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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team is set to begin MIAA play for the 2014-15 season. The RiverHawks (2-3) will take on Lincoln University (4-1) at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 4 before playing Lindenwood University (5-0) at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 6. Both games will be at the NSU Event Center.

The series between Lincoln and Northeastern State is tied 1-1 since the RiverHawks joined the MIAA in 2011-12. NSU earned a 66-53 victory in Jefferson City last season, and LU topped Northeastern State 54-49 also on the road in 2011-12. The RiverHawks have won their conference opener each of the last two years.

Northeastern State is 2-1 against Lindenwood in the last three years.  
 

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	34	Mya Walker	5-7	So-1L	8.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg	Columbus, Ohio
G	04	Fontana Tate	5-5	Sr-3L	10.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg	Muldrow, Okla.
G	05	Kate Bellamy	5-9	Jr-2L	7.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg	New South Wales, Australia
G	21	Chelsey Beathard	5-8	Sr-3L	9.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg	Pryor, Okla.
G	22	Sarah Sagely	5-6	Sr-1L	3.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg	West Fork, Ark.
Lincoln's Probable Starters
F	23	Kate Frazier	6-0	Sr.	12.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg	Springfield, Mo.
G	01	Hunter Yoakum	5-6	So.	11.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg	Dixon, Mo.
G	05	Dorian Briggs	5-8	Jr.	12.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg	Fort Smith, Ark.
G	22	Kelsey Williams	5-6	So.	13.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg	Eminence, Mo.
G	45	Lizzie Nessling	4	Jr.	4.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg	Thayer, Mo.

SCOUTING THE BLUE TIGERS
Lincoln University is located in Jefferson City, Missouri, and the team competes in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The Blue Tigers have posted a 4-1 record, beating Quincy 90-79 in their last game. Lincoln was picked to finish 14th in the preseason MIAA poll. Four Blue Tigers are averaging double digit scoring and they are Kelsey Williams (13.8 ppg), Kate Frazier (12.8 ppg), Dorian Briggs (12.2 ppg) and Hunter Yoakum (10.8 ppg). Lizzie Nessling (6.6 rpg) leads the squad in rebounding. Lincoln is averaging 70.0 points per game and shooting .407 as a team.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - #7 Drury 93, (RV) NSU 52
NSU lost 93-52 to No. 7 Drury University Saturday evening on the final day of the Doubletree/Houlihans Thanksgiving Classic inside O'Reilly Event Center. The RiverHawks dropped to 2-3 on the season, while the Panthers improved to 4-2. NSU shot 37.5 percent (21-for-56) from the field, 15.8 percent (3-for-19) from behind the arc and 77.8 percent (7-for-9) at the line. Drury shot 50.9 percent (29-for-57) from the field, 40 percent (8-for-20) from 3-point range and 77.1 percent (27-for-35) from the charity stripe. Freshman forward Sara Fountain led the way for the RiverHawks with 10 points. She was 2-for-2 from the field and 6-for-7 at the free throw line in 22 minutes. Freshman guard Alexis Hill added nine points. Hannah Dressler had a game-high 13 points to lead the Panthers. Ana-Carlota Faussurier tallied 12 points and pulled down five rebounds.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - NSU 66, LU 53
The RiverHawks opened MIAA action with a 66-53 victory over Lincoln inside Jason Gym on December 5, 2013. Chelsey Beathard registered a career-high 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting. She was also 4 of 5 from behind the three-point line. Fontana Tate added 14 for the visitors. NSU shot 47 percent (22-for-47) from the field and held the Blue Tigers (3-5, 0-1 MIAA) to just 29-percent shooting (18-for-62). Hunter Yoakum led LU with 15 points and was the lone member of the squad in double figures. The game was a sluggish start for both teams as neither club could get separation due to a handful of missed shots and turnovers. The first real run of the contest began at the 6:32 mark. Tate converted a layup to tie the game at 16-16 and the RiverHawks ended the first half on an 18-2 run. NSU took a 32-18 lead into intermission. NSU stayed hot in the first six minutes of the second half, using an early 12-4 run to move ahead by 22 points. Lincoln was able to get back to within 11 at 54-43 with 6:39 to play, but one final 10-0 run was all the RiverHawks would need to stay on top and earn the conference-opening victory.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN KC
The 2015 MIAA Women's Basketball Championship is set to take place inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. 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. Both NSU basketball programs have advanced to the MIAA Championship Quarterfinals in Kansas City in each of their first two years in the league.
 
TATE NAMED ALL-MIAA HONORABLE MENTION
Fontana Tate was named to the All-MIAA Honorable Mention team last season. She picked up her first-career postseason accolade after leading the Northeastern State women's basketball team to an eighth-place finish in the MIAA. Tate has played in 25 games and made 24 starts for NSU this year. She leads Northeastern State in scoring (11.2 ppg), minutes played (31.0 mpg), three-point field-goal percentage (.389), and total steals (23). She has also posted a .389 shooting percentage, 4.8 rebounds per game and 1.4 assists per game this season. She has scored in double figures in 16 games, which includes a career-high 23-point effort on Jan. 22 in a 59-44 upset victory over then-No. 2 Emporia State. She also had nine rebounds in the blowout victory over the then-undefeated Lady Hornets. She also recorded her first career double-double on Feb. 22 when she posted 18 points and 10 rebounds against Central Oklahoma.
 
