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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team will travel to Warrensburg, Mo., for the first of three-straight road contests. The RiverHawks (10-2, 3-1 MIAA) are set to do battle with Central Missouri at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 9 at the Multipurpose Building.
 
Central Missouri was selected in the preseason coaches and media polls to finish second in the MIAA this season, while Northeastern State was selected to finish 14th. The Mules are the defending conference regular season co-champions.
 
SCOUTING THE MULES
Central Missouri owns an 8-3 record and a 2-1 league mark this season. The Mules have defeated MIAA foes Southwest Baptist (74-64) and Emporia State (72-65), and they have lost to Fort Hays State (77-72). UCM is led in scoring by by Dominique Long, who averages 14.6 ppg and 4.1 rpg. Charles Hammork is second in scoring (10.8) and third in rebounding (4.9), but he has missed the team's last three contests. Widgett Washington (10.2 ppg) and Reggie Stallings (10.1) also average double figures in scoring, and Matt Webb (7.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg) leads the team in rebounding.
 
THE DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
Senior forward Jermaine Bransford entered 2012-13 with just one double-digit rebounding effort and no career double doubles. He recorded his first double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds Dec. 5 against Emporia State, and he now has reached at least 10 points and 10 rebounds in five of his last six games. He also has near double-doubles against Arkansas Tech (eight points, 12 boards), Northwestern Oklahoma State (31 points, nine boards) and Harding (12 points, eight rebounds). Over his last eight games, Bransford is averaging 17.9 ppg and 10.6 rpg. He leads the MIAA in rebounding this season with 9.2 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).
 
BRANSFORD NAMED MIAA ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Jermaine Bransford was honored as the MIAA Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week Dec. 20. The senior forward was named the Most Outstanding Player of the QU Holiday Tournament. Against Truman State in the finals, he recorded 23 points and 13 rebounds for his third double-double in four games. He averaged 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds for the tournament, and he also boasted shooting percentages of 60 percent from the field (12-for-20) and 82 percent from the free-throw line (9-for-11). He became the first member of the NSU men's basketball team to earn a weekly honor in the MIAA. The last time a RiverHawk earned a weekly laurel was Jan. 24, 2011 when Antoine Branch was named the Lone Star Conference North Division Offensive Player of the Week.
 
LEADING THE WAY
Northeastern State is led in scoring by newcomer Bryton Hobbs, who is averaging 16.2 points and 5.2 assists per game. Senior forward Jermaine Bransford is averaging 15.4 ppg and a team-high 9.2 rpg. Senior guard Ethan Anderson has poured in 11.5 points per contest.
 
IN THE LEAGUE
Northeastern State leads the MIAA in four statistical categories this year. The team is the league leader in free-throw percentage (.796), three point field-goal percentage (.417), three point field-goal percentage defense (.301), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5). The team is also second in scoring defense (59.5), field-goal percentage (.490) and field-goal percentage defense (.384).
 
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