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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team returns to Kansas City, Mo., for the 2014 MIAA Championship. The No. 9-seeded RiverHawks (11-16) are set for a quarterfinal matchup against top seed and No. 8-ranked Central Missouri (23-3) at noon March 6 inside historic Municipal Auditorium.

The winner of the quarterfinal matchup will advance to the semifinals against either No. 4 Missouri Southern State or No. 5 Fort Hays State at noon March 8. UCM is 2-0 against NSU since the RiverHawks joined the NCAA in 1996-97.

The Jennies topped Northeastern State 63-52 on Jan. 9, 2013, in Warrensburg, Mo., and also won this season's matchup 84-73 in Tahlequah. Central Missouri won the regular-season MIAA Championship, and the RiverHawks finished in a tie for eighth.

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	23	Che'Ron Lewis	5-11	Fr-HS	8.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg	Cushing, Okla.
F	44	Carrington Fox	5-11	Sr-3L	5.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg	Tulsa, Okla.
G	04	Fontana Tate	5-5	Jr-2L	11.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg	Muldrow, Okla.
G	05	Kate Bellamy	5-9	So-1L	6.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg	NSW, Australia
G	21	Chelsey Beathard	5-8	Jr-2L	8.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg	Pryor, Okla.
#8 Central Missouri's Probable Starters
F	21	Keuna Flax	5-11	Sr.	20.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg	Haltom City, Texas
F	25	Revonnia Howard	6-3	Jr.	9.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg	Chicago, Ill.
G	00	BreAnna Lewis	5-7	Sr.	13.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg	Greenville, Miss.
G	20	Breonna Embray	5-7	Jr.	2.5 ppg, 1.3 apg	St. Joseph, Mo.
G	23	Shelby Winkelmann	5-9	So.	10.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg	Rhineland, Mo.

 
SCOUTING THE JENNIES
Central Missouri sits at 23-3 on the year and rolls into the MIAA Championship riding an eight-game win streak. The Jennies are led by MIAA Player of the Year Keuna Flax, who leads the league in scoring this season at 20.3 ppg and is sixth in the league at 7.8 rpg. BreAnna Lewis landed on the All-MIAA Second Team (13.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Revonnia Howard was named All-MIAA Honorable Mention (9.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg). Lewis is 12th in the league in scoring and Howard is third in rebounding.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - NSU 47, NWMSU 42
Northeastern State defeated Northwest Missouri State 47-42 on March 3 inside Bearcat Arena in the first round of the MIAA Championship. The win for the RiverHawks was the first on the road since Dec. 5 and ended the season of the Bearcats, who were held to a season-low 42 points. The win for NSU snapped a six-game losing streak and an eight-game road losing skid. Fontana Tate led NSU with 18 points and seven rebounds. Chelsey Beathard added 11 points for the visitors, and Che'Ron Lewis chipped in eight points and a team-high eight boards. Northeastern State shot 35.3 percent (18-for-51) from the field, 39.1 percent (9-for-23) from downtown and 25 percent (2-for-8) at the free-throw line. The Bearcats shot 29.4 percent (15-for-51) overall, 31.6 percent (6-for-19) from behind the arc and 60 percent (6-for-10) at the line. The overall shooting percentage and the percentage from the free-throw line were both season lows for Northwest Missouri State. Ashleigh Nelson was the only member of the home team in double figures, and she led with 18 points. Ariel Easton added nine points and eight boards. The RiverHawks outrebounded NWMSU by a 42-34 margin, which marked the first time in nine games (Jan. 25 at Washburn) that they were able to win the rebound battle.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - UCM 84, NSU 73
NSU lost an 84-73 decision to No. 8-ranked Central Missouri on Dec. 21 the NSU Event Center. Fontana Tate tied her then-career high with 18 points. She hit a career-high five three-point baskets and added six rebounds. Chelsey Beathard added 13 points, Carrington Fox scored 11 and Che'Ron Lewis chipped in 10. Fox registered her first double-figure scoring game of the season and the third of her career. NSU converted 24 of 54 (44 percent) from the field, while hitting 9 of 21 (43 percent) from downtown and 16 of 19 (84 percent) at the free-throw line. The Jennies hit 26 of 53 (49 percent) from the field, 7 of 19 (37 percent) from downtown and 25 of 32 (78 percent) at the charity stripe. Keuna Flax led all scorers with 22 points. BreAnna Lewis added 19 and Quinnecia Twine chipped in 13 for the visitors. Revonnia Howard finished with eight points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.
 
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. 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.
 
TATE NAMED ALL-MIAA HONORABLE MENTION
Fontana Tate was named to the All-MIAA Honorable Mention team, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced March 3. The junior guard from Muldrow, Okla., picked up her first-career postseason accolade after leading the Northeastern State women's basketball team to an eighth-place finish in the MIAA this season. 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.
 
THE HISTORIC ROAD LOSING STREAK
The NSU basketball programs lost six-straight road doubleheaders from Jan. 13 (Northwest Missouri State) through Feb. 26 (Nebraska-Kearney). This was the first time during the Gipson Brothers' era (since 1999) that the two teams had been swept six-straight times. The women's basketball team recently snapped an eight-road road losing streak, which is the longest streak for the RiverHawks since the year before Randy Gipson took over as head coach (1998-99). NSU snapped the eight-game road losing streak with a 47-42 victory over Northwest Missouri State in the first round of the MIAA Championship March 3 in Maryville, Mo.
 
GIPSON'S UNCHARTED TERRITORY
Northeastern State currently sits at 11-16 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.
 
NSU TRAMPLES #2 LADY HORNETS
The RiverHawks handed No. 2 Emporia State its first loss of the season with a dominant 59-44 victory on Jan. 22 inside the NSU Event Center. The RiverHawks led wire-to-wire and earned their second win over a ranked opponent after taking down then-No. 23 Fort Hays State 49-48 on Jan. 18. The Lady Hornets (17-1, 8-1 MIAA) were held to their lowest point total since scoring 42 against Pittsburg State nearly two years ago (Feb. 15, 2012). The previous season low for Emporia State was 67. ESU also posted a 24.6 shooting percentage after finishing 15 of 61 from the field. The percentage was the worst recorded in a game by the Lady Hornets since a 65-51 loss at Central Missouri on Jan. 2, 1997. Emporia State also shot 22.2 percent (4-for-18) from downtown and 62.5 percent (10-for-16) at the free-throw line. The team did not have a player score in double figures for the first time since a 64-42 loss to Washburn on Jan. 25, 1995. Desiree Wylie led with nine points, and Amber Vandiver finished with seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Leading scorer Laura Patrick, who entered the game averaging 15.1 ppg, was held to just eight points. Merissa Quick was averaging 11.6 ppg and she finished with just five, while Kionna Kellog averaged 10.2 ppg but was held to just four. Fontana Tate led NSU with a game- and career-high 23 points. She also registered nine rebounds. Che'Ron Lewis added 12 points and five assists. The Lady Hornets are the highest-ranked team to fall to NSU in school history. The RiverHawks have also now won three straight against ESU.
 
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 131 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 109 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 27 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 10 games includes Fontana Tate, Chelsey Beathard, Kate Bellamy, Che'Ron Lewis, and Carrington Fox. NSU is 4-8 in games started by those five. Beathard owns the most starts this season with 26. 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.