Game Notes  I  Live Stats UNK  I  Live Stats FHSU  I  Live Video  I  Free Audio

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team will close out the regular season with road games at Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State. The RiverHawks (10-14, 7-10 MIAA) will first meet the Lopers (8-16, 4-13 MIAA) at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 26 inside the Health & Sports Center (5,700) and then they will face the Tigers (17-7, 10-7 MIAA) inside Gross Memorial Coliseum (6,814).

Northeastern State and UNK have met just twice since NSU joined the NCAA in 1996-97. The RiverHawks won both meetings, first an 85-57 victory inside Jack Dobbins Field House on Jan. 5, 2013 and then a 64-61 triumph on Jan. 16, 2014 inside the NSU Event Center. The only three meetings in NSU's NCAA history between the RiverHawks and Tigers have occurred in the last two years. Northeastern State was victorious in Tahlequah (54-44 on Jan. 3, 2013), while Fort Hays State won the rematch in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Championship in Kansas City (61-42, March 8, 2013). NSU claimed a 49-48 victory on Jan. 18 of this season inside the NSU Event Center, when the Tigers were ranked No. 23 in the nation. FHSU was selected in the preseason MIAA coaches poll to finish fourth in the conference, while NSU was picked sixth and UNK was tabbed to place 14th.

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	23	Che'Ron Lewis	5-11	Fr-HS	8.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg	Cushing, Okla.
F	44	Carrington Fox	5-11	Sr-3L	6.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg	Tulsa, Okla.
G	04	Fontana Tate	5-5	Jr-2L	11.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg	Muldrow, Okla.
G	05	Kate Bellamy	5-9	So-1L	6.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg	NSW, Australia
G	21	Chelsey Beathard	5-8	Jr-2L	9.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg	Pryor, Okla.
Nebraska-Kearney's Probable Starters
F	33	Amarah Williams	6-2	Jr.	13.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg	St. Louis, Mo.
F	35	Shelby Zimmerman	5-10	Sr.	12.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg	Beatrice, Neb.
G	01	Nicole Arp	5-6	Sr.	6.3 ppg, 4.4 apg	Kearney, Neb.
G	15	Laramey Lewis	5-8	So.	9.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg	Trenton, Neb.
G	30	Rylie Bowser	5-8	Jr.	1.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg	Holton, Kan.
(RV) Fort Hays State's Probable Starters
F	33	Keriann Shaw	5-10	Jr.	2.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg	Deweese, Neb.
C	40	Kate Lehman	6-4	Jr.	17.1 ppg, 11.1 rpg	Newton, Kan.
G	03	Taylor Chandler	5-5	So.	5.7 ppg, 2.3 apg	Wichita, Kan.
G	05	Beth Bohuslavsky	5-6	So.	6.0 ppg, 3.5 apg	Dwight, Neb.
G	12	Katelyn Edwards	6-0	Sr.	11.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg	Crete, Neb.

 
SCOUTING THE LOPERS
Nebraska-Kearney enters its matchup with NSU sporting an 8-16 record overall with a 4-13 mark in the MIAA. The Lopers are 5-4 at home this season, and they are 2-9 in their last 11 games. They have lost their last three contests to Pittsburg State (66-50), Emporia State (82-68) and Fort Hays State (81-53). Amarah Williams paces the Lopers both in scoring and is second in rebounding (13.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg). Shelby Zimmerman leads the squad in rebounding and is second in scoring (12.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg).
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Fort Hays State owns a 17-7 mark this season with a 10-7 record in the conference. The Tigers have lost three of their last four games, including falling to Emporia State (80-77), Pittsburg State (71-67) and Washburn (74-65). The lone win was at home to UNK (81-53). Kate Lehman leads the nation in triple doubles (1) and blocks per game (5.1), and she is also fifth in double doubles (16). She leads the team in scoring and rebounding (17.1 ppg, 11.1 rpg). Beth Bohuslavsky is second in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.96). Chelsea Mason (13.3 ppg) and Katelyn Edwards (11.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg) also average double-digit scoring.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - UCO 69, NSU 65
NSU lost 69-65 to Central Oklahoma on Feb. 22 inside Hamilton Field House. The RiverHawks lost their fourth-straight game, while the Bronchos snapped a seven-game losing streak on their Senior Day. Fontana Tate finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for her first-career double-double. Kate Bellamy added 14 points and eight rebounds. Northeastern State shot 40 percent (22-for-55) from the field, 43.5 percent (10-for-23) from behind the arc and 73.3 percent (11-for-15) from the free-throw line. UCO shot 37.5 percent (24-for-64) from the field, 20 percent (6-for-30) from three-point territory and 78.9 percent (15-for-19) at the charity stripe. Jill Bryan paced the Bronchos with 22 points. Britney Morgan scored 13, Julia Mason added 12, and Olivia Mason contributed 10 rebounds.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - NSU 64, UNK 61
NSU used a strong second-half comeback to defeat Nebraska-Kearney 64-61 Jan. 16 inside the NSU Event Center. Carrington Fox led NSU with nine points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks and five assists in 30 minutes. Her rebound total was a career high, and her eight blocks tied the school record for most in a single game (Kathy Brock vs. John Brown on Dec. 8, 1983). Fontana Tate finished with 12 points, and Che'Ron Lewis added 10. Northeastern State shot 37 percent (20-for-54) from the field, 36.8 percent (7-for-19) from downtown and 68 percent (17-for-25) at the free-throw line. Nebraska-Kearney posted a 33.9 percent (21-for-62) shooting average, while connecting on 33.3 percent (8-for-24) from distance and 73.3 percent (11-for-15) at the free-throw line. Sydney Seberger paced the Lopers with 17 points, while Amarah Williams added 11.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - NSU 49, #23 FHSU 48
Northeastern State posted a 49-48 upset victory over No. 23 Fort Hays State on Jan. 18 inside the NSU Event Center. The RiverHawks arned a league victory against a Tiger squad that entered the contest as the nation's leader in scoring average at 27.9 points per game. FHSU was also on a four-game win streak, defeating the four opponents by a 30.0 point-per-game average. The 48 points by the Tigers is the lowest total of the season. FHSU also shot just 31.5 percent (17-54) from the field, third-worst of the season, and 50 percent (9-for-18) from the free-throw line, worst of the season. The team was 5 of 23 (21.7 percent) from downtown. Northeastern State shot 38.6 percent (17-for-44) from the field, 40 percent (6-for-15) from behind the three-point line and 64.3 percent (9-for-14) from the line. Chelsey Beathard led NSU with 16 points, and Kate Bellamy added 10. Kate Lehman paced the visitors with a game-high 19 points, but she only had seven rebounds. The seven boards marked the first time since the season opener the nation's third-best rebounder did not reach double digits. Chelsea Mason finished with 11 points, which was four below her season average. Katelyn Edwards entered the game averaging 13.9 points per game, but she was held to a season-low four points.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP FAN LODGING AVAILABLE
The 2014 MIAA Basketball Championships at Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium will be held March 6-9. Fan lodging at the Downtown Marriott is now being accepted for the upcoming event. The fan rate is $137 per night and fans have until Wednesday, February 12 to receive that rate. Lodging is available here: https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=10982278. Through this website you can book, modify or cancel your hotel reservations at any time and receive updated information about the event.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN KC
The 2014 MIAA Women's Basketball Championship is set to take place inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. 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, 8-9.
 
