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PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team was eliminated from the 2015 MIAA Championship after losing 69-54 to Pittsburg State in the first round of the tournament Monday evening inside John Lance Arena.
 
The RiverHawks, seeded No. 12 in the tournament, ended the season at 7-20 overall. The No. 5-seeded Gorillas (17-11) advance to the quarterfinals and will face No. 4 Lindenwood at 2:15 p.m. March 5 in Kansas City, Missouri.
 
Junior guard Demone Harrison led NSU with 13 points, while freshman guard Montre' Williams added 10. Senior guard Amir Gilliam tallied four points, nine rebounds and six assists in his final career game. Senior guard Keon Littleton registered seven points and six boards in his final game.
 
The RiverHawks shot 41.3 percent (19-for-46) overall, 38.5 percent (5-for-13) from behind the 3-point line and 84.6 percent (11-for-13) at the free-throw line. Pitt State shot 45.7 percent (21-for-46) from the field, 21.1 percent (4-for-19) from distance and 74.2 percent (23-for-31) at the charity stripe.
 
The Gorillas were led in scoring by Devon Branch and Trey Starks, who both finished with 13. Josiah Gustafson added 11 and Dakota Jones chipped in 10.
 
PSU led 29-28 at halftime and never trailed in the second half. Northeastern State was able to tie the game at 31-31 early in the second, but the Gorillas were able to regain the lead and stay on top to earn the victory on their home court.
 
NSU outrebounded Pittsburg State 29-28, but the home team led in points in the paint (22-16), points off turnovers (22-16) and bench points (29-14).

NORTHEASTERN STATE COACH JASON TINSLEY
Initial statement...
"Our effort was good enough to win tonight. We played extremely hard. We had 45 hustle plays. The effort was there, but we had a season-high 26 turnovers. In our last game of the season, we had the most turnovers we've had all year. That was unacceptable. This was also two days after we only had nine against Fort Hays State. Pittsburg State has a very good team, but you can't turn the ball over 26 times and expect to beat anybody. I was not happy with how many fouls we committed. We had 24 fouls and (Pitt State) only had 15. They led 31-13 in free-throw attempts, and that's not acceptable. The referees did a good job tonight, but I just wish the fouls would have been a little closer. We had opportunities to score inside the paint tonight, but we missed a tremendous amount of shots at the rim. I'm proud of how our guys battled. We were able to win the rebound battle, which is a testament to their effort. That was one of our keys coming into the game. Now we'll give them some time off and start the process of getting ready for next season."
 
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