Box Score

Box score (HTML)  I  Box score (PDF)

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The No. 21-ranked Northeastern State men's basketball team fell 73-68 to Arkansas Tech University Friday evening inside Tucker Coliseum.
 
The game was part of the ATU Thanksgiving Classic, and NSU's loss dropped the team to 4-2 on the season. The Wonder Boys improved to 4-2.
 
Senior guard Bryton Hobbs led all scorers with 28 points. He was 9-for-21 from the field and 10-for-11 at the free-throw line, but he was 0-for-6 from downtown. Junior forward Curtis Evans added 16 points and eight rebounds (all eight boards came in the first half).
 
The three-point line would be a hindrance for the RiverHawks all night, as a 5-for-28 effort (17.9 percent) helped drag down the overall field-goal percentage (23-for-58, 39.7 percent). The team was also 17-for-22 (77.3 percent) at the free-throw line.
 
Arkansas Tech shot a blistering 51.1 percent (23-for-45) from the field and was 7-for-16 (43.8 percent) from downtown. The team was 20-for-32 (62.5 percent) at the line.
 
Darrick Little came off the bench to pace the Wonder Boys with 21 points. Marshawn Arnold added 15 points, while Tyler Friedel chipped in 12 and Willie Rogers had 10.
 
Hobbs connected on a mid-range jumper on NSU's opening possession, but the RiverHawks would go into a drought that lasted the next six minutes. The visitors would miss their next eight shots and commit three turnovers as Arkansas Tech built an early advantage.
 
A goaltend at 14:38 would cut ATU's lead to 7-4, but the drought wouldn't stop as the Wonder Boys built a 17-5 lead following a layup from Rogers at the 12:09 mark.
 
The 12-point lead was the largest of the first half for ATU, but NSU used a spirited effort from Hobbs to tie the game at 29-29 at intermission.
 
The RiverHawks began to chip away when Hobbs made five-straight free throws, and he helped lead the team on a 17-8 run to close the half. Hobbs finished with 15 first-half points.
 
NSU was 0-for-11 from behind the three-point line in the first half, but the team made its first two triples in the second half to take a 35-34 lead.
 
The green and white used a layup by Hobbs at 15:20 to pull ahead 40-38, but the home team went on an 8-0 run to lead by six. A three-point basket from junior guard Dalen Qualls at 11:41 tied the contest at 48-48, but that would be the last time Northeastern State would sniff a piece of the lead.
 
Arkansas Tech surged ahead and found itself leading 65-56 with 3:50 remaining, and the team was able to fend off a late rally despite missing five free throws down the stretch. NSU didn't help its cause by missing nine-straight three pointers late in the game.
 
Northeastern State will take on Harding on the final day of the classic at 2 p.m. Nov. 30 in Russellville. The RiverHawks defeated the Bisons 72-66 in Tahlequah earlier this season.
 
Scoring Summary
Northeastern State  29        39        68
Arkansas Tech         29        44        73
 
Northeastern State Coach Larry Gipson
Opening Statement…
"We played hard enough to win. I thought we did a lot of things well in this game, but we did not shoot the ball well. The game comes down to shooting the basketball, and I thought we had a good shooting team. We just didn't shoot the ball well tonight."
 
On the play outside of Bryton Hobbs and Curtis Evans…
"What's really frustrating to me is we can't get separation from defenders. Guys that are playing good defense aren't shooting well, and the guys that are shooting well aren't playing good defense. We can't put a complete team on the floor where we are comfortable that all five guys are going to defend and rebound, and all five guys are going to shoot well."
 
On Harding…
"I think we have to execute our offense better in order to beat a team like Harding. They showed tonight they were a good team by beating Midwestern State. We have to do a number of things better. I don't think we're a bad basketball team, but we just need to tighten things up and do better."

-GoRiverHawksGo.com-