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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team will meet Central Missouri in the quarterfinals of the 2014 MIAA Championship. The No. 9 seeded RiverHawks (15-12) are set to face the top seed and No. 15-ranked Mules (24-4) at noon March 7 inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

The winner will face either No. 4 Fort Hays State or No. 5 Central Oklahoma in the semifinals at 6 p.m. March 8. This will mark just the third 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 in Tahlequah on Dec. 21 this season (72-71). Central Missouri earned a share of first place in the MIAA this season, while Northeastern State finished in solo ninth.

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	10	Landon DeMasters	6-4, 200	Jr-1L	7.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg	Van Alstyne, Texas
F	15	Marcus Sheppard	6-4, 205	Sr-1L	9.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg	Vivian, La.
F	22	Curtis Evans	6-7, 215	Jr-TR	9.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg	Springdale, Ark.
G	00	Michael Harmon	5-11, 180	Jr-TR	6.6 ppg, 0.7 apg	Houston, Texas
G	03	Bryton Hobbs	6-0, 170	Sr-1L	22.6 ppg, 5.7 apg	St. Louis, Mo.
#15 Central Missouri's Probable Starters
F	24	Dillon Deck	6-9, 240	Jr.	13.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg	Smithville, Mo.
G	04	Preston Brunz	6-1, 195	Jr.	5.0 ppg, 1.7 apg	Mankato, Minn.
G	11	Daylen Robinson	6-0, 190	Sr.	12.6 ppg, 5.5 apg	Kansas City, Mo.
G	21	Jon Gilliam	6-2, 180	Sr.	6.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg	Paris, Mo.
G	22	Charles Hammork	6-6, 190	Sr.	12.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg	New Orleans, La.

SCOUTING THE MULES
Central Missouri rolls in the MIAA Championship riding a 10-game win streak. The Mules (24-4, 16-3 MIAA) haven't lost since an 80-68 road setback Jan. 18 against Northwest Missouri State. Since then, UCM has sat down the likes of Missouri Southern State twice, Lincoln twice, Lindenwood twice, Southern Baptist twice, and Missouri Western State. In the regular-season finale, Central Missouri topped NWMSU 76-64 to claim a share of the league crown. Dillon Deck paces the squad at 13.7 ppg and 5.1 rpg. Daylen Robinson adds 12.6 ppg and 5.5 apg, and Charles Hammork checks in at 12.3 ppg and 5.0 rpg.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - NSU 79, WU 75
Northeastern State ended the season for Washburn with a 79-75 victory on March 4 in Lee Arena in the opening round of the 2014 MIAA Championship. The No. 9-seeded RiverHawks used a balanced effort to eliminate the No. 8-seeded Ichabods. Landon DeMasters exploded for a career-high 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting in the winning performance. He connected on 4-of-7 three's and hit all three free-throw opportunities. Five RiverHawks scored in double figures, including Bryton Hobbs (15), Marcus Sheppard (13), Dalen Qualls (12), and Curtis Evans (10). Michael Harmon also added eight points for NSU. Northeastern State shot 52.2 percent (24-for-46) from the field, 47.4 percent (9-for-19) from behind the 3-point line and 78.6 percent (22-for-28) at the free-throw line. The Ichabods shot 47.5 percent (28-for-59) from the field, 26.9 percent (7-for-26) from distance and 75 percent (12-for-16) at the charity stripe. Kyle Wiggins paced the home side with 24 points, while Alex North registered a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Korey Fisher added 11 points in the season-ending effort.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - NSU 72, UCM 71
The RiverHawks earned a 72-71 victory over Central Missouri on Dec. 21 inside the NSU Event Center. Curtis Evans led NSU with 17 points, marking the first time all season Bryton Hobbs did not lead the squad in scoring. UCM point guard Daylen Robinson bothered Hobbs all game, as he finished with just 11 points on 1-of-14 shooting. He only got to double digits due to a 9-for-10 effort on the free-throw line. Hobbs was effective in other areas, however, as he added seven rebounds and seven assists in 40 minutes. Keon Littleton poured in 16 points and added seven boards and three steals. Marcus Sheppard finished with 13 points, and Michael Harmon came off the bench to contribute 11. Northeastern State shot 35 percent (20-for-57) from the field, 33 percent (8-for-24) from downtown and 77 percent (24-for-31) at the free-throw line. Central Missouri shot 45 percent (29-for-65) overall, 38 percent (8-for-21) from downtown and was just 5 of 6 at the charity stripe. There were only 14 turnovers in a well-played contest. Dillon Deck was 10-for-18 from the field and finished with a game-high 22 points for UCM. Robinson added 13 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. The game featured 26 lead changes and 15 ties, and neither team led by more than six points. Both teams exchanged four-point leads in the opening half, and it was Central Missouri who took a near-meaningless one-point edge (31-30) into the locker room.
 
