Can't
get to the game? Don't worry, we've got ya covered.
FHSU women pull away from Truman
1/3/2010
By CONOR NICHOLL
cnicholl@dailynews.net
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. -- The Fort Hays State University women's basketball game had a litany of obstacles before its Saturday road contest at Truman State (Mo.) University. The Tigers had a short walkthrough Friday morning, then had a seven and a half hour bus trip, the longest trek of the season.
FHSU, used to playing in front of more than a 1,000 fans, saw just 345 fans at Truman's Pershing Arena. Plus, the arena was cold and senior guard Naomi Bancroft, the conference's leading scorer, had the flu.
"Like coach told us before the game, those are all excuses that we can use to not play well," senior forward Erica Biel said.
"We all just put it through our heads before the game that we don't care. We want to win. Whatever the circumstances are, we are going to do whatever we can."
Still, the Tigers, helped by an 18-2 run and strong rebounding, picked up a critical 67-60 victory over the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon.
"It's not that easy to get up," second-year Tiger coach Tony Hobson said. "And it's 65 in the gym, cold, one o'clock game and no crowd. I am pretty proud of the way we played today. Regardless of who we were playing, I thought we showed up and gave good effort."
Fort Hays moved to 10-2 overall and 3-2 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, while Truman State dropped to 6-7, 1-5 in the conference. Temperatures dipped into the single digits outside the gym and Pershing Arena, one of the less insulated fieldhouses in the MIAA, was chilly all day. Hobson and assistant coach Carrie Hofstetter wore coats during the contest. Players started blowing on their hands before the game and Biel said her fingers "were stinging" when she held the ball.
"It was uncomfortable," Hobson said. "As a player, there is nothing worse than a cold gym. I would rather play at 80, than 60. I would rather play at 70, but I would much rather have it way to hot than cold just because you have no feel for the ball."
Bancroft, who averages 18.2 points per game, collected a game-high 21, yet was 4-of-15 from the field and 3-of-8 from 3-point range. She had practiced sparingly before the contest and wore a coat afterward to stay warm.
In addition, FHSU played without freshman guard Whitney Taylor, an Ellis native who will miss significant time with a stress fracture in her leg. Taylor was the first player off the bench and one of FHSU's top shooters. Instead, junior Shelby Hillman became the team's sixth player and contributed seven rebounds in 27 minutes, both career highs.
"Whenever Hillman is in the game, she mixes things up," Hobson said. "She crashes the boards every time. Sometimes she doesn't get it, but it will make one of the (opponents) miss it or she'll tip it, or something. She just works really hard in there. It seems like when she in there, it makes everybody a little bit better because she is just flying around."
In addition, Biel, a returning first team all-MIAA player who set single season school records for blocks and rebounding average last season, has gradually improved from preseason illness. Biel sets a goal of a double-double every game, but had not reached the mark in 2009-10. However, she collected 11 points and nine rebounds versus Truman.
"I think now that I am getting stronger, I am starting to get really physical in the rebounds, too," Biel said. "Everybody on the team was rebounding really well, so that was awesome."
Hillman and Biel helped FHSU outrebound Truman 41-34, including 25-18 after intermission.
"I thought we controlled the boards in the second half," Hobson said.
The Tigers and Truman State were tied 31-31 at intermission. The Bulldogs kept the game close in the second half, cutting an eight-point FHSU lead to 45-43 after Bulldog sophomore forward Brenna Daniels (team-high 15 points) converted a steal into a layup.
Then, the Tigers its big run and opened up a 61-45 lead with six minutes left.
"The difference was (the rebounding)," Hobson said. "We scored twice, maybe three times off offensive rebounds."
Bancroft had two free throws with 10 and a half minutes left to give FHSU a four-point lead. Then, senior Kayla Klug had a layup. After a Truman basket, Biel collected a layup and Bancroft made two free throws.
The Tigers bumped their lead to double digits on a broken play. Biel picked up the ball out of a scrum and fired a pass to Bancroft, who hit a 3-pointer from the left baseline.
"It's not really a play," Biel said. "I just was down there and I had it and I just found her. Most of the time, she is really good about it, if she is open out there, she is calling for it. I just found her and she hit it."
Truman cut the lead to 61-53 with two minutes remaining, but FHSU held on for the win on a cold, obstacle-filled afternoon.
"I thought under the circumstances we played OK," Hobson said.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| 2/18 | SW Baptist | L 66-53 | |
| 12/1 | Oklahoma - Panhandle | L 66-60 (OT) | |