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Tiger women looking to buck trend
1/24/2012
By CONOR NICHOLL
cnicholl@dailynews.net
The Fort Hays State University women's basketball team has played three consecutive similar games. On Jan. 14, the Tigers led Pittsburg State University 54-51 with 34 seconds left.
However, the Gorillas sank a game-tying 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining, and Tiger senior point guard Crista Bechard missed two free throws with nine seconds left. Fort Hays lost in overtime on the road.
Last Wednesday, FHSU was within three points of Emporia State University with 6:21 left, and trailed by five points with 53 seconds remaining. The Tigers lost 81-70 on the road.
On Saturday, the Tigers shot 7-of-16 (44 percent) from the free throw line, and missed several critical foul shots late, in a home contest against Lincoln (Mo.) University. Still, Fort Hays led by two with 1:46 left, but Lincoln tied the contest with 10 seconds remaining in regulation. In overtime, FHSU led by one, but the Blue Tigers hit the game-winning free throws with three seconds remaining. The Tigers lost 76-75.
"Again, we just didn't find a way to finish it," fourth-year coach Tony Hobson said in his weekly news conference Monday. "It seems like once down the stretch you feel like you don't get a stop when you need it, you don't get a rebound when you need it, you miss some key free throws, maybe a call or two, everything seems to go just downhill.
"We have had three losses like that in a row now that are just really will-testers and you just have to put it behind you and get in the moment and move on to the next game or it can just destroy you," he added.
Instead of being among the top teams in the conference, Fort Hays has slipped to 14-5, 6-5 MIAA. The Tigers are in fifth place, three games back of third. The Tigers will start a two-game, three-city road trip at Northwest Missouri State University (4-14, 2-9 MIAA) on Saturday in Maryville, Mo.
"You have to get your kids' mind off of what has happened and try to look at what can happen the next game," Hobson said. "Anytime you can say, 'If we would have made one free throw out of five towards the end and one of out two this game, we would be 16-3 and tied for third.' It's such a fine line. Basketball, just like a lot of other sports, can be a cruel son-of-a-gun. It's been tough. You have to put a positive spin on it and get ready to play, or it can snowball."
While Pittsburg State and Emporia State stand first and third in the conference standings and rank in the top-20 in the country, Lincoln was a middle-of-the-pack team at 11-6, 5-6 MIAA. However, the Blue Tigers, enjoying their best start in more than 15 years, are 7-2 on the road, including four road conference wins. Fort Hays' turnovers early and free throws late led to the defeat.
"I thought Lincoln played well," Hobson said. "The only thing that disappointed me about the start of the game was our turnovers. Everybody thought, 'Wow, they really run the break well.'
"Well, give any team the ball at half court or between half court and the top of the key, we had three or four turnovers in about a three-minute period and off to the races -- and they are good in the open floor," he added. "That's what got us on our heels."
Fort Hays shoots 71 percent from the foul line in MIAA play, seventh-best in the 11-team league. However, the 44 percent free throw shooting against Lincoln ranked as a season-worst. Hobson said it was the worst single game free throw shooting performance in his coaching career that has spanned two and a half decades.
"I would never say that missing a free throw loses a game -- one free throw -- but we certainly had a chance to win the game with one free throw," Hobson said.
Still, with nine regular-season games left, Hobson believes Fort Hays can turn the season back around. Of the next seven contests, five are against teams that rank below FHSU in the standings. Then, the Tigers finish with two home games versus Pittsburg State and Emporia State.
"I think our kids have pretty strong character and pretty strong will to turn things back around," Hobson said. "That doesn't mean we won't be in more tight games and whether we win them or lose them, I think we will be there to compete."
Tiger men still in mix
Helped by their three-game winning streak, the Tiger men, ranked No. 25 in NCAA Division II at 13-4, 7-4 MIAA, remain one game back of first place. Three teams are tied at 8-3, while Washburn University is at 7-3.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| 2/18 | SW Baptist | L 66-53 | |
| 12/1 | Oklahoma - Panhandle | L 66-60 (OT) | |