TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (Jan. 19) --- Antoine Branch scored a career-high 28 points to lift Northeastern State to an 82-67 win over Southeastern Oklahoma as Lone Star North action continued at Dobbins Field House Wednesday night.

The senior guard poured through 19 of his game-high total in the second half as the RiverHawks improved to 8-9 overall and stayed unbeaten in LSC North play at 3-0. SE lost its 15th consecutive game and fell to 1-15 and 0-2.

Branch nailed eight field goals on the night and was perfect on nine free throw attempts to achieve a career best. Earlier this year he had 25 against Harding.

Southeastern opened the game on a torrid pace, hitting their first six shots to construct a 13-6 advantage. It could have been a lot worse but Dee Willis and Terance Reaves drilled a pair of 3-pointers to keep NSU close early.

Over the next 10 minutes the RiverHawks battled back to tie the game on three occasions, the last coming with at 27-all with 4:22 left. NSU then closed out the frame on a 10-3 run to lead 37-30 at halftime.

Northeastern State continued to hold the momentum through much of the final period, leading by as many as nine. Southeastern pulled within two points twice, 50-48 and 52-50, with just over six minutes left. However, the RiverHawks put the game out of reach with four treys, two from Branch and one each from Willis and Ethan Anderson, to highight a 15-2 spurt with 2:53 left.

Reaves finished with 14 points for his third straight double-digit performance. Willis chipped in 13 and Jermaine Bransford had 12 to for NSU. Southeatern got 16 points from Darrell Hicks. Urald King had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Northeastern State will begin a three-game road swing on Saturday at Texas A&M-Commerce at 7 p.m.

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