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Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Women's Basketball returns to the NCAA postseason for the first time since 2014 after receiving the No. 3 seed in the Central Region
- First up for the Lady Bulldogs is a clash against No. 6-seed Fort Hays State out of the MIAA on Friday at noon from the Elmen Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- This will be just the fourth all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and Tigers, who last met in the 1991 NAIA National Championship Game, which FHSU won 57-53
- SWOSU is 1-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament after advancing to the semifinals of the regional in 2013 and taking a first-round exit in 2014
- The Lady Bulldogs earned an at-large bid to the field with a record of 26-4 after falling to Harding in the semifinals of the GAC Tournament
- Fort Hays State lost to Lindenwood in the MIAA Tournament Championship game but earned an at-large bid after winning 13 of their last 15 games
 
The Opponent
(6) Fort Hays State (25-6)
- FHSU finished third place in the MIAA during the regular season with a conference record of 14-5 to enter the NCAA Tournament with a record of 25-6
- The Tigers feature the MIAA's top scoring defense, holding opponents to 57.0 points per game while scoring an average of 71.5 points per contest
- Leading the way for Fort Hays State is Tatyana Legette with 13.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, while Carly Heim (12.1 ppg) and Kacey Kennett (10.1 ppg) also average double figures in scoring
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Kelsi Musick (156-105, 9th season)
- Three-time GAC Coach of the Year, winning back-to-back honors for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons and she has led the Lady Bulldogs to five 20-win seasons
- Musick has coached one All-American and 15 All-GAC selections, including three Players of the Year (Darcie Dick, 2012; Hailey Tucker, 2017-18), one Freshman of the Year (Hailey Tucker, 2016) and one Defender of the Year (Tyra Aska, 2018)
- Musick has led SWOSU to the 2018 GAC Regular Season Championship, two GAC Tournament Championships (2012, 2014) and three NCAA Division II Tournament appearances (2013, 2014, 2018)
 
Fort Hays State: Tony Hobson (204-91, 10th season)
- Hobson has led the Tigers to the NCAA Division II National Tournament for the third time after previously making it to the tournament in 2015 and 2016
- Has over 600 career wins to his credit in 26 seasons, including three NAIA National Championships (2002, 2003, 2006) as the head coach at Hastings College in Nebraska
 
Checking the Standings
Date                Location                     Score
12/9/1978        Weatherford, Okla.     L 48-74
12/8/1979        Hays, Kan.                  L 52-82
3/12/1991        Jackson, Tenn.           L 53-57
 
All-Time: FHSU leads 3-0
In Weatherford: FHSU leads 1-0
In Hays: FHSU leads 1-0
Neutral: FHSU leads 1-0
 
SWOSU Notes
- SWOSU is led by two-time Great American Conference Player of the Year Hailey Tucker, who leads the league with 20.6 points per game this season
- A three-time First Team All-GAC selection, Tucker has moved into third on SWOSU's career scoring list and is the school's all-time leader in blocked shots while also ranking fourth in rebounds
- Hayden Priddy picked up her second straight First Team All-GAC selection and recently moved into 9th on SWOSU's all-time scoring list after surpassing the 1,200-career point mark against Harding
- Priddy ranks third in the GAC in assists (4.6 per game) and free throw percentage (87.6%) and fifth in scoring (15.3 ppg) while leading the league with an Assist/Turnover Ratio of 1.7/1
- Tyra Aska was named the GAC Defender of the Year and Second Team All-GAC after ranking third on the team with 13.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while leading SWOSU with 53 steals
- Bethany Franks has nearly averaged a double-double for her freshman season with 10.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game
- Franks set a new career-high by grabbing 21 rebounds in the GAC Quarterfinals against Oklahoma Baptist
- SWOSU has reached the 20-win plateau for the 22nd time in school history and fifth time under the direction of Kelsi Musick
- The 26 wins by the Lady Bulldogs is also the most by the program as an NCAA Division II institution
 
Looking Ahead
- With a victory on Friday afternoon, the Lady Bulldogs would advance to face (2) Central Missouri or (7) MSU-Moorhead on Saturday at 5:00 pm in the regional semifinals