Setting the Scene
- For the first time in program history, SWOSU Women's Basketball will compete for a Regional Championship on Monday evening as they take on No. 3 Fort Hays State at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays
- The Lady Bulldogs advanced to their first-ever Central Regional Championship game with a dramatic 75-72 victory over Central Missouri, a game in which they erased an eight-point fourth quarter deficit
- SWOSU will be matched up with a Fort Hays State team that has a matching 32-1 record and they are unbeaten at home this season with an 18-0 record at Gross Memorial Coliseum
- FHSU is the team responsible for eliminating the Lady Bulldogs from the postseason last season, when the Tigers defeated SWOSU 78-75 in the regional quarterfinals in Sioux Falls, S.D.
- Fort Hays State is the third straight MIAA team that SWOSU will face after defeating Emporia State and Central Missouri to reach the regional championship game
 
About the Opponent
(1) #3 Fort Hays State (32-1)
- FHSU is in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in program history and hosting the Central Regional for the second time in the past five years
- The Tigers are led by senior forward Tatyana Legette, a First Team All-Central Region selection by D2CCA who leads the team in scoring, rebounding and assists
- Fort Hays State features the top scoring offense (76.7 ppg) and scoring defense (55.5 ppg) in the MIAA, which is good for the sixth-best scoring margin in NCAA Division II at +21.2
- Four different Tigers are averaging better than 10.0 points per game, with Lanie Page (11.8 ppg), Kacey Kennett (11.0) and Belle Barbieri (10.7) in addition to Legette
- MIAA Coach of the Year Tony Hobson became FHSU's all-time winningest coach earlier this season and he has led the Tigers to 20 or more wins in eight consecutive seasons
 
The Series

Date	Location	Score
12/9/78	Weatherford	L, 48-74
12/8/79	Hays, Kan.	L, 52-82
3/12/91	Jackson, Tenn.	L, 53-57
3/9/18	Sioux Falls, S.D.	L, 75-78
All-Time: FHSU Leads 4-0
NCAA Division II Era: FHSU Leads 1-0
in Weatherford: FHSU Leads 1-0
in Hays: FHSU Leads 1-0
Neutral: FHSU Leads 2-0
in NCAA Tournament: FHSU Leads 1-0

 
SWOSU Notes
- After collecting their 32nd victory of the season, the 2018-19 SWOSU Women's Basketball team now has the third-most single-season victories in Lady Bulldog program history
- The 32 victories also sets a new single-season Great American Conference record for victories, matching the mark set by the 2016-17 Harding women's basketball team
- Taber Beer logged a career-high 28 minutes of action against Central Missouri and came up clutch with five points in the final two minutes, including the game-winning three-pointer with less than one second remaining
- Hailey Tucker is averaging 23.5 points per game during the Central Regional, having knocked down 13-of-28 field goal attempts and 7-of-15 three-pointers in the first two games
- Tucker was 10-for-10 at the free throw line against Central Missouri, matching her season high with 10 free throws made, a number also accomplished against Southern Nazarene and Northwestern Oklahoma State
- Central Region Player of the Year Hayden Priddy has battled foul trouble during the regional and she's averaging 16.5 points and 3.5 assists per game in Hays
- The Lady Bulldogs have knocked down 42-of-50 (84%) free throw attempts during the regional tournament, including a 23-of-26 (88.5%) against UCM, their highest percentage this season when attempting more than 20 free throws
- Bethany Franks recorded her second straight double-double and third in the last six games with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Central Missouri
- Franks has now reached double figures in scoring in seven straight games and nine of the last 11, matching her total from the first 22 games of the season
- Tyra Aska fouled out with six points and five rebounds in 23 minutes of play against UCM, giving her 10 straight games with at least five rebounds
 
Looking Ahead
- The winner of Monday's regional championship advances to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, which will be held March 26-27 & 29th at Alumni Hall in Columbus, Ohio