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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team has earned the No. 12 seed in the 2015 MIAA Championship. The RiverHawks (7-19, 5-14 MIAA) will travel to Pittsburg, Kansas, to compete against the No. 5 seed Gorillas (16-11, 12-7 MIAA) in the opening round at 7 p.m. March 2 inside John Lance Arena.
 
The winner of the game will advance to the quarterfinals and will meet No. 4 Lindenwood at 2:15 p.m. March 5 inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.
 
PSU is 46-22 all-time against NSU, with the two squads splitting the series in each of the last three years. The Gorillas won both meetings this year. The last time Northeastern State defeated Pittsburg State in Pittsburg was on Nov. 21, 2001 (65-60).
 

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	10	C.J. Winzer	6-5, 195	Fr-HS	5.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg	Elmo, Texas
G	00	Amir Gilliam	6-0, 185	Sr-1L	5.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg	Newark, N.J.
G	05	Keon Littleton	6-1, 185	Sr-1L	10.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg	DeSoto, Texas
G	23	Montre' Williams	5-10, 160	Fr-HS	6.0 ppg, 2.4 apg	Copperas Cove, Texas
G	25	Demone Harrison	6-3, 185	Jr-TR	12.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg	Houston, Texas
Pittsburg State's Probable Starters
F	24	Trevor Gregory	6-7, 235	So-1L	6.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg	Lee's Summit, Mo.
F	33	Connor Kjer	6-6, 220	Sr-1L	5.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg	La Habra, Calif.
G	03	Javis Flynn	5-10, 170	Jr-TR	6.6 ppg, 5.3 apg	Watonga, Okla.
G	04	Josiah Gustafson	6-6, 190	So-1L	16.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg	Omaha, Neb.
G	05	Devon Branch	6-6, 180	Sr-1L	14.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg	Aberdeen, Md.

 
SCOUTING THE GORILLAS
Pittsburg State is located in Pittsburg, Kansas, and the team competes in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The Gorillas finished the regular season at 16-11 overall and 12-7 in the MIAA. PSU has lost its last three games since defeating NSU 87-73 in Pittsburg. The team is slotted No. 8 in the most recently-released NCAA Central Region rankings. The top eight teams from the region qualify for the NCAA Championship. Josiah Gustafson (16.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg) leads the team in scoring. Devon Branch (14.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg) also averages double-figure scoring. Pittsburg State averages 71.1 points per game and shoots .480 as a team.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - NSU 79, FHSU 77
NSU 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 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. Four RiverHawks scored in double figures in Saturday's victory over FHSU. Demone Harrison had 16 points and five rebounds, while Montre' Williams added a career-high 15 points and seven assists. Keon Littleton chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds, while Amir Gilliam posted 10 points. NSU also received a lift from Terry Starks and 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.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - PSU 87, NSU 73
The RiverHawks fell 87-73 to Pittsburg State on Feb. 18 inside John Lance Arena. NSU used a balanced attack against PSU that saw six players score at least nine points. Keon Littleton, Demone Harrison and Trey Mohair led the way with 12 points each. Amir Gilliam posted a career-high 11 points. Northeastern State shot 41.5 percent (22-for-53) from the field, 27.3 percent (6-for-22) from behind the 3-point line and 79.3 percent (23-for-29) at the free-throw line. Pitt State shot 57.8 percent (26-for-45) overall, 43.8 percent (7-for-16) from distance and 75.7 percent (28-for-37) at the charity stripe. Josiah Gustafson led all scorers with 25 points. Trey Starks added 18 points off the bench, while Dakota Jones contributed 11 and Trevor Gregory and Devon Branch both scored 10. Connor Kjer only had four points, but he hauled in 11 rebounds.
 
KEEPING THE STREAK ALIVE
Northeastern State has been a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association since the 2012-13 academic year. The RiverHawks have nine athletics teams that are eligible for conference postseason tournaments. Both NSU basketball teams have qualified for their respective MIAA Championships, which means Northeastern State remained perfect and is now 22-for-22 in reaching postseason play since joining the league.
 
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 qualified 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.
 
GO RIVERHAWKS GEAR
Northeastern State University Athletics has partnered with Advanced-Online for the past two years with a one-of-a-kind online shopping site, goriverhawksgear.com. NSU fans have another avenue for acquiring Northeastern State apparel and accessories. The store is loaded with options for fans of all ages, ranging from T-shirts, polos and sweatshirts, to home office supplies, drinkware and kitchen essentials. Every item is branded with official Northeastern State athletics and university logos, and select RiverHawks gear and accessories are customizable. The new online store can be accessed by simply visiting www.goriverhawksgear.com. The shop can also be viewed by clicking on the shopping cart at the top right of www.goriverhawksgo.com, the static graphic underneath the main picture or the rotating horizontal carousel just above the video player.
 
-GoRiverHawksGo.com-