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FORT SMITH, Ark. – The No. 10-ranked Northeastern State men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season in an 83-49 effort against Arkansas-Fort Smith Saturday evening at Stubblefield Center.
 
The RiverHawks (4-1) suffered the fifth defeat of at least 30 points in the past eight years, while the Lions (5-0) stayed undefeated and earned a quality in-region victory.
 
Senior guard Bryton Hobbs paced NSU with 12 points, but it took him 13 shots to find those points. Junior guard Keon Littleton was just 4-for-9 and had 10 points. All but one member of the team to play at least five minutes scored in the game.
 
Northeastern State shot just 37 percent (19-for-52) from the field, 12 percent (2-for-17) from behind the three-point line and 64 percent (9-for-14) at the free-throw line.
 
The Lions outrebounded NSU 49-31 and had an 8-15 advantage in turnovers. UAFS shot 45 percent (31-for-69) from the field, 35 percent (8-for-23) from behind the arc and 59 percent (13-for-22) at the line.
 
Arkansas-Fort Smith had five in double figures, led by 16 from Tramel White. Seth Youngblood and Jake Toupal both added 12, Kenny Martin dropped 11 and Alex Cooper contributed 10.
 
The Lions used an early 10-0 run to pull ahead by a 21-9 margin at the 9:05 mark, and the home team steadily raised its lead to a 14-point margin by halftime.
 
The second half was all UAFS, as multiple runs allowed the home team to balloon its lead to as much as 36 points before settling for the final 34-point final.
 
Northeastern State will now head to Russellville, Ark., for the Arkansas Tech Thanksgiving Classic. NSU will meet the Wonder Boys at 6 p.m. Nov. 29 and will then have a rematch with Harding at 2 p.m. Nov. 30.
 
Scoring Summary
Northeastern State   20      29        49
UAFS                           34      49        83
 
NORTHEASTERN STATE COACH LARRY GIPSON
Opening Statement…
"We showed up just to play. (Arkansas-Fort Smith) showed up to beat our butts. It's that simple. They kicked us from start to finish. The only way you can cut into a lead is to guard people and get some stops. We were never determined enough to guard anybody, so we didn't get any stops."
 
On the mindset of the team…
"We've gotten too much attention. We're not the 10th-best team in America. We've gotten too much attention for no achievement. We haven't done anything to deserve the attention. I think this team will be more coachable now. I think they will pay more attention to what we're doing. Hopefully they understand how difficult it is to win night in and night out at this level. I think Fort Smith is a really good basketball team, but unless I miss my guess, they aren't going to be the best team we play all year. If they are, then they'll have a tremendous season, but we're going to have to get ready for more good basketball teams on a continual basis. It starts next Friday. Arkansas Tech on the road is not going to be easy."
 
On if the team has what it takes to get to the next level…
"I don't know. We don't practice like a team that wants to pay attention. Until you practice right, we won't be able to improve."
 
-GoRiverHawksGo.com-