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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team will travel to Kansas City for the 2013 MIAA Women's Basketball Championship. The RiverHawks (19-7, 14-4 MIAA) earned the No. 3 seed in the championship and received a bye into the quarterfinals.
 
NSU is set to take on No. 6 Fort Hays State (21-6, 12-6 MIAA) at 8:15 p.m. March 8 inside Municipal Auditorium (7,316). Both teams are receiving votes in the most recent USA Today Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll.
 
The Lady Tigers defeated Lincoln 70-57 in the MIAA Quarterfinals March 5. The two teams met in Tahlequah on Jan. 3, and NSU secured a 54-44 triumph. That was the lone meeting between the two schools since Northeastern State joined the NCAA in 1996-97.
 

(RV) Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	24	Sarah Green	5-9	Sr-3L	7.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg	Tulsa, Okla.
F	44	Carrington Fox	5-11	Jr-2L	4.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg	Tulsa, Okla.
G	4	Fontana Tate	5-5	So-1L	6.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg	Muldrow, Okla.
G	10	Taylor Lewis	5-7	Sr-3L	16.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg	Broken Arrow, Okla.
G	12	Tosha Tyler	5-7	Sr-3L	11.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg	Vinita, Okla.
(RV) Fort Hays State's Probable Starters
F	25	Traci Keyser	5-10	Sr.	7.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg	Cambridge, Neb.
F	32	Kelsie Sorenson	5-10	Sr.	2.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg	McPherson, Kan.
C	40	Kate Lehman	6-4	So.	16.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg	Newton, Kan.
G	11	Kaiameka Brown	5-5	Sr.	4.7 ppg, 2.2 apg	La Puente, Calif.
G	12	Katelyn Edwards	6-0	Jr.	13.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg	Crete, Neb.

SCOUTING THE LADY TIGERS
Fort Hays State is 21-6 overall and finished 12-6 in the MIAA. The Tigers trumped Lincoln in the opening round of the MIAA Championship and have won nine of their last 10 games. FHSU is powered by the nation's leading shot blocker in Kate Lehman. She leads the team with 16.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg and 4.2 blocks per game. Katelyn Edwards averages 13.0 ppg and 7.9 rpg, and she also leads the team with 2.9 assists per game.
 
LEWIS NAMED MIAA CO-PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Northeastern State's Taylor Lewis was named the 2013 MIAA Women's Basketball Co-Player of the Year. The senior guard from Broken Arrow, Okla., joined Washburn's Laura Kinderknecht as the league's top two players. Lewis was also a unanimous selection to the All-MIAA First Team. Lewis is second in the league in scoring at 16.6 points per game and has reached double figures in all but two games.  She also averaged 18.1 ppg during league contests. She leads the entire MIAA and is seventh in the nation in free-throw percentage (.893), three-point field goal percentage (.432) and three-point field goals made per game (3.2).
 
TYLER, GREEN, FOX ALSO HONORED
Senior guard Tosha Tyler and senior forward Sarah Green were both named to the 2013 All-MIAA Honorable Mention Team, and junior forward Carrington Fox was named to the All-Defensive Team. Tyler is second on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game. She has scored in double figures in 16 games and is one off her career high with 48 made three-point field goals so far this season. Green leads the MIAA during league play in field-goal percentage (.593), and she is 12th in rebounding at 6.6 rpg. She also leads NSU in assists (2.3 apg) and is second in both steals (29) and blocks (9). Fox scores at a 4.6 ppg clip, and she is second on the team in rebounding at 4.4 rpg. Her 45 blocks leads the team and is sixth in the conference.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN KC
The 2013 MIAA Women'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 5, 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 8-10. Northeastern State has already clinched one of the top four seeds and will compete in the quarterfinals in Kansas City March 8.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS ON SALE
Tickets for the MIAA Basketball Championships at Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium are now on sale at the NSU Ticket Office. Northeastern State has clinched a first-round bye in the tournament and will play in the quarterfinals in Kansas City. For the Kansas City portion of the tournament, all-session passes, which will allow access to all 14 games of the tournament, are just $50 if purchased through Northeastern State. Passes purchased at the Municipal Auditorium Box Office will be $65. Single-session passes are $20 and are good for any single session of the tournament. Both all-session and single-session passes can be purchased through Northeastern State. NSU students can purchase single-session passes for $5 (with valid NSU ID). Children six and under will be admitted free of charge. Visit Northeastern State's ticket office or call 918-444-3901 for more information. The Kansas City Downtown Marriott is the host hotel for the tournament. Special room rates are available by mentioning the MIAA fan rate or by booking online through www.themiaa.com.
 
