TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team halted a six-game losing streak with a 92-73 victory over rival Central Oklahoma Saturday afternoon inside the NSU Event Center.
 
The RiverHawks (2-7, 1-4 MIAA) picked up their second win of the year, while the Bronchos (5-6, 1-4 MIAA) have now lost five of their last six. The 92 points scored by NSU was the second-highest total this season and the most allowed all year by UCO.
 
Five members of the green and white scored in double figures, led by a 20-point effort from senior guard Trey Mohair. Senior forward Dakota Caudill added 19, while sophomore guard Montre' Williams tallied 15 points off the bench. Junior guards Mytaa'h Crawford (13) and KD Moore (10) also hit double digits. Junior guard Braxton Williams finished with 11 assists, eight rebounds and five points. The last time an NSU men's basketball player reached double-digit assists in a single game was Amir Gilliam on Jan. 16, 2014 (10 vs. Nebraska-Kearney).  
 
Northeastern State shot season-high percentages overall (30-for-55, 54.5 percent), from behind the 3-point line (13-for-23, 56.5 percent) and at the free-throw line (19-for-23, 82.6 percent). The 13 triples were the most in a single game since December 6 of last year (14 against Lindenwood).
 
The Bronchos were held to just 43.4 percent shooting overall (23-for-53), 30.4 percent (7-for-23) from behind the arc and 71.4 percent (20-for-28) at the charity stripe.
 
Both of UCO's leading scorers came off the bench Saturday. Kendahl Amerson finished with 20, while Cornell Neal chipped in with 18. Seth Heckart was the lone starter in double figures, as he finished with 10. The other four Broncho starters combined for just 15 points.
 
Central Oklahoma built an early 17-8 lead in the game's opening eight minutes and was able to extend the advantage out to 25-13 at the midway point of the first half. Northeastern State used an 11-2 run over the course of the next six minutes to pull within three, and the Bronchos would keep the lead at 36-34 heading into intermission.
 
The two sides exchanged the lead back and forth early in the second half, but a 3-point basket from true freshman guard Peyton Pratt at the 12:37 mark sparked a 15-0 run that gave the RiverHawks a 70-57 lead with eight minutes remaining.
 
UCO was able to battle to within seven a minute later, but back-breaking baskets from Caudill, Mohair and Moore on three-straight possessions extended the lead back to double figures for good.
 
The RiverHawks held advantages in rebounds (32-30), assists (23-12), blocks (4-1), steals (8-7), points in the paint (30-26), points off turnovers (20-17), fast-break points (11-10) and fewer turnovers (13-16). The Bronchos led in just two categories, second-chance points (6-2) and bench points (48-34).
 
The 23 assists for NSU was the highest single-game total since Jan. 9, 2014 (Southwest Baptist).
 
Northeastern State will not play again until the calendar rolls over to 2016. The next contest for the RiverHawks will be a road affair against Missouri Western State at 5 p.m. Jan. 2 in St. Joseph, Missouri.
 
NORTHEASTERN STATE COACH JASON TINSLEY
Opening statement...
"That second half was the best half of basketball, on both sides of the ball, that we've played all year. It's not even close. It's amazing how much better things on the defensive side of the ball are for you when you're making shots. Your intensity level and your energy level are much higher when you're able to hit some shots. We did a good job of getting stops. (Kendahl Amerson) scored 20, but he had to work for those 20. He was 3 of 8 from 3-point range. We did a good job of contesting shots and not letting him catch the ball. We did a good job of closing out possessions and getting defensive rebounds. We had five guys in double figures. It's always good to see that. We only turned the ball over four times in the second half."
 
On the importance of snapping the losing streak…
"The guys needed a win. We have battled and battled and battled, but we just haven't been able to get over the hump. Six of our seven losses have been to teams that have already won seven or more games. We've lost close games to really good people. At the end of the day, though, nobody cares about your woes. They only care about wins and losses, so we needed this win."
 
On the second half…
"The second half of tonight's game is how we should play. That's how it should look when we take the floor. I hated playing guys for as long as I did during some of those stretches, but (UCO) went small-ball for a large portion of the half so I didn't really have any choice. I didn't play my bigs for any other reason but they didn't have anybody to guard. We've got some guys that we aren't playing a lot right now, but we are going to need them to step up the second half of the year. We need more production from everybody. We got some good leadership from (Dakota Caudill) and Trey (Mohair)."
 
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