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FORT SMITH, Ark. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team defeated Arkansas-Fort Smith 72-67 Tuesday evening inside Stubblefield Center.
 
The RiverHawks improved to 2-1 on the season, while the Lady Lions dropped to 1-3.
 
Sophomore forward Mya Walker led all scorers with 16 points. She also pulled down a career-high eight rebounds. Senior guards Chelsey Beathard (14) and Fontana Tate (12) also reached double figures.
 
NSU shot 44 percent (22-for-50) from the field, 40.6 percent (13-for-32) from downtown and 88.2 percent (15-for-17) at the free-throw line. The RiverHawks made their first 15 free-throw attempts before missing a pair in the waning moments of the contest.
 
The Lady Lions shot 35.8 percent (24-for-67) from the field, 30.4 percent (7-for-23) from 3-point territory and 75 percent (12-for-16) at the line. Jasmine Brainard paced UAFS with 16 points, while Candice Followwell added 10 for the home team.
 
Arkansas-Fort Smith held the lead in the early going, but Northeastern State kept the game close until the Lady Lions rattled off seven unanswered points to take a 25-15 lead at the 6:14 mark.
 
NSU coach Randy Gipson called a timeout in order to settle the team down, and the RiverHawks responded with a 13-1 run over the course of the next three minutes to gain their first lead of the game at 28-26. UAFS closed the half on a mini-run to take a 33-30 advantage into the break.
 
Arkansas-Fort Smith jumped out to a 39-30 lead in the second half, but a 14-0 RiverHawk run gave the visitors a 44-39 advantage.
 
The two sides would remain tight for the remainder of the second half until a 7-0 run by NSU with less than three minutes remaining broke a 61-61 tie. Northeastern State hung on to the lead to earn the five-point victory.
 
The RiverHawks return to action at the Doubletree/Houlihans Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 28-29. They first meet Rockhurst University at 7:45 p.m. Nov. 28 and will then take on host Drury at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 29.

-GoRiverHawksGo.com-