Game Notes  I  Live Video  I  Free Audio  I  Live Stats

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team is set for its first appearance on national TV since winning the 2003 NCAA Championship. The RiverHawks (2-7, 1-2 MIAA) will meet No. 3 Central Missouri (10-1, 1-1 MIAA) on CBS Sports Network at 10 a.m. Dec. 20 in Warrensburg, Missouri.

This will mark the fourth all-time meeting between NSU and UCM. The Mules took the first matchup on Jan. 9, 2013, in Warrensburg (77-69), while the RiverHawks won both meetings last season. NSU defeated Central Missouri on Dec. 21, 2013 in Tahlequah (72-71), and Northeastern State also handed UCM an 84-82 defeat in the quarterfinals of the 2014 MIAA Championship last season.

Northeastern State was picked to finish 12th in the MIAA preseason coaches' poll, while Central Missouri was projected to repeat as conference champions.
 

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	32	Dakota Caudill	6-6, 220	Jr-RS	7.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg	Claremore, Okla.
G	05	Keon Littleton	6-1, 185	Sr-1L	9.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg	DeSoto, Texas
G	20	Trey Mohair	6-0, 190	Jr-TR	7.8 ppg, 2.3 apg	Denton, Texas
G	23	Montre' Williams	5-10, 160	Fr-HS	7.3 ppg, 2.9 apg	Copperas Cove, Texas
G	25	Demone Harrison	6-3, 185	Jr-TR	12.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg	Houston, Texas
#3 Central Missouri's Probable Starters
F	10	Brennen Hughes	6-6, 240	Sr.	7.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg	Moberly, Mo.
F	33	Kyle Wolf	6-6, 205	So.	9.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg	Lenexa, Kan.
G	03	Brad Woodson	6-5, 190	Fr.	6.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg	St. Louis, Mo.
G	04	Preston Brunz	6-1, 180	Sr.	8.6 ppg, 2.5 apg	Mankato, Minn.
G	05	Rakeem Dickerson	6-0, 180	Sr.	13.7 ppg, 5.3 apg	Little Rock, Ark.

SCOUTING THE MULES
The University of Central Missouri is located in Warrensburg, Missouri, and the team competes in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The defending national champions began the season 10-0 but fell to Central Oklahoma 72-57 in their last outing on Dec. 18. UCM has utilized the same starting five in all 11 games this season, and they are led in points and assists by Rakeem Dickerson (13.7 ppg, 5.3 apg). Dillon Deck is second in both scoring and rebound (11.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg), while T.J. White leads the side in rebounding (10.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg). UCM is 6-1 at home this season.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - MWSU 83, NSU 78 (OT)
NSU lost in overtime 83-78 to Missouri Western State University Thursday night inside MWSU Fieldhouse. The RiverHawks dropped to 2-7 on the season and 1-2 in the MIAA. Keon Littleton had a career night, as he registered his second double-double. He poured in a career-high 22 points (18 in the first half) and also hauled in 10 rebounds. Michael Harmon added 14 points, Trey Mohair chipped in 11 and Montre' Williams contributed 10. NSU shot 41.3 percent (26-for-63) from the field, 37.5 percent (6-for-16) from downtown and 74.1 percent (20-for-27) at the free-throw line. Missouri Western State shot 57.1 percent (28-for-49) overall, 50 percent (9-for-18) from distance and 62.1 percent (18-for-29) at the charity stripe. Cortrez Colbert paced the Griffons with a game-high 25 points. Wes Mitter (12) was the only other player in double figures.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - NSU 84, #15 UCM 82
Northeastern State stunned top seeded Central Missouri 84-82 in the quarterfinals of the 2014 MIAA Championship on March 7, 2014 inside Municipal Auditorium. The No. 15-ranked Mules, who went on to claim the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, saw their 10-game win streak snapped. Bryton Hobbs finished with 31 points to lead all scorers. He poured in 29 of those points in the second half. Hobbs hit 11 of 12 from the free-throw line and connected on 6 of 10 from downtown. He also tallied nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks in 40 minutes. Landon DeMasters added 16 points and Michael Harmon contributed 11, nine of which came in the first half. Northeastern State shot 44 percent (22-for-50) from the field, 52.2 percent (12-for-23) from downtown and 84.8 percent (28-for-33) at the free-throw line. UCM shot 43.1 percent (28-for-65) from the field, 47.1 percent (8-for-17) from distance and just 60 percent (18-for-30) at the charity stripe. Central Missouri, the regular-season MIAA champions and defending MIAA Tournament champions, was led by Dillon Deck, Preston Brunz and Daylen Robinson, who all finished with 17 points. Charles Hammork added 10 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort.
 
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's TINSLEY IN INAUGURAL CAMPAIGN
NSU's Jason Tinsley (Northwestern State, '79) is in his first season as the RiverHawks head coach. He was hired in April as the ninth head men's basketball coach in school history. Tinsley takes the reins from Larry Gipson, who retired following a 17-year run that included the only NCAA Division II National Championship in school history (2003) and five appearances in the NCAA Championship tournament (2000-03, 2013). Tinsley comes to Tahlequah following a highly-successful run as head women's basketball coach from 2010-14 at NCAA Division III Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana. During his four-year stint with the Lady Cats, he led the program to an 89-25 record and three berths in the NCAA Division III Championship tournament. The team advanced to the Round of 32 in 2011, which included the first NCAA tournament victory in school history. He also led LC to three American Southwest Conference regular-season division championships and three ASC Conference Tournament finals appearances. At Louisiana College, Tinsley guided two NCAA Division III All-Americans, 11 all-conference performers, seven All-ASC Defensive Team members, two ASC Defensive Players of the Year, and two ASC Freshmen of the Year. Prior to his stint at LC, Tinsley served as head men's coach at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (NCAA D-II, Pembroke, N.C.) from 2003-08. His other head coaching stop came at Bossier Parish Community College (NJCAA D-I, Bossier City, La.) from 1999-02.
 
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.
 
THE EVENT CENTER
The Northeastern State basketball programs are in their second season competing in the 78,200 square foot NSU Event Center. The newly-constructed facility houses the basketball offices and the NSU athletic administration. The project has cost north of $21.2 million and the arena is located adjacent to Doc Wadley Stadium on the north side of the NSU campus.