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FHSU women jump out early for win
1/28/2010
By RANDY GONZALES
rgonzales@dailynews.net
The Tigers won without Naomi Bancroft having a good shooting game.
Bancroft, the senior sharpshooting guard for the Fort Hays State University women's basketball team, missed shot after shot.
Still, Fort Hays led by 12 at halftime and claimed a 76-66 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association win over University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Bancroft, who leads the MIAA in scoring, finished with a team-high 19 points but was 4-of-25 overall from the floor and 2-of-18 from 3-point range in Wednesday night's game at Gross Memorial Coliseum.
"The thing about Naomi, she's really valuable to us in so many other ways," Fort Hays coach Tony Hobson said of Bancroft, who had a team-high eight rebounds and three assists. "It is kind of heartening we can score 76 points with her not having her normal shooting night."
Fort Hays (14-4 overall, 7-4 MIAA) led 36-24 at halftime despite Bancroft going 1-of-12 from the floor and 1-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Senior forward Erica Biel scored nine of her 17 points in the first 20 minutes.
The Tigers got off to a 16-6 lead seven minutes into the game as UNO missed several shots inside to open the game.
"You can't expect them to play that poor the entire game," Hobson said. "They aren't going to miss those the entire game.
"They're a pretty talented team," he added.
Fort Hays led by 18 in the second half before Nebraska-Omaha (10-9, 5-7) went on a 12-2 run to make it 49-41. The Mavericks had a chance to cut the deficit to five, but sophomore forward Heather Pohl -- who led UNO with 22 points -- missed a 3-pointer.
The Tigers then went on a 10-2 run to take a 59-43 lead with 10:37 remaining in the game. The Mavericks got within 71-62 with 1:36 left and had a chance to cut the margin to six, but Pohl air-balled a 3-pointer.
Bancroft then swished a pair of free throws with 1:06 left to become the seventh-leading scorer in FHSU women's history.
After Bancroft's 19 points and Biel's 17, freshman Traci Keyser scored 12 in her first start.
"Sometimes I think kids that are playing well off the bench deserve a chance to start," Hobson said.
After Pohl's 22 points, freshman guard Jamie Nash scored 13 and senior guard Alyssa Green added 12 for the Mavericks.
The Tigers found out before the game they were seventh in the first regional rankings.
"I thought we would be in the top 10," Hobson said.
"It's nice to be there somewhere to start with.
"I know since we've been in this league we haven't been ranked at all. I think we've earned a little respect," Hobson added.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| TS | 04/06 | Emporia State | L 8-1 |
| SB | 03/30 | Panhandle State | W 10-2 (5 inn.) |
| SB | 03/30 | Panhandle State | W 13-3 (5 inn.) |
| BB | 03/30 | Washburn | W 3-1 |
| BB | 03/30 | Washburn | W 3-1 |
| TS | 03/23 | Kansas Wesleyan | L 6-3 |
| BB | 03/23 | Metro State | W 20-8 |
| BB | 03/23 | Metro State | W 6-5 |
| SB | 03/19 | Nebraska-Omaha | L 4-2 |
| SB | 03/19 | Truman State | W 4-1 |
| SB | 03/18 | Mo. Western | L 6-2 |
| BB | 03/17 | Missouri S&T | W 2-1 (10) |
| SB | 03/17 | Bethany | W 6-1 |
| SB | 03/17 | Bethany | W 8-1 |
| BB | 03/16 | Misosuri S&T | L 13-4 |
| MB | 03/14 | Central Missouri | L 80-73 |
| BB | 3/13 | NW Missouri | W 13-10 |
| BB | 03/13 | NW Missouri | W 4-3 |
| MB | 03/13 | Central Oklahoma | W 80-64 |
| SB | 03/08 | Fort Lewis | W 5-4 |