SENIORS AT HOME
Chelsey Beathard and Fontana Tate are the two four-year seniors on the squad this year. They posted a 22-1 record inside Jack Dobbins Field House, and they are currently 10-6 inside the NSU Event Center. The RiverHawks seniors have tallied a 32-7 record at home in their careers.
 
RIVERHAWKS RECEIVED VOTES IN NATIONAL POLLS
The NSU women's basketball team received votes in the USA Today Division II Women's Basketball Top 25 Coaches' Polls that was issued on November 25. The RiverHawks fell out of the polls this past week after losing twice in Missouri.
 
NSU's GIPSON IN 16TH SEASON
NSU's Randy Gipson (Kentucky, '79) is in his 16th season as the RiverHawks head coach. He entered the year with a 289-146 record at NSU. He has recorded 14 winning seasons 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). He has coached two All-Americans (Jasmine Webb, Taylor Lewis), one MIAA Player of the Year, two LSC Players of the Year and numerous all-conference players during his tenure at Northeastern State.The 2012-13 campaign was the first for the RiverHawks in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, and the squad finished second in the regular season with a 14-4 league mark. The team landed in the top 10 nationally in six statistical categories, including fewest turnovers per game (3rd), fewest personal fouls per game (4th), three-point field-goal percentage (7th), assist-turnover ratio (9th), scoring defense (10th), and three-point field goals per game (10th). The 2013-14 team placed eighth overall in the conference and advanced to the MIAA Championship quarterfinals. 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.
 
GIPSON ADDS A PAIR OF GUARDS FOR 2015-16
Northeastern State coach Randy Gipson announced the signing of two guards for the 2015-16 season. The two new additions to the RiverHawks program will come from Oklahoma and Missouri. Long enters her senior season at Sparta High School in Sparta, Missouri, as a three-time all-state performer. She has twice been named to the Associated Press All-State First Team, and she was named to the AP All-State Second Team freshman year. She was named the SouthWest Conference League MVP as a freshman. She is also a two-time All-SWCL First Team performer, a three-time all-district first team athlete and a three-time Missouri Basketball Coaches Association All-State First Team honoree. She has averaged at least 21.1 points per game all three years, and she shot 65 percent from the field (190-for-293) as a junior. She converted 28 of 54 3-point attempts last year (52 percent) and was also an 80 percent free-throw shooter (124-for-155). Long enters her senior season with 1,693 career points. She is the daughter of Chris and Charity Long, and her high school coach is Mike Plante. Kylie Looney will come to Tahlequah after playing out her career at Adair High School in Adair, Oklahoma, under the tutelage of Scott Winfield. She has earned numerous accolades during her career, including all-conference and all-metro honors. Over the course of her first three seasons, she has played in 87 games and has scored 1,161 points. She averaged a little less than 15 points a game last season to go along with 3.3 rebounds per game, 2.3 steals per game and 1.6 assists per game. Looney has converted 171 3-point field goal attempts in her career. She helped lead her team to the state championship tournament last season. She is the daughter of Chell and Jamie Looney.
 
NSU SELECTED 8TH IN MIAA PRESEASON POLLS
The Northeastern State women's basketball team was picked to finish eighth in the MIAA by the league coaches. The RiverHawks earned 83 points and are projected to finish one place higher than their ninth-place effort from a season ago. Emporia State topped the coaches' poll with 160 points total and five first-place votes. Northeastern State finished 11-17 last season and 7-12 in the MIAA. The RiverHawks return their two top scorers in senior guards Fontana Tate (11.2 ppg) and Chelsey Beathard (9.0 ppg).
 
THE STARTING FIVE
Randy Gipson-coached teams are usually known for consistency at the top of the lineup. The past two years, however, have been much different for Northeastern State. The team utilized 10 different starting lineups last season and have already used a different starting lineup in each of the first five games in 2014-15. Fontana Tate leads NSU with 49 career starts, and Chelsey Beathard is second on the squad with 33 starts. Kate Bellamy (26) and Sarah Sagely (14) also own double-digit starts. Mya Walker (3), Sara Fountain (2), Danielle Robertson (1) and Bria Pierce (1) have also started games for NSU this season.
 
TICKETS REQUIRED FOR ENTRY IN 2014-15
All fans wishing to attend an NSU home basketball contest this season will be required to show a ticket prior to entering the facilities. NSU students and faculty/staff will still be allowed free admittance, but NSU ID's will no longer be accepted as a form of entry. Tickets can be purchased at NSU's ticketing Web site, goriverhawkstickets.com. NSU students and faculty/staff can access goriverhawkstickets.com and secure their free tickets (either printable or downloaded to your smart phone) through their goNSU accounts. For questions regarding ticket options, please contact Brynn Hamner at 918.444.3901.
 
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.
 
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.
 
-GoRiverHawksGo.com-