Box Score (HTML) I
Box Score (PDF)TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team lost 57-48 to No. 9 Pittsburg State Wednesday evening inside the NSU Event Center.
The RiverHawks fell to 9-10 overall this season and 5-7 in MIAA play, while PSU improved to 18-3 on the year and 8-2 in league play.
The RiverHawks were led by freshman forward
Bria Pierce who scored 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Senior guard
Chelsey Beathard added 10 points.
NSU shot 31.5 percent (17-for-54) from the field, 26.7 percent (4-for-15) from behind the arc and 76.9 percent (10-for-13) at the line. PSU shot 34.7 percent (17-for-49) from the field, 28.6 percent (6-for-21) from 3-point range and 73.9 percent (17-for-23) at the charity stripe.
Lizzy Jeronimus led the Gorillas with 15 points and nine rebounds. Morgan Westhoff added 14 points.
The RiverHawks kept pace with nationally ranked Pittsburg State in the first 20 minutes. They trailed 21-19 after Kylie Gafford scored a layup in the final seconds to give the visitors a slight edge at the half. The Gorillas began the second half with a 9-2 run which stretched the lead to nine points. NSU responded with a 9-3 run of its own to cut the lead to 33-30 with 11:20 remaining in the game, but PSU was able to stave off the RiverHawks and earn the road victory.
Pittsburg State outrebounded the RiverHawks 41-34. NSU held the edge in points in the paint (18-12), assists (9-8), steals (6-4) and second chance points (5-0).
Northeastern State will next travel to Edmond, Oklahoma, to take on Central Oklahoma. The game is set to tip-off at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 5.
NORTHEASTERN STATE COACH RANDY GIPSONInitial statement…"I think our team competed hard. I was pleased with the effort we put out there. We just didn't make enough plays offensively and we let them get to the free throw line too much. But on the most part, I thought we played pretty solidly defensively. It was a good effort against an outstanding team. I thought our kids represented really well, we just came up a little short."
On building confidence…"We've got a lot of young players and I'm seeing people getting better.
Caley Shaffstall came off the bench and played really well tonight. The freshman are improving all the time. Our margin for error is so slight, we just haven't completed some plays and some shots. Our timing is just not as perfect as it needs to be, but we're getting closer to where we want to be. It's encouraging as we move forward to see the effort of our young kids start to pay off."
On having a longer layoff before the next game…"We'll be able to get out there and practice more. Practice is really important especially with young players. It's a chance to step back and revisit some teaching points and get some quality reps. I really enjoy practice this time of year because you can really pay attention to things that are important in the outcome of games. This team has a good attitude about practicing and I think we can get some good things done this week as we prepare for UCO next week."
-GoRiverHawksGo.com-
