Game Notes  I  Live Video  I  Free Audio  I  Live Stats

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team heads on the road for the first time during MIAA play. The RiverHawks (2-6, 1-1 MIAA) will first meet Missouri Western State (3-4, 0-1 MIAA) before prepping for their first national TV appearance since winning the NCAA Championship in 2003. NSU will take on the Griffons at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 inside MWSU Fieldhouse (3,270).

MWSU holds a 3-2 advantage over NSU since the RiverHawks joined the NCAA in 1996-97, but Northeastern State has captured the two meetings since NSU joined the MIAA in 2012-13. The RiverHawks defeated the Griffons 73-61 in St. Joseph, Missouri, two years ago (Feb. 2, 2013), and they also topped MWSU 73-70 last year in Tahlequah (Dec. 19, 2013). Missouri Western State has won meetings in Emporia, Kansas (74-73 on Nov. 25, 2006), in Tahlequah (56-55 on Nov. 15, 2004) and in St. Joseph (63-48 on Nov. 29, 2003). Northeastern State was picked to finish 12th in the MIAA preseason coaches' poll, while Missouri Western State was projected to finish 11th.
 

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	10	C.J. Winzer	6-5, 195	Fr-HS	2.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg	Elmo, Texas
G	05	Keon Littleton	6-1, 185	Sr-1L	8.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg	DeSoto, Texas
G	22	Michael Harmon	5-11, 180	Sr-1L	19.9 ppg, 2.6 apg	Houston, Texas
G	23	Montre' Williams	5-10, 160	Fr-HS	7.0 ppg, 3.0 apg	Copperas Cove, Texas
G	25	Demone Harrison	6-3, 185	Jr-TR	13.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg	Houston, Texas
Missouri Western State's Probable Starters
F	24	Kevin Thomas	6-8, 240	Jr.	9.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg	Toronto, Canada
F	33	Currie Byrd	6-7, 210	Fr.	8.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg	Montgomery, Texas
G	00	Aaron Emmanuel	6-1, 180	Sr.	6.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg	Toronto, Canada
G	01	Cortrez Colbert	6-2, 180	Sr.	9.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg	Midwest City, Okla.
G	03	Ryan Devers	5-9, 170	Sr.	14.3 ppg, 3.5 apg	Tulsa, Okla.

SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS
Missouri Western State University is located in St. Joseph, Missouri, and the team competes in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The Griffons are 4-0 at home this season and 4-4 overall. They own victories over Rockhurst (66-60) and William Jewell (63-61) and have lost to Upper Iowa (82-70), East Central (73-59), Drury (81-71) and Fort Hays State (90-87). Ryan Devers leads MWSU in scoring (14.3 ppg) and assists (3.5 apg). He is the only member of the team averaging double figures in scoring. Kevin Thomas (9.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg) leads the Griffons in rebounding.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - NSU 86, LWU 65
NSU got on the board in MIAA play with a decisive 86-65 victory over Lindenwood on Dec. 6 inside the NSU Event Center. The triumph was the largest victory against a league opponent since NSU defeated Cameron University in Lone Star Conference action by 22 points (84-62) on Feb. 28, 2004. The RiverHawks (2-6, 1-1 MIAA) snapped a five-game losing streak in the most complete effort of the young campaign. The Lions (4-4, 0-2 MIAA) fell back to .500 on the season after dropping their second in a row. NSU shot 87.5 percent from behind the 3-point line (14-for-16), which broke a school record that had stood since 1998 (highest 3-point field-goal percentage in a single game). The team also shot 57.8 percent (26-for-45) overall and 66.7 percent (20-for-30) at the free-throw line. LWU shot 33.3 percent (16-for-48) from the field, 33.3 percent (8-for-24) from distance and 78.1 percent (25-for-32) at the line. Lindenwood's 65 points and 33.3 percent field-goal shooting were both the fewest allowed by NSU this season. The field-goal percentage was also the lowest posted by the Lions since Feb. 9, 2013. Saturday's victory marked the first time this season that the RiverHawks outshot an opponent from the field. They also led in rebounding (32-31) for the second-straight game and posted advantages in assists (16-13), points in the paint (16-12), points off turnovers (17-12) and bench points (32-25). Michael Harmon continued his torrid start to the season. He scored a game-high 30 points on 10-of-14 shooting. He was also 6-for-7 from downtown and chipped in four assists and one rebound in 37 minutes. This was the second time he reached the 30-point plateau this year. Demone Harrison poured in 16 points, Dakota Caudill added 12 and Landon DeMasters scored 10. Cory Arentsen led the Lions with 16 points, while Garrett Reeg added 13 for the visitors. The 54 first-half points marked a season-best first-half total for the RiverHawks. The previous season high was 40 against Harding. The RiverHawks held Lindenwood to just 25 second-half points, which was the fewest NSU has conceded in either half all season.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - NSU 73, MWSU 70
Northeastern State defeated Missouri Western State 73-70 on Dec. 13, 2013, inside the NSU Event Center in a Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association battle. The RiverHawks closed the game on a 15-5 run to stay on top of the conference standings, while the hot-shooting Griffons suffered their first league loss of the year. Bryton Hobbs led all scorers with 20 points despite playing only 25 minutes due to foul trouble. He did most of his damage on the free-throw line, finishing 9 of 12 from the charity stripe. Keon Littleton added a season-high 17 points and eight rebounds, Marcus Sheppard finished with 14 points and nine boards, and Curtis Evans chipped in 12 points and eight boards. The RiverHawks shot 50 percent (21-for-42) from the field, 54 percent (7-for-13) from downtown and 80 percent (24-for-30) at the line. Missouri Western State shot at a 43-percent clip (23-for-54), while converting 50 percent (12-for-24) from downtown and 75 percent (12-for-16) from the free-throw line. Ryan Devers paced the Griffons with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists. Adarius Fulton added 12 points, and both Hans Thun and Dareon Jones contributed 11. The two teams combined for just 13 turnovers, and NSU outrebounded MWSU 32-26.
 
