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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team jumps back into league play against Northwest Missouri State. The RiverHawks (3-8, 1-3 MIAA) and Bearcats (10-2, 3-1 MIAA) will lock up at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 5 inside the NSU Event Center.

NWMSU owns a 3-1 series record since NSU joined the NCAA in 1996-97. Northeastern State earned a 60-56 win early in the 1999-00 campaign, and the Bearcats picked up a 62-60 triumph the following year. Both games were played on neutral grounds. Northwest Missouri State has claimed both meetings since the two sides have been members of the MIAA, and both have been in Maryville. The Bearcats won 73-72 on Jan. 31, 2013 and topped NSU 85-65 on Jan. 13, 2014. This will mark NWMSU's first trip to Tahlequah. Northeastern State was picked to finish 12th in the MIAA preseason coaches' poll, while Northwest Missouri State was projected to finish fourth.
 

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	32	Dakota Caudill	6-6, 220	Jr-RS	7.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg	Claremore, Okla.
G	05	Keon Littleton	6-1, 185	Sr-1L	10.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg	DeSoto, Texas
G	20	Trey Mohair	6-0, 190	Jr-TR	8.0 ppg, 2.6 apg	Denton, Texas
G	23	Montre' Williams	5-10, 160	Fr-HS	7.2 ppg, 2.5 apg	Copperas Cove, Texas
G	25	Demone Harrison	6-3, 185	Jr-TR	13.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg	Houston, Texas
(RV) Northwest Missouri State's Probable Starters
F	33	Zach Schneider	6-7, 205	So.	13.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg	Prairie Village, Kan.
F	45	Grant Cozad	6-8, 205	Sr.	12.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg	Kearney, Mo.
G	01	Justin Pitts	5-9, 135	Fr.	16.5 ppg, 3.4 apg	Blue Springs, Mo.
G	24	Conner Crooker	6-2, 185	Jr.	14.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg	Overland Park, Kan.
G	30	Matt Wallace	6-1, 185	Sr.	5.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg	Bellevue, Neb.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Northwest Missouri State University is located in Maryville, Missouri, and the team competes in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The defending MIAA regular-season champions are currently 10-2 this season and 3-1 in the MIAA. The Bearcats have posted league victories over Emporia State (63-57), Fort Hays State (74-66 OT) and Central Oklahoma (91-70). Their two losses have been to Minnesota State-Moorhead (75-66) and Pittsburg State (69-67). Four players average double figures, led by Justin Pitts' 16.5 ppg. Conner Crooker is second at 14.3 ppg, and Zach Schneider is third in scoring at 13.8 ppg. Grant Cozad (12.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg) leads NWMSU in rebounding.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - NSU 89, CCC 73
NSU wrapped up the first half of the season with an 89-73 victory over Central Christian College on Dec. 31 inside the NSU Event Center. Keon Littleton paced the home side with a career-high 26 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Demone Harrison filled the box score with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals in 32 minutes. Senior forward Landon Demasters added 13 points. NSU shot 46.4 percent (26-for-56) from the field, 45.8 percent (11-for-24) from behind the 3-point line and 65 percent (26-for-40) at the free-throw line. CCC shot 50 percent (24-for-48) overall, 29.2 percent (7-for-24) from deep and 62.1 percent (18-for-29) at the line. The Tigers were led by Alonzo Stafford, who finished with 22 points and nine boards. Michael Gholston added 13 points and Ernest Burton chipped in 10 off the bench for the visitors. The RiverHawks outrebounded the Tigers 38-32 and also led in assists 22-11. The home team had more points off turnovers (27-14), second-chance points (22-10) and fast-break points (12-5), while posting fewer turnovers (14-22).
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - NWMSU 85, (RV) NSU 65
Northeastern State fell 85-65 to Northwest Missouri State on Jan. 13, 2014, inside Bearcat Arena. The Bearcats led by a wide margin in almost every statistical category, including rebounding (40-20), assists (16-10), steals (5-3), points in the paint (32-18), points off turnovers (15-9), and bench points (39-8). NSU shot 44 percent (22-for-50) from the field, 41.7 percent (10-for-24) from downtown and 73.3 percent (11-for-15) at the free-throw line. NWMSU shot 52.8 percent (28-for-53) from the field, 47.8 percent (11-for-23) from distance and 64.3 percent (18-for-28) at the line. Bryton Hobbs led the RiverHawks with 16 points, while Dalen Qualls chipped in 15 and Marcus Sheppard added 10 before fouling out. Conner Crooker paced five Bearcats in double figures with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Zach Schneider finished with 19 points off the bench after connecting on 5 of 8 from downtown. DeShaun Cooper added 12, and both Dillon Starzl and Grant Cozad contributed 11 points for the home side.
 
