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HAYS, Kan. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team will close out its first of two four-game road stretches this upcoming Saturday. The RiverHawks (8-7, 4-4 MIAA) will look to unseat Fort Hays State (15-1, 8-0 MIAA) from atop the MIAA standings at 2 p.m. Jan. 17 inside Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays, Kansas.

The only four meetings during NSU's NCAA era (since 1996) between the RiverHawks and Tigers have been since 2012. The series is tied at 2-2. Both of Northeastern State's victories have come at home, while Fort Hays State has won once in Hays and once on neutral grounds in the MIAA Championship tournament (Kansas City). Northeastern State was picked eighth in the preseason MIAA coaches' poll, while FHSU was slated to finish fourth.
 

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	20	Sara Fountain	5-11	Fr-HS	4.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg	Stilwell, Okla.
F	23	Bria Pierce	5-10	Fr-HS	5.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg	Overland Park, Kan.
G	4	Fontana Tate	5-5	Sr-3L	9.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg	Muldrow, Okla.
G	5	Kate Bellamy	5-9	Jr-2L	7.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg	NSW, Australia
G	21	Chelsey Beathard	5-8	Sr-3L	10.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg	Pryor, Okla.
(RV) Fort Hays State's Probable Starters
F	33	Keriann Shaw	5-10	Sr.	5.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg	Deweese, Neb.
C	40	Kate Lehman	6-4	Sr.	20.9 ppg, 10.4 rpg	Newton, Kan.
G	5	Beth Bohuslavsky	5-6	Jr.	8.4 ppg, 4.1 apg	Dwight, Neb.
G	11	Chelsea Mason	5-9	Jr.	13.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg	Bellevue, Neb.
G	35	Paige Lunsford	5-11	Jr.	6.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg	Hays, Kan.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Fort Hays State University is located in Hays, Kansas, and the team competes in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The Tigers are currently in charge of the league this season with an unblemished 8-0 MIAA mark. They are 15-1 overall and are riding a 14-game win streak. The only loss this year came at Concordia-St. Paul (70-68) way back on Nov. 15, and they are in the top 10 nationally in nine statistical categories. Kate Lehman is second in the MIAA in both scoring and rebounding (20.9 ppg, 10.4 rpg). Chelsea Mason is second on the squad in scoring (13.3 ppg), while Keriann Shaw is second in rebounding (5.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg).
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - UNK 61, NSU 49
NSU lost 61-49 to Nebraska-Kearney Thursday evening inside the Health & Sports Center. NSU was led by Bria Pierce. Pierce was 5-for-6 from the charity stripe and finished with 11 points. The RiverHawks shot 31.5 percent (17-for-54) from the field, 16.7 percent (3-for-18) from behind the arc and 70.6 percent (12-for-17) at the line. UNK shot 42.6 percent (26-for-61) from the field, 35 percent (7-for-20) from 3-point range and 40 percent (2-for-5) at the charity stripe. Kelsey Fitzgerald led the Lopers with 19 points. Amarah Williams added 14 and McKenzie Brown scored 10. Nebraska-Kearney outrebounded the RiverHawks 44-34. The Lopers also held the edge in points in the paint (36-24) and assists (18-8). NSU had fewer turnovers (11-13) and held the edge in second chance points (11-2) as well as bench points (14-10).
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - (RV) FHSU 55, NSU 39
Northeastern State ended the regular season with a 55-39 loss to Fort Hays State on Feb. 28, 2014 inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. The RiverHawks concluded the year on a six-game losing streak, and they also finished on an eight-game losing skid on the road. Northeastern State was led by Courtney Cowan, who finished with 13 points and a career-high eight rebounds off the bench. Fontana Tate and Chelsey Beathard were both held scoreless. This marked the first time since their freshman year (Feb. 16, 2012) that at least one of the two did not record a point in a game. Freshmen scored 32 of the 39 points for the RiverHawks (Cowan, Mya Walker, Che'Ron Lewis, Jamie Jackson). NSU shot 21.4 percent (12-for-56) from the field, 31.6 percent (6-for-19) from behind the third-point line and 81.8 percent (9-for-11) at the free throw line. Fort Hays State shot 32.3 percent (20-for-62), 22.2 percent (4-for-18) from downtown and 68.8 percent (11-for-16) at the line. Beth Bohuslavsky led FHSU with 12 points. Kate Lehman finished with 10 points, 17 rebounds and 10 blocks, while Katelyn Edwards added 10 points and 12 rebounds.
 
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.
 
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 has used 10 different lineups through the first 15 games in 2014-15. The most recently-used starting five consisted of Fontana Tate, Chelsey Beathard, Kate Bellamy, Bria Pierce and Sara Fountain. Others on the team to start at least one game this season include Sarah Sagely, Mya Walker, Alexis Hill and Danielle Robertson.
 
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.
 
NSU KNOCKS OFF 5 RANKED FOES IN 2012-13
NSU defeated five ranked opponents last season. The RiverHawks knocked off No. 9 Washburn (52-43), No. 10 Fort Hays State (54-44), No. 18 Pittsburg State (65-50), No. 19 Truman State (46-44), and No. 21 Emporia State (63-51). In all five upset victories, the green and white has held its opponent to a season low in scoring and no worse than the second-worst shooting percentage of the season up to that point.