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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team heads to Topeka, Kan., for a 5 p.m. contest Jan. 24 with Washburn at Lee Arena (4,150). The RiverHawks (9-8, 6-4 MIAA) are coming off back-to-back wins over ranked teams, while the Ichabods (11-5, 6-3 MIAA) have won four straight.

NSU is 2-0 all-time against WU, owning a 56-51 victory in the second round of the NCAA Championship (March 13, 2010) and a 52-43 triumph in Tahlequah last season (Jan. 19, 2013) when Washburn was ranked No. 9 in the country. WU was selected in the preseason MIAA coaches poll to finish third, while NSU was picked sixth.

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	23	Che'Ron Lewis	5-11	Fr-HS	9.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg	Cushing, Okla.
F	44	Carrington Fox	5-11	Sr-3L	6.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg	Tulsa, Okla.
G	04	Fontana Tate	5-5	Jr-2L	12.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg	Muldrow, Okla.
G	05	Kate Bellamy	5-9	So-1L	6.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg	NSW, Australia
G	21	Chelsey Beathard	5-8	Jr-2L	8.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg	Pryor, Okla.
Washburn's Probable Starters
F	30	Brittney Lynch	6-1	Jr.	10.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg	Omaha, Neb.
C	14	Kara Lee	6-4	Sr.	11.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg	Topeka, Kan.
G	03	Casyn Buchman	5-9	Jr.	17.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg	McPherson, Kan.
G	04	Janelle Travis	5-7	Jr.	9.3 ppg, 3.8 apg	Lafayette, Calif.
G	22	Taylor Ignoto	5-8	Jr.	16.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg	Thousand Oaks, Calif.

SCOUTING THE ICHABODS
Washburn sits at 11-5 overall and 6-3 in the MIAA this season. The Ichabods are on a four-game win streak after falling to Central Missouri (68-57). Other league losses have been to Missouri Southern State (68-59) and Lindenwood (85-80). WU is coming off a 65-59 overtime win over Central Oklahoma, and the team is 7-1 at home. Four different Ichabods average double-digit scoring, led by Casyn Buchman (17.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 4.0 apg). Taylor Ignoto (16.0 ppg) is second on the team in scoring, while Brittney Lynch (10.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg) is the team's leading rebounder. Kara Lee (11.2 ppg) also averages in double figures.
 
NSU TRAMPLES #2 LADY HORNETS
The RiverHawks handed No. 2 Emporia State its first loss of the season with a dominant 59-44 victory on Jan. 22 inside the NSU Event Center. The RiverHawks led wire-to-wire and earned their second win over a ranked opponent after taking down then-No. 23 Fort Hays State 49-48 on Jan. 18. The Lady Hornets (17-1, 8-1 MIAA) were held to their lowest point total since scoring 42 against Pittsburg State nearly two years ago (Feb. 15, 2012). The previous season low for Emporia State was 67. ESU also posted a 24.6 shooting percentage after finishing 15 of 61 from the field. The percentage was the worst recorded in a game by the Lady Hornets since a 65-51 loss at Central Missouri on Jan. 2, 1997. Emporia State also shot 22.2 percent (4-for-18) from downtown and 62.5 percent (10-for-16) at the free-throw line. The team did not have a player score in double figures for the first time since a 64-42 loss to Washburn on Jan. 25, 1995. Desiree Wylie led with nine points, and Amber Vandiver finished with seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Leading scorer Laura Patrick, who entered the game averaging 15.1 ppg, was held to just eight points. Merissa Quick was averaging 11.6 ppg and she finished with just five, while Kionna Kellog averaged 10.2 ppg but was held to just four. Fontana Tate led NSU with a game- and career-high 23 points. She also registered nine rebounds. Che'Ron Lewis added 12 points and five assists. The Lady Hornets are the highest-ranked team to fall to NSU in school history. The RiverHawks have also now won three straight against ESU.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - NSU 52, #9 WU 43
Northeastern State ramped up the defense in a 52-43 upset win over No. 9 Washburn on Jan. 19, 2013 inside Jack Dobbins Field House. The RiverHawks knocked off their second top 10 opponent of the season, while the 2011-12 MIAA champions suffered their first loss in the MIAA of the year. WU was held to season-lows in field-goal percentage (18-for-58, 31 percent) and three-point percentage (2-for-17, 12 percent). The team was also just 5 of 10 from the free-throw line. The Ichabods were held to their lowest point total in more than two years as no member of the team reached double figures. They scored 41 against Missouri Western State on Dec. 19, 2010. Washburn's Laura Kinderknecht entered the contest as the MIAA's third-leading scorer at 16.2 ppg. She was held to a season-low eight points after shooting just 3-for-16 from the field and 2-for-10 from beyond the three-point line. Northeastern State's Taylor Lewis dropped 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting. Tosha Tyler added 10 as the home side shot 44 percent from the field (20-for-46), 44 percent from downtown (8-for-18) and 4 of 5 from the line.
 
