SBU BEARCATS (6-17, 4-12 MIAA) vs
FORT HAYS STATE LADY TIGERS (15-8, 8-8 MIAA)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2010 • 5:30 PM
BOLIVAR, MO • MEYER SPORTS CENTER
LIVE STATS: via Sidearm
RADIO:  KBFL 99.9 FM  (Josh Thompson, play-by-play)
INTERNET AUDIO: www.radiospringfield.com
VIDEO: via b2networks (B2 networks pay-per-view)

SBU NOTES
   
BOLIVAR, Mo. – With four games left in the MIAA regular season, the SBU Bearcats still have a shot at earning a berth to the MIAA Tournament, starting with a near must-win game Thursday against Fort Hays State. SBU sits two and half games out of the eighth and final spot in the tournament.
    
Senior Rachel Graves has hit her stride during the final stretch of the conference season, scoring 20 or more points in her last three road games, all against the top talent in the league. After her 26 point performance against the Lady Hornets, Graves broke into the top 10 on the MIAA scoring list, averaging 13.8 a game, good for ninth in the conference. Graves is also among the league leaders in steals (1.5 per game, 10th in MIAA), three-point percentage (39.6%, 4th-best) and threes made (2.7 a game, 4th in MIAA). Graves' 3.0 assists per game ties her for tenth in the conference, and her low turnover totals gives her the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.6.
    
Point guard Ashleigh Gallio set a new career high with 28 points against Emporia earlier this week; where she went 8-for-11 from three. Gallio has done a solid job leading the Bearcat attack, averaging 3.7 assists a game, fourth-most in the conference. With 1.9 threes per game (9th in MIAA) and a 36.4% (8th in MIAA) clip from deep, Gallio can attack a defense with multiple aspects of her game. Her 32.7 minutes per game on average is also the second-most in the MIAA.
   
Courtney Heady has positioned herself as the third member of the Bearcats sharp-shooting trio. Heady has hit 15 treys over her last four games, the most over any four game stretch in her career. The junior guard is averaging 11.4 points per game, 17th-best in the MIAA. Heady also ranks seventh in three-point percentage, shooting at a 36.7% clip.
 
THE COACHES AND THE ALL-TIME SERIES  
SBU head coach J.C. Carter is in his second season on the bench for the Bearcats, where he has earned a career mark of 14-37. Last season, Carter led the 'Cats to an upset of nationally-ranked Emporia State on their own floor, and earned a berth into the MIAA Tournament.
   
As the sixth head coach in FHSU history, Tony Hobson led the Tigers to their first appearance in the MIAA Tournament in his first year at Hays. With a career mark of 238-64, Hobson led his alma mater, Hastings College, to back-to-back NAIA national champioships in 2002 & 2003. As a newcomer to the conference, the SBU-FHSU series is relatively young, as the Bearcats hold a 4-3 edge. The Tigers have taken three of the last four matchups.   
    
SCOUTING THE LADY TIGERS      
Fort Hays State is currently fifth in the MIAA, and have struggled as of late, dropping four of their last five games after falling to Central Missouri last weekend. Senior Naomi Bancroft is second in scoring in the MIAA, putting up 17.8 points per game. Bancroft also leads the league in three-pointers per game, hitting 3.5 a night. Erica Biel is the Tigers' leading rebounder, with 6.7 boards a game (9th in MIAA), as well as the second-best shot blocker in the league, averaging 1.9 blocks a game.

NEXT UP FOR THE SBU BEARCATS 
The Bearcats will travel north for what could be a pivotal matchup as the conference schedule winds down. SBU will take on Nebraska-Omaha, who currently stand in the eighth spot in the MIAA standings, the last spot to earn a berth to the MIAA Tournament next month. Heading into the Fort Hays game, SBU stands 2.5 games behind Omaha, with four games left to play. The Mavs' have treaded water most of the season, maintaining a .500 record throughout the season. The game could be decided with the long ball, as the Bearcats lead the conference in treys made (9.7 per game), while the Mavericks are the MIAA's best three-point defenders, allowing only 27.4% shooting from deep. Alyssa Green is the Mavericks' leading scorer, with 14.8 points a game. Freshman Jamie Nash is dealing out 3.2 assists each night, 7th best in the MIAA.
   
SBU will play their final home game of the season on Tuesday night when they host Northwest Missouri State. The purple Bearcats will honor their seniors prior to the 5:30 p.m. contest.