NSU SELECTED FOR NATIONAL CBS BROADCAST
Northeastern State's regular-season matchup at Central Missouri has been chosen as the NCAA Division II National TV Game of the Week. The contest will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network beginning at 10 a.m. Dec. 20 in Warrensburg, Missouri. The contest will be the first nationally-televised game for Northeastern State since the Redmen won the 2003 NCAA Division II National Championship. The RiverHawks will travel to the UCM Multi-Purpose Building to face off with the defending national champions. NSU handed the Mules two of their five losses last season, once on Dec. 21 in Tahlequah (72-71) and again on March 7 in the MIAA Championship quarterfinals (84-82). There will be five NCAA Division II Men's Basketball National TV Games of the Week this season, with the contest between the RiverHawks and Mules serving as the first in 2014-15. 
 
BREAKING AN ALL-TIME MARK
After losing five straight, the RiverHawks busted their losing streak on the strength of an 86-65 blowout win over Lindenwood at Dec. 6 inside the NSU Event Center. Northeastern State made 14 of 16 3-point attempts, and the 87.5 shooting percentage from downtown broke a school record that had stood since Feb. 21, 1998. Michael Harmon scored 30 points for the second time in three games. He made 6-for-7 from behind the arc. Demone Harrison was 4-for-4 from distance, Landon DeMasters was 2-for-2, Trey Mohair was 1-for-2 and Keon Littleton was 1-for-1. NSU took a 54-40 lead into halftime and cruised to the 21-point victory, which was the highest margin of victory against a league opponent since defeating Cameron University 84-62 in Lone Star Conference action on Feb. 28, 2004.
 
DROPPING 36
Michael Harmon poured in a career-high 36 points in a 99-87 loss to Ouachita Baptist on Nov. 29 inside Tucker Coliseum. The senior guard has taken over the main scoring duties this season, which was apparent against the Tigers when he connected on 11-of-20 shots from the field and 6-of-12 attempts from 3-point territory. He also hit 8 of 9 from the free-throw line. The 36-point total is the second-highest scored by a player from the MIAA this season. Harmon has three other games with at least 20 points, which includes a 30-point effort in a victory over Lindenwood on Dec. 6.
 
HARRISON PICKS UP FIRST MIAA WEEKLY ACCOLADE
Demone Harrison was named the MIAA Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced Oct. 15. The junior transfer from Houston, Texas, led Northeastern State in scoring in each of his first two games with the RiverHawks. In his second game, he poured in a game-high 30 points to lead NSU to a victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State. The point total was the highest single-game total by all MIAA players through the first week of the season. Harrison shot 55 percent (12-for-22) from the field, 67 percent (8-for-12) from downtown and 83 percent (15-for-18) at the free-throw line, while averaging 23.5 points per game. He also pulled down nine rebounds and only turned the ball over twice all weekend. He came off the bench in both games.
 
NSU SELECTED 12TH IN MIAA PRESEASON POLLS
The Northeastern State men's basketball team was picked to finish 12th in the MIAA by the league coaches. The RiverHawks earned 39 points and are projected to finish just inside the cut line for the MIAA Championship tournament in May. Central Missouri topped the coaches' poll with 151 points total and 10 first-place votes a year removed from winning the national championship. Northeastern State finished 16-13 last season and 9-10 in the MIAA. NSU also lost head coach Larry Gipson, who retired at the end of the season. Senior forward Landon DeMasters is the leading returning scorer at 8.1 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game last season.
 
GO RIVERHAWKS GEAR
Northeastern State University Athletics has partnered with Advanced-Online for the past two years with a 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.