GIPSON'S UNCHARTED TERRITORY
Northeastern State currently sits at 9-8 on the season and could potentially finish with a losing record for the first time since the 1998-99 campaign (6-19 that year). NSU coach Randy Gipson took over the reins the following year and has led the RiverHawks to 14-straight winning seasons. He also coached at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M prior to coming to Tahlequah and had winning seasons all nine years in Miami. This would mark the first time in Gipson's historic career that he was unable to lead a team to a winning record.
 
FOX SETS BLOCKS RECORD
Carrington Fox registered a career-high eight blocks on Jan. 16 in a win over Nebraska-Kearney. The block total tied the school record for most in a single game (Kathy Brock vs. John Brown on Dec. 8, 1983). She also finished with nine points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Fox currently has 111 career blocks after posting 16 in her last three games, and she is 10 shy of tying Gaile Cook (1989-91) for most blocks in a career in Northeastern State history. She has played in 99 career games and is set to make her 100th appearance for the green and white this weekend at Washburn.
 
THE STARTING FIVE
Randy Gipson-coached teams are usually known for consistency at the top of the lineup. This year, however, has been much different for Northeastern State as the team has already utilized 10 different starting lineups through the first 16 games of the season. There have been three starting lineups that have been used more than once. The only starting lineup to be used more than twice has been Fontana Tate, Chelsey Beathard, Sarah Sagely, Che'Ron Lewis and Carrington Fox. NSU is 3-2 in games started by those five. Beathard owns the most starts this season with 13. Others to earn at least one start this year are Kate Bellamy, Courtney Cowan and Jamie Jackson. Mya Walker is the only member of the team who has yet to start a game this season.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN KC
The 2014 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 3, 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 6, 8-9.
 
NSU KNOCKS OFF 5 RANKED FOES IN 2012-13
NSU defeated five ranked opponents last season. The RiverHawks 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.
 
GO RIVERHAWKS GEAR
Northeastern State University Athletics has partnered with Advanced-Online and has launced its new, one-of-a-kind online shopping site, goriverhawksgear.com. NSU fans have another avenue for acquiring Northeastern State apparel and accessories. The store is loaded with options for fans of all ages, ranging from T-shirts, polos and sweatshirts, to home office supplies, drinkware and kitchen essentials. Every item is branded with official Northeastern State athletics and university logos, and select RiverHawks gear and accessories are customizable. The new online store can be accessed by simply visiting www.goriverhawksgear.com. The shop can also be viewed by clicking on the shopping cart at the top right of www.goriverhawksgo.com, the static graphic underneath the main picture or the rotating horizontal carousel just above the video player.
 
GIPSON SIGNS GRIFFIN DURING EARLY PERIOD
Northeastern State women's basketball coach Randy Gipson announced the signing of Miranda Griffin to a National Letter of Intent during the early period. Griffin, a native of Ketchum, Okla., is currently competing at Ketchum High School and is the first signee for the class of 2014. "Miranda brings an excellent offensive skill package to our program," Gipson said. "She can handle the ball well, she can pass effectively and she can score. We are excited to have her join us." As a junior in 2012-13, Griffin averaged 15.8 points per game and posted 8.3 rebounds per game. She had 150 steals and led all Oklahoma high schools with 274 assists, averaging 9.8 per game. She has already surpassed 1,000 career points at the prep level and even registered a quadruple-double (22 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, 10 steals) last year.