Game Notes  I  Live Stats

Like NSU Men's Basketball on Facebook  I  Follow NSU Men's Basketball on Twitter
 
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team is set to head to Quincy, Ill., for the QU Holiday Tournament. The RiverHawks (7-1, 2-0 MIAA) will first meet Ohio Valley State University (2-7, 1-4 WVIAC) at 5:15 p.m. Dec. 18 at Pepsi Arena (2,000).
 
The winner of that contest will meet the Quincy/Truman State winner at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19. The two losers will meet at 5:15 p.m. Dec. 19. This will mark the first meeting between OVSU and NSU in the Larry Gipson era.
 
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING SCOTS
Ohio Valley State is 2-7 this season and 1-4 in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The two victories for the Fighting Scots have come against Millersville University (93-92) and Bluefield State College (74-65). OVSU is being outscored 90.8-67.9 this season. Ashton Brown leads Ohio Valley State in scoring at 19.1 ppg. He is the lone member of the team averaging in double figures, and he is also the team leader in assists (3.7 apg) and third in rebounding (5.0 rpg). Jerry Macon Jr. is second in scoring at 9.7 ppg and Neil Gingerich leads the squad in rebounding at 5.7 rpg.
 
WELCOME TO THE NEW LEAGUE
Northeastern State is currently in its first season as members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The RiverHawks opened league play Dec. 5 with a 63-56 victory over Emporia State at Jack Dobbins Field House. Senior forward Jermaine Bransford led the way for the home team with his first-career double-double. He recorded 22 points, 11 rebounds and three steals in 37 minutes. Junior guard Bryton Hobbs added 18 points and six assists.
 
A PERFECT START
NSU opened the 2012-13 campaign 5-0 before dropping its first contest. The perfect start was the best since 2005-06. The RiverHawks also started the season 5-0 that year. 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 then-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. In its most recent outing, NSU went on the road to top NWOSU 83-77 before losing its first game of the season at Harding (65-63).
 
LEADING THE WAY
Northeastern State is led in scoring by newcomer Bryton Hobbs, who is averaging 17.6 points and 4.8 assists per game. Senior guard Ethan Anderson has poured in 10.9 points per contest. Senior forward Jermaine Bransford is averaging 15.4 ppg and a team-high 8.4 rpg. Sophomore forward Landon DeMasters is contributing 7.4 points a night.
 
IN THE LEAGUE
Northeastern State leads the MIAA in four statistical categories this year. The last league statistics were released Dec. 10. The team is the league leader in field-goal percentage (.491), three point field-goal percentage (.433), free-throw percentage (.836), and rebounding defense (30.0). The team is also third in assists (15.4).
 
LIGHTS OUT
The RiverHawks have shot lights out this season, making 49 percent of their attempts from the field (202-409), 43 percent from downtown (55-127) and 84 percent from the free-throw line (127-152). Of those with at least 10 attempts, sophomore forward Landon DeMasters leads the team in shooting percentage (15-22, .682), senior guard Christian Mack is the team leader in three-point percentage (9-16, .563), and senior guard Ethan Anderson is 12-for-12 from the line. Senior forward Jermaine Bransford, DeMasters and Anderson are a combined 62-for-66 (.939) from the charity stripe.
 
-GoRiverHawksGo.com-