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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team will start the second half of the 2014-15 campaign with a rematch of last season's MIAA Championship opening-round game. The RiverHawks (6-5, 2-2 MIAA) will play host to Northwest Missouri State (4-9, 0-4 MIAA) at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 5 inside the NSU Event Center.

Northeastern State is 4-2 against the Bearcats since joining the NCAA in 1996-97. The RiverHawks won in Hawai'i on Dec. 20, 2005 (56-50), and they won on both team's home courts in 2011-12. The first was on Nov. 15, 2011 inside Jack Dobbins Field House (69-42), and the second was on Feb. 1, 2012 inside Bearcat Arena (58-55). NWMSU earned its first victory in the series in Maryville on Jan. 31, 2013 (67-64) and also won on its home court on Jan. 13, 2014 (57-51 OT). Northeastern State exacted revenge in the MIAA Championship tournament last season, as the RiverHawks went back to Maryville and earned a 47-42 victory on March 3. Northwest Missouri State was selected in the preseason MIAA coaches poll to finish ninth in the conference, while NSU was picked eighth.
 

(RV) Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	20	Sara Fountain	5-11	Fr-HS	5.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg	Stilwell, Okla.
G	04	Fontana Tate	5-5	Sr-3L	11.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg	Muldrow, Okla.
G	05	Kate Bellamy	5-9	Jr-2L	7.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg	NSW, Australia
G	14	Alexis Hill	5-6	Fr-HS	5.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg	Garland, Texas
G	21	Chelsey Beathard	5-8	Sr-3L	11.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg	Pryor, Okla.
Northwest Missouri State's Probable Starters
F	24	Shelby Mustain	6-2	So.	5.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg	Jefferson City, Mo.
G	10	Ariel Easton	5-9	Sr.	14.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg	South Bend, Ind.
G	11	Taylor Shull	5-8	Jr.	5.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg	Mt. Pleasant, Iowa
G	22	Tember Schechinger	5-10	Jr.	8.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg	Manilla, Iowa
G	35	Alexandria Blaurock	5-8	Sr.	2.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg	Kansas City, Kan.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Northwest Missouri State University is located in Maryville, Missouri, and the Bearcats are members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. NWMSU is currently 4-9 on the season and 0-4 in the MIAA. The team is also 0-6 away from home. Key victories have come against Rogers State (62-44) and Missouri Valley (71-58). League losses were to Emporia State (80-44), Pittsburg State (85-59), Fort Hays State (71-52) and Central Oklahoma (68-38). The Bearcats are led by Ariel Easton's 14.3 points per agme and her 5.5 rebounds per game. Tember Schechinger is second in scoring at 8.9 ppg and the team leader in rebounds at 5.7 rpg.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - (RV) UCM 56, (RV) NSU 53
Northeastern State fell 56-53 to Central Missouri on Dec. 20 inside UCM's Multipurpose Building. Fontana Tate led NSU with 14 points and a game-high seven rebounds, while Chelsey Beathard added 11 points for the visitors.Northeastern State shot 44 percent from the field (22-for-50), 40 percent (6-for-15) from behind the 3-point line and 60 percent (3-for-5) at the free-throw line. UCM shot 43.8 percent (21-for-48) overall, 35 percent (7-for-20) from distance and 63.6 percent (7-for-11) at the charity stripe. The Jennies were paced by a 15-point outing from Shelby Winkelmann. Tayler Weiks added 11 off the bench and Jasmine Thompson chipped in 10. Northeastern State held all four of Central Missouri's top four scorers below their season averages. Northeastern State outrebounded Central Missouri 31-28 and the two teams tied with 13 turnovers and 26 points in the paint.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - NSU 47, NWMSU 42
NSU defeated Northwest Missouri State 47-42 on March 3, 2014 inside Bearcat Arena in the first round of the MIAA Championship. NWMSU was held to a season low in points, and the win for NSU snapped a six-game losing streak and an eight-game road losing skid. Fontana Tate led NSU with 18 points and seven rebounds. Chelsey Beathard added 11 points for the visitors, and Che'Ron Lewis chipped in eight points and a team-high eight boards. Northeastern State shot 35.3 percent (18-for-51) from the field, 39.1 percent (9-for-23) from downtown and 25 percent (2-for-8) at the free-throw line. The Bearcats shot 29.4 percent (15-for-51) overall, 31.6 percent (6-for-19) from behind the arc and 60 percent (6-for-10) at the line. The overall shooting percentage and the percentage from the free-throw line were both season lows for Northwest Missouri State. Ashleigh Nelson was the only member of the home team in double figures, and she led with 18 points. Ariel Easton added nine points and eight boards. The RiverHawks outrebounded NWMSU by a 42-34 margin, which marked the first time in nine games (Jan. 25 at Washburn) that they were able to win the rebound battle.
 
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.
 
RIVERHAWKS BACK IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
The NSU women's basketball team received 17 votes in this week's USA Today Division II Women's Basketball Top 25 Coaches' Polls, it was announced December 16. This marks the second time NSU received votes, as the RiverHawks picked up 17 votes on November 25. Northeastern State is currently 6-3 on the season and on a four-game win streak.
 
SENIORS AT HOME
Chelsey Beathard and Fontana Tate are the two four-year seniors on the squad this year. They posted a 22-1 record inside Jack Dobbins Field House, and they are currently 13-6 inside the NSU Event Center. The RiverHawks seniors have tallied a 35-7 record at home in their careers.
 
NSU SELECTED 8TH IN MIAA PRESEASON POLLS
The Northeastern State women's basketball team was picked to finish eighth in the MIAA by the league coaches. The RiverHawks earned 83 points and are projected to finish one place higher than their ninth-place effort from a season ago. Emporia State topped the coaches' poll with 160 points total and five first-place votes. Northeastern State finished 11-17 last season and 7-12 in the MIAA. The RiverHawks return their two top scorers in senior guards Fontana Tate (11.2 ppg) and Chelsey Beathard (9.0 ppg).
 
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 eight different lineups through the first 11 games in 2014-15. The most recently-used starting five consisted of Fontana Tate, Chelsey Beathard, Kate Bellamy, Bria Pierce and Danielle Robertson. Others on the team to start at least one game this season include Sarah Sagely, Mya Walker, Sara Fountain and Alexis Hill.
 
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.