BREAKING AN ALL-TIME MARK
After losing five straight, the RiverHawks busted their losing streak on the strength of an 86-65 blowout win over Lindenwood at Dec. 6 inside the NSU Event Center. Northeastern State made 14 of 16 3-point attempts, and the 87.5 shooting percentage from downtown broke a school record that had stood since Feb. 21, 1998. Michael Harmon scored 30 points for the second time in three games. He made 6-for-7 from behind the arc. Demone Harrison was 4-for-4 from distance, Landon DeMasters was 2-for-2, Trey Mohair was 1-for-2 and Keon Littleton was 1-for-1. NSU took a 54-40 lead into halftime and cruised to the 21-point victory, which was the highest margin of victory against a league opponent since defeating Cameron University 84-62 in Lone Star Conference action on Feb. 28, 2004.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN KC
The 2015 MIAA Men'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 2, 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 5-8. Both NSU basketball programs have advanced to the MIAA Championship Quarterfinals in Kansas City in each of their first two years in the league.
 
NSU SELECTED FOR NATIONAL CBS BROADCAST
Northeastern State's regular-season matchup at Central Missouri was chosen as the NCAA Division II National TV Game of the Week. The contest was nationally televised on CBS Sports Network on Dec. 20 in Warrensburg, Missouri. The contest was the first nationally-televised game for Northeastern State since the Redmen won the 2003 NCAA Division II National Championship. The RiverHawks traveled to the UCM Multipurpose Building to face off with the defending national champions. NSU handed the Mules two of their five losses last season, once on Dec. 21 in Tahlequah (72-71) and again on March 7 in the MIAA Championship quarterfinals (84-82). There are five NCAA Division II Men's Basketball National TV Games of the Week this season, with the contest between the RiverHawks and Mules serving as the first in 2014-15. 
 
DROPPING 36
Michael Harmon poured in a career-high 36 points in a 99-87 loss to Ouachita Baptist on Nov. 29 inside Tucker Coliseum. The senior guard has taken over the main scoring duties this season, which was apparent against the Tigers when he connected on 11-of-20 shots from the field and 6-of-12 attempts from 3-point territory. He also hit 8 of 9 from the free-throw line. The 36-point total is the second-highest scored by a player from the MIAA this season. Harmon has three other games with at least 20 points, which includes a 30-point effort in a victory over Lindenwood on Dec. 6.
 
TICKETS REQUIRED FOR ENTRY IN 2014-15
All fans wishing to attend an NSU home basketball contest this season will be required to show a ticket prior to entering the facilities. NSU students and faculty/staff will still be allowed free admittance, but NSU ID's will no longer be accepted as a form of entry. Tickets can be purchased at NSU's ticketing Web site, goriverhawkstickets.com. NSU students and faculty/staff can access goriverhawkstickets.com and secure their free tickets (either printable or downloaded to your smart phone) through their goNSU accounts. For questions regarding ticket options, please contact Brynn Hamner at 918.444.3901.
 
FORMER RIVERHAWK SIGNS PRO CONTRACT
Former Northeastern State All-American guard Bryton Hobbs announced that he has signed a one-year contract to play professionally for the Perry Lakes Hawks. The club is located in Perth, Australia, and competes in the 14-team State Basketball League (SBL). Hobbs signed his contract on December 14, and he will begin competing for the Hawks in March. The SBL season runs from March through August. Perry Lakes finished 11-15 this past season, but the Hawks own the most championships in league history with five. Hobbs led the 2013-14 RiverHawks to a 16-13 record and a spot in the MIAA Championship semifinals. He led the MIAA in scoring and finished eighth in the NCAA at 23.1 ppg. He also finished third in the conference in assists (5.7 apg). Hobbs played in 57 games in two seasons at NSU and also made 55 starts. He scored in double figures 55 times, while also reaching 20 points 31 times, 30 points six times and 40 points once. He finished his career with 1,182 points and had three double-doubles. His postseason accolades included being named an All-American in 2012-13, while also earning four all-region accolades and two All-MIAA honors. When Hobbs takes the floor in March, he will become the second member from NSU's last NCAA tournament team (2012-13) to compete at the professional level. Former NSU forward Jermaine Bransford is currently under contract with Tunisian club Stade Nabeulien. The team is located in Nabeul, Tunisia, and competes in the Tunisian Division I Basketball League. He played last year with ASB Potosi in Bolivia. Hobbs and Bransford led the 2012-13 squad to 19 victories and a berth in the first round of the NCAA Championship.