GIPSON ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
Larry Gipson announced Feb. 16 that he will retire as head coach of the Northeastern State men's basketball program, effective at the conclusion of the 2013-14 season. Gipson will step down after leading NSU for the past 17 seasons. He currently has a career record of 276-198 at Northeastern State. His all-time collegiate coaching record stands at 561-358, and he is 332-256 at the NCAA level. His 276 career victories place him second at Northeastern State behind only Jack Dobbins (314), and his .582 winning percentage is the best in school history. He reached the 100- and 200-win milestones faster than any other coach in program history. Gipson has led NSU to nine winning seasons, five 20-win campaigns and five appearances in the NCAA Championship tournament (1999-03, 2013). His marquee season came in 2002-03, when he guided his team to a 32-3 record and the lone NCAA Division II National Championship in school history. The 2003 title is also the only national championship won in Redmen/RiverHawks basketball history. Gipson was inducted into the NSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004 for his outstanding coaching feat. A retirement reception for Gipson will be held in April. The date and time will be announced at a later date. A national search for Gipson's replacement will begin at the conclusion of the NCAA Division II regular season. Follow @NSUCoachSearch on twitter for updates.
 
HOBBS NAMED ALL-MIAA SECOND TEAM
Bryton Hobbs was named to the All-MIAA Second Team, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced on March 4. The senior guard from St. Louis, Mo., leads the conference in scoring at 22.6 ppg and third in assists per game (5.7). Hobbs, who was named to the All-MIAA First Team a year ago and was a preseason All-American this year, also finished the regular season second in the MIAA in minutes played per game (35.7), sixth in free-throw percentage (.825) and 14th in 3-point field goals made per game (1.8). He has played in all 27 games and made 25 starts this season, scored in double figures in every game and made at least 10 free throws 10 times. He had 19 20-point performances and reached 30 points four times. He registered a career-high 40 points against Southwest Baptist on Jan. 9. Despite leading the league in scoring, he had two games late in the year where he failed to attempt a shot in the first half. He is currently shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from behind the three-point line. Hobbs, who has 1,123 career points in only two years, recorded three double-doubles and leads the country by a wide margin in both free throws made (231) and attempted (282) this season. He is currently 10th in the nation in points per game and 26th in the NCAA in assists per game.
 
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 Men's Basketball Championship is set to take place inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. The top 12 teams in the regular season all qualified for postseason play, with the top four earning byes to Kansas City. The first round was contested at host sites March 4, with the fifth seed hosting No. 12, the sixth seed hosting No. 11, etc. Those four winners (Central Oklahoma, Nebraska-Kearney, Emporia State, and Northeastern State) will join the top four seeds in KC March 7-9. The four teams to earn byes were Central Missouri, Northwest Missouri State, Missouri Southern State, and Fort Hays State. Northeastern State's men's and women's basketball programs have both advanced to the KC portion of the tournament in each of the last two seasons. There are only three MIAA school's who can boast such a feat, and those are Central Missouri, Fort Hays State and NSU.
 
THE HISTORIC ROAD LOSING STREAK
The NSU basketball programs lost six-straight road doubleheaders, with sweeps coming at Northwest Missouri State (Jan. 13), Washburn (Jan. 25), Pittsburg State (Jan. 29), Emporia State (Feb. 12), Central Oklahoma (Feb. 22), and Nebraska-Kearney (Feb. 26). This was the first time during the Gipson Brothers' era (since 1999) that the two teams have lost six-straight doubleheaders. The NSU men ended a six-game road losing streak with a victory at Fort Hays State to end the regular season, but the streak was the longest since the end of the 2010-11 season/beginning of the 2011-12 season.
 
THE NEW EVENT CENTER
The Northeastern State basketball programs have opened play in the new 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 $17 million and the arena is located adjacent to Doc Wadley Stadium on the north side of the NSU campus. The RiverHawks began play in the new arena on Nov. 9, 2013, and they picked up a 102-65 victory over Ecclesia.
 
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.