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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team triumphed over Central Oklahoma 62-54 Saturday afternoon inside the NSU Event Center. The victory was the 300th in the storied career of NSU coach Randy Gipson. His record now stands at 300-160 in 16 seasons.

After not having played at home since Jan. 28, the RiverHawks (11-13, 7-10 MIAA) returned in style by moving past the rival Bronchos (15-11, 8-9 MIAA). NSU remained in ninth place in the MIAA standings heading into the final week of the regular season, and the team also clinched a berth into the 2015 MIAA Championship tournament. Seeds 5-8 will host seeds 9-12 in the first round, and the RiverHawks have two games left to move up in the league table. Northeastern State currently sits just a game out of sixth place as UCO and Missouri Western State are tied for sixth at 8-9. Washburn is in eighth with an 8-10 MIAA record.
 
Junior guard Kate Bellamy paced NSU with 13 points and seven rebounds. Freshman forward Bria Pierce contributed 12 points, four boards and three blocks, while senior guard Chelsey Beathard finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Mya Walker chipped in 10 points off the bench, and senior guard Fontana Tate had eight points and a game-high nine rebounds.
 
The RiverHawks shot 42 percent (21-for-50) from the field, 37 percent (10-for-27) from 3-point territory and 62.5 percent (10-for-16) at the free-throw line. This marked the first time in MIAA play this season that Northeastern State made double-digit 3-point attempts.
 
NSU held Central Oklahoma to its second-worst shooting performance of the season at just 29.8 percent (17-for-57). The Bronchos also connected on just two 3-point attempts (2-for-21, 9.5 percent) and made 18 of 25 from the free-throw line.
 
Julia Mason (23) and Chelsea Robinson (13) combined for 36 of UCO's 54 points. No other player had more than seven points.
 
The RiverHawks jumped on top 9-2 in the early going, but the Bronchos used a 9-0 run to move ahead by one point midway through the first half. NSU countered with a 15-5 run to pull ahead 24-15, and the green and white took a 31-21 lead into intermission.
 
Central Oklahoma trailed the entire second half but got within 41-40 on the strength of a 10-0 run. Two straight triples by Tate followed by a basket from Pierce and two free throws from Walker stretched the NSU lead back out to 51-43 with six minutes left.
 
The Bronchos again got within two at 54-52 with 1:13 to play, but Beathard drained a 3-pointer and made two free throws following a defensive rebound to ice the game.
 
NSU outrebounded UCO 40-36, which marked the first time in 11 games the RiverHawks were able to outrebound an opponent. Northeastern State also led in assists 14-7 and bench points (18-12).
 
The RiverHawks will stay at home for a 5:30 p.m. tilt Feb. 26 against Nebraska-Kearney.

NORTHEASTERN STATE COACH RANDY GIPSON
Initial statement...
"It's good to get back home and get a win. I thought our players competed really well and we hit some 3-point shots. I thought we were solid on defense most of the day and Chelsey Beathard hit some big 3's. Down the stretch we made some hustle plays on loose balls and rebounds that helped us retain possession which was big for us. The players competed hard and our senior guard made a couple of really clutch shots."
 
On being more comfortable at home...
"We've had this schedule where we've been gone for weeks at a time. We weathered through that and got home. It's nice to be able to keep your routine with class and practice. Everybody can get some rest. I think we did that and our team was able to show good energy today. We had a good crowd and we had a good environment in the arena today."
 
On a balanced offensive attack...
"That's been the story in games that we've won recently. We've had several people chip in. It's really a key to our success to have several people contributing. It gives us a chance to try to defend in close games or with leads. We did a good job of getting the lead today. We didn't necessarily maintain it, but when Central Oklahoma got close, we answered. That is something that I'm really happy about as a coach for the team to keep fighting hard and weather the bad stretches." 
 
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