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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team winds down the regular season with a trip to Emporia, Kan. The RiverHawks (17-7, 10-6 MIAA) are set for a meeting with Emporia State (12-11, 7-8 MIAA) at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 23 inside White Auditorium (5,000).
 
The Hornets own a 3-2 record over Northeastern State since the RiverHawks joined the NCAA in 1996-97. The two squads split meetings during the 2005-06 season, and ESU took both contests in 2006-07. Earlier this season (Dec. 5) the two squads locked up for the first time as conference foes, and NSU picked up a 63-56 home triumph.
 
ESU was selected in the preseason MIAA coaches poll to finish 10th in the league, while NSU was picked 14th.
 

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	10	Landon DeMasters	6-4, 200	So-RS	7.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg	Van Alstyne, Texas
F	15	Marcus Sheppard	6-4, 205	Jr-TR	6.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg	Vivian, La.
F	21	Jermaine Bransford	6-7, 225	Sr-1L	15.6 ppg, 9.4 rpg	Sand Springs, Okla.
G	3	Bryton Hobbs	6-0, 170	Jr-TR	18.2 ppg, 4.9 apg	St. Louis, Mo.
G	20	Ethan Anderson	6-3, 205	Sr-3L	10.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg	Cleburne, Texas
Emporia State's Probable Starters
F	1	Gavin Brown	6-5, 240	Jr.	6.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg	Junction City, Kan.
C	32	Paul Bunch	6-11, 280	Jr.	12.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg	Chicago, Ill.
G	0	Kaleb Wright	6-4, 215	Jr.	14.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg	Chicago, Ill.
G	3	Chris Sights	6-0, 170	Sr.	12.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg	Fort Worth, Texas
G	11	Taylor Euler	5-11, 170	Sr.	7.3 ppg, 2.7 apg	Emporia, Kan.

 
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Emporia State owns a 12-11 mark with a 7-8 record in the conference. The Hornets have won four of their last five contests, which includes home wins over Lindenwood (61-52) and Pittsburg State (88-82). Kaleb Wright is the team's leader in scoring and passing (14.7 ppg, 2.9 apg). Paul Bunch leads the squad in rebounding and is second in scoring (12.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg), and Chris Sights also averages double digits (12.0 ppg).
 
WHERE THEY STAND
Northeastern State currently owns a 10-6 record in its first season in the MIAA. The RiverHawks sit in a tie for fifth in the league table with Lindenwood and Northwest Missouri State. Fort Hays State and Central Missouri (11-4) are tied for first, Washburn (10-5) is third and Central Oklahoma (9-5) is fourth. NSU was selected to finish 14th in the conference this season by both the media and the league coaches.
 
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 12 of his last 18 games. He also has near double-doubles against Arkansas Tech (eight points, 12 boards), Northwestern Oklahoma State (31 points, nine boards), Harding (12 points, eight rebounds), and Central Oklahoma (22 points, nine rebounds). Over his last 17 games, Bransford is averaging 16.8 ppg (286 total points) and 10.3 rpg (175 total rebounds). He leads the MIAA in rebounding this season with 9.4 rpg.
 
BRILLIANT BRYTON
Northeastern State received a welcomed addition in the offseason in junior transfer Bryton Hobbs. The guard from St. Louis, Mo., has come to Tahlequah via both Pratt Community College and Cowley College. He has taken the MIAA by storm in his first season with the RiverHawks, as he is currently the league's second-leading scorer at 18.2 ppg, and he is fifth in assists with 4.9 dimes a night.
 
IN THE LEAGUE
Northeastern State leads the MIAA in three statistical categories this year. The team is the league leader in free-throw percentage (.771), field goal percentage (.480) and three point field-goal percentage defense (.321). The team is also second in three-point field goal percentage (.391).
 
FROM THE FIELD
The RiverHawks have posted great shooting percentages this season, making 48 percent of their attempts from the field (603-1,257), 39 percent from downtown (165-422) and 77 percent from the free-throw line (366-475). Of those with at least 30 attempts, senior forward Jermaine Bransford leads the team in shooting percentage (151-275, .549) and senior guard Jon Miller is the team leader in three-point percentage (28-67, .418).
 
NSU's GIPSON IN 16TH SEASON
NSU's Larry Gipson (Heidelberg College, '74) is in his 16th season as the RiverHawks head coach. The long-time leader of the men's basketball program enters the year with a 262-186 record over his illustrious career at NSU. He is returning to the bench after having missed most of the 2011-12 season with an illness. Gipson is second all-time in school history behind only Jack Dobbins (314 wins) in career wins, and his .578 winning percentage is the best in school history. He reached the 100- and 200-win milestones faster than any other coach in school history. Gipson has posted eight winning seasons in his time at NSU, and those include five 20-win campaigns and a national championship in 2002-03 (32-3 record).
            Gipson was inducted into the NSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004. He and Nolan Richardson are the only two head coaches ever to lead teams to a national championship at both the NCAA and NJCAA level. Gipson, Richardson and Ray Harper (NCAA D-II, NAIA) are the only three coaches in college basketball history to win national titles at two different levels. Gipson began his college coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Tulsa under Richardson. Gipson has won three national coach of the year honors throughout his career. He was named the 2003 Division II Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), he earned the 2003 Molten/Division II Bulletin Coach of the Year award and he was also the 1989 NABC national junior college coach of the year. He was appointed by his peers as the President of the Board of the Directors for the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in April 2012.
 
NORTHEASTERN STATE CELEBRATING 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The RiverHawks are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their historic national championship run from the 2002-03 campaign. The team posted a school-record 32 wins to just three losses that season and defeated Kentucky Wesleyan 75-64 on March 29 in Lakeland, Fla., to earn the first and only men's basketball national championship in Northeastern State history. Four different RiverHawks averaged 10 points per game that season, led by Jon Shepherd's 14.6 ppg average. Reggie Battee was the top rebounder at 6.2 rpg, and Darnell Hinson led NSU at 4.1 assists per game.
 
ONE FINAL YEAR
The 2012-13 campaign marks the last in Jack Dobbins Field House. The field house has served as the home of NSU basketball since the 1954-55 season, and Northeastern State will move into its new home beginning in 2013-14. The $14.4 million event center has yet to be named and is currently under construction. The new home of RiverHawks basketball will seat 3,000 and will be located adjacent to Doc Wadley Stadium on the north side of the NSU campus.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN KC
The 2013 MIAA Men's Basketball Championship is set to take place inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. The top 12 teams in the regular season all qualify for postseason play, with the top four earning byes to Kansas City. The first round will be contested at host sites March 4, with the fifth seed hosting No. 12, the sixth seed hosting No. 11, etc. Those four winners will join the top four seeds in KC March 7-10.
 
NSU SELECTED 14TH IN MIAA PRESEASON POLLS
The Northeastern State men's basketball team was selected to finish 14th in the 2012-13 MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Polls. “I think the ranking is what we deserve based on last year,” NSU head men's basketball coach Larry Gipson said. “I don't see how we could be picked very highly, but it's up to us to prove that we're not a bottom-end team in the MIAA. Washburn, who won last season's conference tournament, has been picked by both the media and coaches to finish first again this year. The Ichabods represented the MIAA in the NCAA Tournament along with Northwest Missouri and Missouri Southern. Central Missouri, who finished tied for the conference regular season crown, has been picked second in both polls picking up three first place votes from the coaches. Northwest Missouri, who also took home a piece of the regular season crown, has been picked to finish third this season in both polls, picking up a first place vote from the coaches.
 
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