REGIONAL RANKINGS ANNOUNCED
The most-recent installment of the NCAA Regional Rankings were released Feb. 27, and Northeastern State landed at No. 9 in the Central Region. The top eight in each region qualify for the NCAA Championship. NSU owns a 3-1 record against the other nine teams that were also ranked in the top 10 in the region. The RiverHawks have defeated No. 1 Washburn (52-43), No. 5 Truman State (46-44) and No. 10 Pittsburg State (65-50), while falling at No. 2 Central Missouri (63-52).
 
LEWIS LIGHTS UP
Senior guard Taylor Lewis has scored in double figures in all but two games this season, but she has been especially hot over the last 20 games. Ever since a 21-point outburst against Emporia State on Dec. 5, Lewis has averaged 18.0 points per game (360 total) with shooting percentages of 46.3 from the field (120-for-259), 48.6 from downtown (68-for-140) and 89.7 from the free-throw line (52-for-58). For the season, Lewis is averaging 16.6 points per game to rank second in the MIAA. She is also the league's second-leading scorer during conference games at 18.1 ppg.
 
NSU FINISHES SECOND IN INAUGURAL MIAA CAMPAIGN
Northeastern State finished its first season in the MIAA with a 14-4 record. The RiverHawks tied with Central Missouri in second place, while Washburn (16-2) took home the league crown. Emporia State (13-5) placed fourth. NSU was selected to finish fourth in the conference this season by both the media and the league coaches.
 
NSU KNOCKS OFF 5 RANKED FOES
NSU has defeated five ranked opponents this season. The RiverHawks have knocked off No. 9 Washburn (52-43), No. 10 Fort Hays State (54-44), No. 18 Pittsburg State (65-50), No. 19 Truman State (46-44), and No. 21 Emporia State (63-51). In all five upset victories, the green and white has held its opponent to a season low in scoring and no worse than the second-worst shooting percentage of the season up to that point.
 
NORTHEASTERN STATE RECEIVING VOTES
The NSU women's basketball team is receiving three votes the latest USA Today Division II Women's Basketball Top 25 Coaches' Polls, released March 5. NSU has been ranked or received votes in seven polls this season, and the team was No. 23 in the preseason.
 
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 61 starts. Lewis has made 87 career starts and has scored in double figures 73 times, which includes a stretch sophomore year where she recorded 11 straight. She has scored at least 10 points in all but two games this season, which includes a 19-game stretch. Green owns 56 starts, has scored in double digits 20 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 (272). Lewis surpassed the 1,000-point plateau for her career against Drury. She now has 1,367 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 finished 11-0 at home this season and went 46-3 over the career of the three veterans.
 
MIAA NETWORK
The Northeastern State men's and women's basketball road games against Lincoln University were televised by the MIAA Network. The contests are one of just three league doubleheaders being aired by the network, which is available locally on Cox Oklahoma Channels 3 and 703, and on KSMO Channel 62 in Kansas City. Both contests were held in Jason Gym on Lincoln's campus. It was the first meeting for both programs as league rivals, as NSU is currently in its inaugural campaign in the MIAA. NSU kicked off the MIAA Network's basketball slate, which featured three doubleheaders and the men's and women's tournament championship games. In addition to NSU's Dec. 8 contests, the MIAA Network also broadcast the Feb. 23 doubleheader between Nebraska Kearney and Missouri Western and the March 2 doubleheader between Central Missouri and Washburn. The network will close out the regular season on March 10 with the MIAA Women's and Men's Basketball Championship games, which will be played at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
 
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 March 3, and the RiverHawks are currently ranked fourth in the nation at just 12.0 turnovers per game this season. NSU recorded a season-low five turnovers against Pittsburg State (Jan. 23, 2013).
 
NSU's GIPSON IN 14TH SEASON
NSU's Randy Gipson (Kentucky, '79) is in his 14th season as the RiverHawks head coach. He currently owns a 278-128 record at NSU. He has never recorded a losing season in his 13 prior campaigns at Northeastern State, and he has led the program to seven appearances in the NCAA Championship. His NSU women's basketball teams have earned two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances (2004, '10), while advancing to the NCAA Second Round each of the last two seasons (2011-12). Gipson came to Northeastern State in 1999-00, and he captured six Lone Star Conference North Division Championships in a 12-year span. He also led NSU to the 2003 LSC Tournament Championship, while finishing runner up in the conference tournament on three occasions (2004, '05, '10). Gipson's 2011-12 squad ranked in the top 25 nationally in eight statistical categories. NSU was second in all of NCAA Division II in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.26), fourth in turnovers per game (12.7), fifth in scoring defense (52.2), 12th in three-point field goals made per game (7.9), 13th in field-goal percentage defense (.347), 14th in won-lost percentage (.833), 23rd in assists per game (16.1), and 24th in scoring margin (11.1). He began his career at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (NEO), where he spent 11 years leading the Lady Norse. He took NEO to a National Runner-up finish in 1991, and he was named Region II Coach of the Year three times.
 
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