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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team is set to host a third game in five days when they play Southwestern Oklahoma State in non-conference play. The RiverHawks (4-3, 2-0 MIAA) will meet the Bulldogs (2-4, 0-2 GAC) at 6 p.m. Dec. 8 in the NSU Event Center.

Northeastern State will be looking for some revenge after losing to Southwestern Oklahoma State last season 96-73 in Weatherford. The RiverHawks had won eight straight meetings between the teams before last year.
 

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	20	Sara Fountain	5-11	Fr-HS	5.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg	Stillwell, Okla.
G	04	Fontana Tate	5-5	Sr-3L	10.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg	Muldrow, Okla.
G	05	Kate Bellamy	5-9	Jr-2L	8.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg	NSW, Australia
G	14	Alexis Hill	5-6	Fr-HS	6.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg	Garland, Texas
G	21	Chelsey Beathard	5-8	Sr-3L	11.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg	Pryor, Okla.
Southwestern Oklahoma State's Probable Starters
F	24	Jessica Penner	6-0	Jr.	9.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg	Cordell, Okla.
F	33	Korina Chapman	6-0	Jr.	8.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg	Albuquerque, N.M.
G	10	Chelsea Bates	5-4	Sr.	13.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg	Thomas, Okla.
G	13	Kimmi Sawatzky	5-7	Sr.	13.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg	Weatherford, Okla.
G	23	Jennifer Williams	5-8	Jr.	15.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg	Clinton, Okla.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Southwestern Oklahoma State University is located in Weatherford, Oklahoma, and the team competes in the Great American Conference. The Bulldogs are 2-4 in the 2014-15 season and 0-2 in GAC play. SWOSU defeated Cameron 82-68 in their most recent game. Jennifer Williams (15.0 ppg), Kimmi Sawatzky (13.3 ppg) and Chelsea Bates (13.2 ppg) average in double figure scoring and lead the team. Korina Chapman averages 8.8 points per game and leads the team in rebounding with 8.0 rebounds per game. The Bulldogs average 67.7 points per game and shoot .364 as a team.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT – NSU 65, LWU 56
The Northeastern State women's basketball team dominated the second half in a 65-56 victory over Lindenwood Saturday afternoon inside the NSU Event Center. The RiverHawks (4-3, 2-0 MIAA) outscored the Lady Lions (5-2, 0-2 MIAA) 40-25 in the final 20 minutes after falling behind 31-25 at halftime. Senior guard Chelsey Beathard matched her career high of 18 points for the second-straight game, while fellow senior guard Fontana Tate added 14 points and junior guard Kate Bellamy chipped in 12. Northeastern State shot 44.7 percent (21-for-47) from the field, 36.4 percent (8-for-22) from downtown and 62.5 percent (15-for-24) at the free-throw line. Lindenwood shot 37 percent (20-for-54) overall, 33.3 percent (3-for-9) from distance and 61.9 percent (13-for-21) at the charity stripe. Kassidy Gengenbacher was the only Lady Lion in double figures, as she finished with 14 points. Vanessa Zailo posted nine points and 19 rebounds.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET – SWOSU 96, NSU 73
The Northeastern State women's basketball team dropped a 96-73 decision to Southwestern Oklahoma State November 13, 2013 inside Rankin Williams Field House. The RiverHawks suffered their first 0-3 start to a season in the Randy Gipson era, while also conceding the most points in a single game since Gipson took over the program in 1999-00. The Lady Bulldogs improved to 2-1 on the year. NSU was led in scoring by forward Melissa Jones, who was 6-of-7 shooting for 15 points. Guard Sarah Sagely contributed 14, and guard Jamie Jackson chipped in 11. Northeastern State shot 40 percent (27-for-68) from the field and 30 percent (8 of 27) from downtown, while hitting 11 of 18 (61 percent) free throws. Southwestern Oklahoma State connected on 51 percent (32-for-63) from the field and 55 percent (16-for-29) from distance, while putting away 16 of 19 (84 percent) at the line. SWOSU's Michelle Fisher dropped 31 points on 11-of-18 shooting. She was 6-for-8 from downtown and 3 of 4 at the line. Fisher posted the first 30-point game against NSU since Kevi Luper of Oral Roberts scored 34 on Jan. 3, 2011.
 
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.
 
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 12-6 inside the NSU Event Center. The RiverHawks seniors have tallied a 34-7 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 the following week after losing twice in Missouri.
 
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 51 career starts, and Chelsey Beathard is second on the squad with 35 starts. Kate Bellamy (27) and Sarah Sagely (14) also own double-digit starts. Mya Walker (4),  Sara Fountain (4), Alexis Hill (2), Danielle Robertson (1) and Bria Pierce (1) have also started games for NSU this season.
 
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.
 
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).
 
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-