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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team is set to wrap up a brief two-game homestand against No. 18 Pittsburg State. The RiverHawks (11-5, 6-2 MIAA) will play host to the Gorillas (12-4, 6-2 MIAA) at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 23 inside Jack Dobbins Field House (1,000).
 
The last time these two clubs met was in the NCAA Second Round a year ago, with Pittsburg State earning the 68-54 triumph en route to an Elite Eight appearance. Pittsburg State owns a 4-2 record over NSU since the RiverHawks joined the NCAA ranks in 1996-97.
 
The two teams faced off three times last year, and the other three meetings were in 2000-01 (PSU win), 1997-98 (NSU win), and 1996-97 (PSU win).
 
The Gorillas were selected in the preseason MIAA coaches poll to finish second in the conference, while NSU was picked fourth.
 
SCOUTING THE GORILLAS
Pittsburg State is 12-4 overall this year with a 6-2 conference mark. The team has won six of its last seven games, which includes triumphs over Northwest Missouri State (76-47), Missouri Southern (66-63) and Fort Hays State (51-48). The conference blemishes have come at the hands of Central Oklahoma (70-62) and Central Missouri (70-67). The Gorillas are led by the MIAA's top scorer in Lizzy Jeronimus (19.1 ppg). She is also second on the team in rebounding at 6.4 rpg. Lauren Brown only averages 6.1 ppg, but she leads the team in rebounding at 8.6 rpg.
 
LAST 10 FOR LEWIS
Senior guard Taylor Lewis has scored in double figures in all but one game this season, but she has been especially hot over the last 10 games. Ever since a 21-point outburst against Emporia State on Dec. 5, Lewis has averaged 18.6 points per game with shooting percentages of 48 from the field (60-for-124), 51 from downtown (39-for-76) and 90 from the free-throw line (27-for-30). For the season, Lewis is averaging 16.1 points per game to rank second in the MIAA. She is the league's top scorer during conference games at 19.0 ppg.
 
WHERE THEY STAND
Northeastern State currently owns a 6-2 record in its first season in the MIAA. The RiverHawks are in a three-way tie for second place with Truman State and Pittsburg State. Washburn currently sits atop the league table at 5-1, and Central Missouri is a half-game behind the trio of PSU, NSU and TSU in fifth place. NSU was selected to finish fourth in the conference this season by both the media and the league coaches.
 
LEWIS WINS WEEKLY MIAA ACCOLADE
Taylor Lewis was named the MIAA Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week on Feb. 7. The senior guard from Broken Arrow, Okla., led Northeastern State to two victories, including an upset 54-44 triumph over No. 10 Fort Hays State. She recorded 17 points, four rebounds, three steals, and three assists against the Tigers. FHSU was held to its lowest point total of the season in the team's first loss of the 2012-13 campaign. Lewis then scored a season high 26 points in an 85-57 win over Nebraska Kearney in just 21 minutes. She went 9-for-11 from the field and 6-for-7 from behind the three-point line. On the week, Lewis averaged 21.5 points, while shooting 58 percent from the field and 64 percent from downtown. This was the first weekly honor for an NSU player in the MIAA, and it was also Lewis' first weekly accolade. The last time a RiverHawk women's basketball player picked up a weekly conference laurel was Feb. 8, 2011, when Jasmine Wright was honored as the Lone Star Conference North Division Offensive Player of the Week and Cristy Nitz was named the LSC North Division Defensive Player of the Week.
 
TOPPLING A GIANT, TIMES TWO
NSU has defeated two top 10 teams this season in then-No. 10 Fort Hays State (54-44, Jan. 3) and then-No. 9 Washburn (52-43, Jan. 19). The RiverHawks held the Tigers to their lowest scoring output since Feb. 26, 2011, a span of 41 games. The win was the first for Northeastern State over a top-10 team since the squad took down then-No. 7 Washburn on March 13, 2010. FHSU center Kate Lehman entered the game as the nation's leading shot blocker and the second-best scorer in the MIAA. NSU held the 6-foot-4 sophomore to a season-low seven points and two blocks. She was held to her lowest point total since Dec. 30, 2011, a span of 29 games. Northeastern State also held the Lady Blues to season-lows in field-goal percentage (18-for-58, 31 percent) and three-point percentage (2-for-17, 12 percent). They were held to their lowest point total in more than two years as no member of the team reached double figures. They scored 41 against Missouri Western on Dec. 19, 2010. Washburn senior guard Laura Kinderknecht entered the contest as the MIAA's third-leading scorer at 16.2 ppg. She was held to a season-low eight points after shooting just 3-for-16 from the field and 2-for-10 from beyond the three-point line.
 
ONE OF THE BEST IN BALL CONTROL
The first NCAA statistics were released Dec. 2, and Northeastern State ranked as the top team in the country in terms of fewest committed turnovers per game. The most recent national rankings were released Jan. 17, and the RiverHawks are currently ranked sixth in the nation at just 12.3 turnovers per game this season. NSU recorded a season-low six turnovers against Southwest Baptist (Jan. 12, 2013).
 
NORTHEASTERN STATE RECEIVING VOTES
The NSU women's basketball team has received votes or been ranked in four USA Today Division II Women's Basketball Top 25 Coaches' Polls this season. The team dropped out of the polls on Dec. 11 and was not ranked for four weeks, but the RiverHawks returned Jan. 22, as the squad received two votes. NSU was ranked No. 23 in the preseason.
 
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