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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team had its brief two-game win streak snapped in a 76-66 loss to Pittsburg State Wednesday evening inside the NSU Event Center.
 
The RiverHawks dropped to 5-14 on the year and 3-9 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, while the Gorillas improved to 12-7 overall and 8-3 in the league.
 
NSU was led by its bench production, as senior guard Keon Littleton and junior guard Demone Harrison combined to outscore PSU's bench 40-9. Harrison led all scorers with 22 points (11-for-12 at the free-throw line), and Littleton posted 18 points and seven rebounds. Junior guard Trey Mohair chipped in 11 points before fouling out.
 
The home team shot 39.6 percent (19-for-48) from the field, 25 percent (3-for-12) from deep and 78.1 percent (25-for-32) at the free-throw line. Pittsburg State shot 47.7 percent (21-for-44) overall, 60 percent (9-for-15) from behind the 3-point line and 67.6 percent (25-for-37) at the charity stripe.
 
Javis Flynn paced four Gorillas in double figures with 17 points. Josiah Gustafson added 16, Connor Kjer chipped in 14 and Devon Branch scored 13.
 
Northeastern State dominated the contest in points in the paint (30-14) and fast-break points (17-2). The two sides combined to commit 32 fouls, and they combined to shoot 69 free throws.
 
NSU is now set to take the weekend off before heading to Edmond, Oklahoma, for a 7:30 p.m. showdown Feb. 5 against Central Oklahoma.
 
NORTHEASTERN STATE COACH JASON TINSLEY
Initial statement...
"We played hard until the end. We didn't quit, which is a good sign for us moving forward and getting better as a basketball team. It's been a rough season, but we were able to play (Pittsburg State) close and they're a good team. We did a good job of battling until the end. This was a game of missed opportunities. We missed 15 shots in the paint and missed a lot of free throws. Then we were allowing Pittsburg State's dribble penetration. They were getting easy shots at the rim."
 
On the rebounding margin...
"One of our three goals each game is outrebounding our opponent. We've got to make shots and get stops and when we get those stops we can't give them a second chance. Tonight, we did a better job in the rebound column. We got outrebounded 34-30, but that's good for us. Pittsburg State is a lot bigger than we are and we did a good job of battling on the boards. Tonight, we didn't defend in the half-court as much as we should have. They move the ball really well and our defenders have to do something to slow them down. We can't get behind the passes."
 
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