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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team will begin a three-game road trip in Joplin, Mo., this weekend.
 
The RiverHawks (12-5, 7-2 MIAA) have won eight of their last nine games, and they are set to face Missouri Southern State (10-6, 4-4 MIAA) at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 26 inside Leggett & Platt Athletic Center (3,200).
 
Northeastern State owns a 5-4 record over the Lions since the RiverHawks joined the NCAA in 1996-97. The green and white has won the last two meetings by identical 67-50 scorelines (Nov. 22, 2010 and No. 15, 2009).
 
The Lions were selected in the preseason MIAA coaches poll to finish ninth in the conference, while NSU was picked fourth.

(RV) Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	24	Sarah Green	5-9	Sr-3L	6.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg	Tulsa, Okla.
F	44	Carrington Fox	5-11	Jr-2L	4.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg	Tulsa, Okla.
G	4	Fontana Tate	5-5	So-1L	5.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg	Muldrow, Okla.
G	10	Taylor Lewis	5-7	Sr-3L	16.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg	Broken Arrow, Okla.
G	12	Tosha Tyler	5-7	Sr-3L	11.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg	Vinita, Okla.
Missouri Southern State's Probable Starters
F	21	Erin Rice	6-2	Sr.	9.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg	Cole Camp, Mo.
C	34	Shonte Clay	6-2	Jr.	8.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg	Chicago, Ill.
G	4	Nicole Hartzog	5-7	So.	4.8 ppg, 0.9 rpg	Beaverton, Ore.
G	23	Tee Singleton	5-6	Jr.	5.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg	Harvey, La.
G	33	Shatara Stone	5-8	Jr.	7.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg	Fort Smith, Ark.

SCOUTING THE LIONS
Missouri Southern State is 10-6 this year with a 4-4 record in the MIAA. The Lions have lost three straight to Pittsburg State (66-63), Nebraska Kearney (67-60) and Emporia State (68-52) after opening the season with a 10-3 mark. They are led in scoring by Erin Rice's 9.3 points per game. Shonte Clay and Dominique Mosley both average 8.6 ppg, and Clay is the leading rebounder at 5.3 rpg.
 
LAST 11 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 11 games. Ever since a 21-point outburst against Emporia State on Dec. 5, Lewis has averaged 18.5 points per game (203 total) with shooting percentages of 49 from the field (66-for-135), 51 from downtown (42-for-82) and 91 from the free-throw line (29-for-32). 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 18.8 ppg.
 
WHERE THEY STAND
Northeastern State currently owns a 7-2 record in its first season in the MIAA. The RiverHawks are tied for second place with Truman State. Washburn currently sits atop the league table at 6-1, and Central Missouri is a half-game behind TSU and NSU in fourth place. NSU was selected to finish fourth in the conference this season by both the media and the league coaches.
 
TOPPLING A TOP-10 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.
 
LEWIS, GREEN, TYLER ALL SURPASS MILESTONES
Senior guard Taylor Lewis and senior forward Sarah Green both recorded their 100th career game in the green and white Nov. 24 against Tarleton State. Senior guard Tosha Tyler joined her teammates with 100 career games played Jan. 23 against Pittsburg State. She has also made 52 starts. Lewis has made 78 career starts and has scored in double figures 65 times, which includes a stretch sophomore year where she recorded 11 straight. She has scored at least 10 points in all but one game this season, which includes the last 15 in a row. Green owns 47 starts, has scored in double digits 16 times and has also recorded four double-digit rebounding efforts. Lewis also knocked down her 200th career three-point basket Nov. 20 against Northwestern Oklahoma State. She owns the school record for three's made in a game (8), season (87) and career (246). Lewis surpassed the 1,000-point plateau for her career against Drury. She now has 1,218 points in her four-year career.
 
SENIORS FEEL RIGHT AT HOME
NSU has three seniors on this year's squad in Sarah Green, Taylor Lewis and Tosha Tyler. The trio of stars has been part of four years of dominance inside Jack Dobbins Field House. The RiverHawks are 7-0 at home this season and 42-3 over the career of the three veterans.
 
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 11.8 turnovers per game this season. NSU recorded a season-low five turnovers against Pittsburg State (Jan. 23, 2013).
 
SAME STARTING FIVE
The RiverHawks have used just three starting lineups all season. The first eight games featured a starting group of three seniors (guards Taylor Lewis and Tosha Tyler, forward Sarah Green) and two juniors (forward Carrington Fox and guard Katy Harsen). The last eight games have seen a starting lineup of Lewis, Green, Tyler, Fox, and sophomore guard Fontana Tate. The only other starting lineup utilized this year came Dec. 14 at University of Arkansas - Fort Smith when Lewis, Green, Fox, and Tate were joined by sophomore guard Chelsey Stricklen.
 
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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