No. 4 seed Central Missouri at 2:15 pm from Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. FHSU and Central Missouri split the season series this year, with both teams winning on their home court.
Fort Hays State and Central Missouri split the season series this season for the fourth consecutive season and fifth time in the last six years. Central Missouri picked up the only season sweep in 2007-08 and they hold a 9-6 advantage in the series. The two teams have never met in the postseason.
Central Missouri enters the MIAA Tournament following an 80-75 overtime loss to Truman, which dropped them to the No. 4 seed in the tournament. The Jennies, who finished the regular season with a record of 19-7 (13-7 MIAA), are one of the top shooting teams in the conference, ranking second in both field goal percentage (44.1%) and 3-point shooting percentage (37.6%). First-team All-MIAA selection Nicole Caddell leads the Jennies in scoring (15.5 ppg) and ranks second in rebounding (7.4 rpg) behind Shaquanda Wiggins (8.4 rpg) who is one of the MIAA's top rebounders. Wiggins and Caddell are both very efficient players, ranking first and fourth, respectively, in the MIAA in field goal percentage.
When the Lady Tigers take the court on Wednesday, they will be looking for their first postseason win in almost exactly seven years and their first in the MIAA Tournament. Fort Hays State is 0-2 at the MIAA Tournament, falling to Washburn 73-49 in the first round in 2008-09 and to Emporia State 54-42 in 2009-10. In total, the Lady Tigers have dropped five consecutive postseason games, with the last win coming in the RMAC Shootout. FHSU defeated Colorado Mines 81-53 in the first round of the Shootout 81-53 at Gross Memorial Coliseum on March 2, 2005.