IF THE SEASON WERE TO END TODAY
NSU is currently 7-10 in the MIAA standings and is in solo eighth place. If the season were to end today, the RiverHawks would earn the No. 8 seed and would play host to No. 9 seed Northwest Missouri State on March 3 in the first round of the MIAA Championship. The winner of that contest would join seven other schools in Kansas City for the remainder of the tournament. Emporia State, Central Missouri, Pittsburg State, and Missouri Southern State are slated to earn the four byes to KC. Northeastern State lost to Northwest Missouri State 57-51 in overtime in Maryville on Jan. 13.
 
THE HISTORIC ROAD LOSING STREAK
The NSU basketball programs have lost five-straight road doubleheaders, with losses coming at Northwest Missouri State (Jan. 13), Washburn (Jan. 25), Pittsburg State (Jan. 29), Emporia State (Feb. 12), and most-recently Central Oklahoma (Feb. 22). This is the first time during the Gipson Brothers' era (since 1999) that the two teams have lost five-straight doubleheaders. The women's basketball team has also lost six-straight road games, which is the longest road losing streak for the RiverHawks since 2006, when they lost the last four road games in the 2005-06 season and dropped the first two road games of the 2006-07 season. Randy Gipson has never lost seven-straight road games during his time as head coach at Northeastern State. The last time NSU won a road game was a 66-53 victory on Dec. 5 at Lincoln.
 
GIPSON'S UNCHARTED TERRITORY
Northeastern State currently sits at 10-14 on the season and will finish with a losing record for the first time since the 1998-99 campaign (6-19 that year). NSU coach Randy Gipson took over the reins the following year and has led the RiverHawks to 14-straight winning seasons. He also coached at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M prior to coming to Tahlequah and had winning seasons all nine years in Miami. This would mark the first time in Gipson's historic career that he was unable to lead a team to a winning record.
 
FOX SETS BLOCKS RECORD
Carrington Fox registered a career-high eight blocks on Jan. 16 in a win over Nebraska-Kearney. The block total tied the school record for most in a single game (Kathy Brock vs. John Brown on Dec. 8, 1983). She also finished with nine points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Fox currently has 127 career blocks and now owns the school record that was previously held by Gaile Cook (1989-91). Fox set the all-time career blocks record with a six-block effort on Feb. 15 at home against Washburn. She has played in 106 career games, with her 100th appearance coming on the road against the Ichabods on Jan. 25.
 
THE STARTING FIVE
Randy Gipson-coached teams are usually known for consistency at the top of the lineup. This year, however, has been much different for Northeastern State as the team has utilized 10 different starting lineups through the first 24 games of the season. There have been three starting lineups that have been used more than once. The starting lineup that has been used the last eight games includes Fontana Tate, Chelsey Beathard, Kate Bellamy, Che'Ron Lewis, and Carrington Fox. NSU is 3-6 in games started by those five. Beathard owns the most starts this season with 22. Others to earn at least one start this year are Sarah Sagely, Courtney Cowan and Jamie Jackson. Mya Walker is the only member of the team who has yet to start a game this season.
 
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.