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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State University (4-0) men's basketball team will hit the road for the first time in 2012-13 as the team travels to Alva, Okla., for a meeting with Northwestern Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. Nov. 24 at Percefull Fieldhouse.
 
NSU and NWOSU met in the RiverHawks' regular-season opener Nov. 12, with NSU picking up a 78-73 victory.
 
SCOUTING THE RANGERS
Northwestern Oklahoma State currently owns a 1-3 record this year. The team lost to Rogers State (81-69) and NSU (78-73) before picking up a 70-68 victory at Fort Hays State (70-68). The Rangers lost their last outing 77-74 to University of Science and Arks of Oklahoma. NWOSU is led in scoring by Jonathan Freemyer (17.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Daryl Glover (15.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg). The second-leading rebounder is Bruce Wright (7.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg).
 
A PERFECT START
NSU has opened up its 2012-13 campaign on the highest of notes, posting an unblemished 4-0 mark for the first time since 2005-06. The RiverHawks started the season 5-0 that year before dropping their first contest. Northeastern State won its opener Nov. 12 by a 78-73 margin against Northwestern Oklahoma State University. The green and white then posted a 75-60 upset triumph over No. 19 Arkansas Tech on Nov. 15, using a game-high 26 points from junior guard Bryton Hobbs and an 11-0 run to close out the contest. Ten different members of the team recorded at least two points and one assist in NSU's 77-48 victory over Central Bible College on Nov. 17. The team has also defeated Ecclesia 90-45 Nov. 19, which was the largest margin of victory in nearly four years.
 
LEADING THE WAY
Northeastern State is led in scoring through four games by newcomer Bryton Hobbs, who is averaging 18.3 points and 5.0 assists per game. Senior guard Ethan Anderson has poured in 12.5 points per contest. Senior forward Jermaine Bransford is nearly averaging a double double with 10.5 ppg and 6.3 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Landon DeMasters is contributing 10.5 points a night.
 
NSU's GIPSON IN 16TH SEASON
NSU's Larry Gipson (Heidelberg College, '74) is in his 16th season as the RiverHawks head coach. The long-time leader of the men's basketball program enters the year with a 249-179 record over his illustrious career at NSU. He is returning to the bench after having missed most of the 2011-12 season with an illness. Gipson is second all-time in school history behind only Jack Dobbins (314 wins) in career wins, and his .578 winning percentage is the best in school history. He reached the 100- and 200-win milestones faster than any other coach in school history. Gipson has posted eight winning seasons in his time at NSU, and those include five 20-win campaigns and a national championship in 2002-03 (32-3 record).
            Gipson was inducted into the NSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004. He and Nolan Richardson are the only two head coaches ever to lead teams to a national championship at both the NCAA and NJCAA level. Gipson, Richardson and Ray Harper (NCAA D-II, NAIA) are the only three coaches in college basketball history to win national titles at two different levels. Gipson began his college coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Tulsa under Richardson. Gipson has won three national coach of the year honors throughout his career. He was named the 2003 Division II Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), he earned the 2003 Molten/Division II Bulletin Coach of the Year award and he was also the 1989 NABC national junior college coach of the year. He was appointed by his peers as the President of the Board of the Directors for the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in April 2012.
 
NORTHEASTERN STATE CELEBRATING 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The RiverHawks are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their historic national championship run from the 2002-03 campaign. The team posted a school-record 32 wins to just three losses that season and defeated Kentucky Wesleyan 75-64 on March 29 in Lakeland, Fla., to earn the first and only men's basketball national championship in Northeastern State history. Four different RiverHawks averaged 10 points per game that season, led by Jon Shepherd's 14.6 ppg average. Reggie Battee was the top rebounder at 6.2 rpg, and Darnell Hinson led NSU at 4.1 assists per game.
 
ONE FINAL YEAR
The 2012-13 campaign marks the last in Jack Dobbins Field House. The field house has served as the home of NSU basketball since the 1954-55 season, and Northeastern State will move into its new home beginning in 2013-14. The $14.4 million event center has yet to be named and is currently under construction. The new home of RiverHawks basketball will seat 3,000 and will be located adjacent to Doc Wadley Stadium on the north side of the NSU campus.
 
TRIVIA NIGHT PREMIERE . . .
NSU Athletics will host “Trivia Night” on Saturday, Jan., 19, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. in the University Center's Herb Rozell Ballroom. Jay Hannah, NSU alum, will serve as master of ceremonies. This fundraising event features a fun-filled evening complete with hors d'oeuvres, beverages for purchase, a silent auction and much more.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN KC . . .
The 2013 MIAA Men's Basketball Championship is set to take place inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. The top 12 teams in the regular season all qualify for postseason play, with the top four earning byes to Kansas City. The first round will be contested at host sites March 4, with the fifth seed hosting No. 12, the sixth seed hosting No. 11, etc. Those four winners will join the top four seeds in KC March 7-10.
 
NSU SELECTED 14TH IN MIAA PRESEASON POLLS . . .
The Northeastern State men's basketball team was selected to finish 14th in the 2012-13 MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Polls. “I think the ranking is what we deserve based on last year,” NSU head men's basketball coach Larry Gipson said. “I don't see how we could be picked very highly, but it's up to us to prove that we're not a bottom-end team in the MIAA. Washburn, who won last season's conference tournament, has been picked by both the media and coaches to finish first again this year. The Ichabods represented the MIAA in the NCAA Tournament along with Northwest Missouri and Missouri Southern. Central Missouri, who finished tied for the conference regular season crown, has been picked second in both polls picking up three first place votes from the coaches. Northwest Missouri, who also took home a piece of the regular season crown, has been picked to finish third this season in both polls, picking up a first place vote from the coaches.
 
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