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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team defeated Fort Hays State 79-77 on the last day of the regular season Saturday evening inside the NSU Event Center.
 
The victory for the RiverHawks (7-19, 5-14 MIAA) propelled the green and white into the 2015 MIAA Championship tournament as the No. 12 seed. The top 12 teams in the league qualify for the conference tourney, and NSU needed a win over the Tigers to snatch the final spot away from Emporia State. FHSU defeated NSU 77-49 earlier this season in Hays, Kansas, and the RiverHawks were able to exact revenge to reach the postseason for the third-straight year.
 
Northeastern State's victory also dropped FHSU to the No. 9 seed, which means the Tigers (16-12, 9-10 MIAA) will be forced to travel to Washburn in the first round of the championship instead of hosting the No. 8-seeded Ichabods.
 
NSU is now set to travel to Pittsburg, Kansas, for a 7 p.m. meeting March 2 with No. 5 seed Pittsburg State. The Gorillas have defeated Northeastern State twice this year - 76-66 in Tahlequah and 87-73 in Pittsburg. The winner of the contest will advance to the quarterfinals and meet No. 4 seed Lindenwood at 2:15 p.m. March 5 inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.
 
Four RiverHawks scored in double figures in Saturday's victory over FHSU. Junior guard Demone Harrison had 16 points and five rebounds, while freshman guard Montre' Williams added 15 points and a career-high seven assists. Senior guard Keon Littleton chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds, while fellow senior guard Amir Gilliam posted 10 points. NSU also received a lift from junior guard Terry Starks and redshirt freshman guard Austin Lynch. They both scored career highs and combined for 13 vital points off the bench.
 
Northeastern State shot 45.9 percent (28-for-61) overall, 39.1 percent (9-for-23) from behind the 3-point line and 53.8 percent (14-for-26) at the free-throw line. Fort Hays State shot 50 percent (22-for-44) from the field, 44 percent (11-for-25) from distance and 64.7 percent (22-for-34) at the charity stripe.
 
James Fleming led the Tigers with 20 points, Royce Williams added 19 points and Jake Stoppel contributed 13. Drew Kite pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds off the bench.
 
FHSU outrebounded NSU 40-27, but the RiverHawks led in steals (10-5), points in the paint (28-18), points off turnovers (28-9) and bench points (22-11), all while dominating the turnover battle (9-22).
 
Saturday's victory didn't initially appear to be heading in favor of the green and white, as the visitors led by as much as 14 points in the first half before entering halftime up 45-33.
 
Fleming connected on a 3-point basket 1:56 into the second half to put FHSU on top 50-35, but Northeastern State outscored the Tigers 44-27 the rest of the way.
 
The RiverHawks quickly got within seven points after 3-pointers from Littleton and Harrison coupled with a Littleton layup cut the deficit down to 50-43. Fort Hays State maintained that edge over the course of the next six minutes, but a pair of free throws and another triple from Harrison dwindled FHSU's lead all the way down to just 58-56 with 8:58 to play.
 
The home team took complete control of the game from that point on, using a 16-3 run to jump on top 67-60 with six minutes left.
 
Northeastern State would not be able to stretch its lead out any further, but Fort Hays State never got back within fewer than two points as the green and white held on for the playoff-clinching victory.
 
NSU's four seniors - Gilliam, Littleton, Landon DeMasters and Michael Harmon - were all honored prior to the contest.
 
NORTHEASTERN STATE COACH JASON TINSLEY
Initial Statement…
"I thought we played hard and competed the whole game. We haven't done that a lot this year, but today was our best 40 minutes of basketball. We needed our best basketball because our backs were against the wall to get into the conference tournament. We found a way to win against a good team that beat us by (28) the first time. We got a lot of production from a lot of people. That's something that we've been emphasizing all year. Today we had four guys in double figures and Dakota Caudill had nine. Terry Starks had six points and Austin Lynch had seven points off the bench in their best games."
 
On getting offensive rebounds and forcing turnovers...
"Even though we got outrebounded we did better than the last time we played them. I thought there was two keys to the game, offensive rebounds, which led to second-chance points and points in the paint. We also forced 22 turnovers, which we converted into 28 points. When you get beat on the boards you have to do something else to offset it and our ability to force turnovers was able to do that. We gave them a lot of problems with our pressure."
 
On getting ready for the conference tournament...
"Obviously, we wish we had a better record, but ultimately we're glad to be in the tournament. That is our record from the regular season. Our tournament record is 0-0 just like everybody else's. So we get new life. We have to take advantage of it."
 
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