TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team is set for the longest trip of the season this weekend as the squad heads to the northwest tip of the MIAA map. The RiverHawks (4-9, 3-6 MIAA) will first travel to Hays, Kansas, to meet up with Fort Hays State (11-4, 5-4) at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 14 before venturing to Kearney, Nebraska, to do battle with Nebraska-Kearney (8-6, 5-4) at 4 p.m. Jan. 16.
 

Northeastern State's Possible Starters
F	24	Dakota Caudill	6-6, 220	Sr-3L	12.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg	Claremore, Okla.
F	33	Erick Broadnax	6-9, 200	Jr-TR	2.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg	Tullahassee, Okla.
G	23	Braxton Williams	6-4, 195	Jr-TR	6.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg	West Plains, Mo.
G	25	Trey Mohair	6-0, 190	Sr-1L	14.8 ppg, 3.9 apg	Denton, Texas
G	30	Peyton Pratt	6-0, 175	Fr-HS	6.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg	Sperry, Okla.
Fort Hays State's Probable Starters
F	21	Jake Stoppel	6-5, 210	Sr.	11.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg	Wilson, Kan.
F	24	Dom Samac	6-9, 215	Sr.	17.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg	Zagreb, Croatia
G	3	Craig Nicholson	5-8, 160	Sr.	9.7 ppg, 4.5 apg	Wichita, Kan.
G	11	Rob Davis	5-11, 185	Jr.	16.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg	Detroit, Mich.
G	22	Kenny Enoch	6-0, 175	Sr.	8.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg	Indianapolis, Ind.

Northeastern State holds a slight 3-2 advantage in the all-time series with Fort Hays State during NSU's NCAA era (since 1996). The RiverHawks won the lone meeting in 2012-13 (76-61 in Tahlequah), while the two teams won on each other's floors in 2013-14. FHSU and NSU then flipped the script and won both home contests last season.
 
Nebraska-Kearney holds a slim 4-2 series lead over NSU since the RiverHawks joined the NCAA in 1996-97. The two teams first met in the NCAA Elite Eight on March 26, 2003, with NSU winning 94-75 en route to winning the 2003 NCAA Division II National Championship. UNK won the lone contest of the 2012-13 when the teams met for the first time as members of the MIAA. The two teams split in 2013-14 with each squad winning at home, while UNK won both meetings last season.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - NSU 76, ESU 74
NSU won its second-straight game by defeating Emporia State 76-74 Saturday afternoon inside the NSU Event Center. This marked the second time during the Jason Tinsley era that NSU has won back-to-back games. The other occurrence came last season when the green and white also took down Washburn and Emporia State in Tahlequah. Junior guard KD Moore led all scorers with 14 points off the bench. Senior guard Killven Samuel added 12 points off the bench, while fellow senior guard Trey Mohair scored 10. Northeastern State connected on 49.2 percent (29-for-59) on shots from the field, 25 percent (3-for-12) from behind the arc and 68.2 percent (15-for-22) at the free-throw line. The Hornets shot 46.4 percent (26-for-56) overall, a season-high 61.1 percent (11-for-18) from distance and just 50 percent (11-for-22) from the charity stripe. Charles McKinney paced the visitors with 14 points, while Terrence Moore added 11. Northeastern State outrebounded Emporia State 41-28 and have now posted a +10 or better rebounding margin in each of the last three games (+11 against Northwest Missouri State, +15 against Washburn). This is the first time since the university joined the NCAA in 1996-97 that NSU won the rebound battle by at least 10 in three-consecutive games. The RiverHawks also led in assists (16-13), steals (7-6), points in the paint (46-26), points off turnovers (21-14), second-chance points (20-7), fast break points (14-9), and bench production (42-33). ESU led in only one category with fewer turnovers (14-17).
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - NSU 79, FHSU 77
The RiverHawks defeated Fort Hays State 79-77 on the last day of the 2014-15 regular season (Feb. 28) 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 qualified 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. Demone Harrison had 16 points and five rebounds, while Montre' Williams added 15 points and a career-high 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. 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).
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - UNK 71, NSU 60
The Northeastern State men's basketball team dropped a 71-60 decision to Nebraska-Kearney on Feb. 26, 2015 inside the NSU Event Center. Dakota Caudill came off the bench to lead the team with 14 points and eight rebounds. Keon Littleton added 11 points and eight rebounds, and Amir Gilliam chipped in eight points and eight boards. The RiverHawks shot 34.3 percent (23-for-67) overall, 28.6 percent (4-for-14) from behind the 3-point arc and 62.5 percent (10-for-16) at the free-throw line. UNK shot 47.2 percent (25-for-53) from the field, 29.2 percent (7-for-24) from distance and 58.3 percent (14-for-24) at the charity stripe. Connor Beranek paced the visitors with 25 points and nine rebounds. He also had four blocks and three assists. Trey Lansman had 19 points, eight rebounds and six blocks.
 
REBOUND KINGS
Northeastern State was the worst rebounding team in the MIAA last season and was amongst the worst rebounding teams in the nation, but that has flipped in a dramatic way this year. While the RiverHawks are still last in the MIAA in rebounds allowed per game (37.2), they are currently second in the league in rebounds gained per game (39.4) and sixth in rebounding margin (+2.2). By comparison, NSU grabbed 30.0 rebounds per game last season, while conceding 37.5 per game. The team was last in the MIAA in rebounds, rebounds allowed and rebound margin (-7.5). The RiverHawks have posted a +10 rebounding margin or better in each of its last three games (+11 against Northwest Missouri State, +15 against Washburn). This is the first time since the university joined the NCAA in 1996-97 that NSU won the rebound battle by at least 10 in three-consecutive games.
 

NCAA CATEGORY	2014-15 Rank	2015-16 Rank
Rebounding Margin	286	117
Total Rebounds	284	174
Offensive Rebounds Per Game	216	4
Defensive Rebounds Per Game	290	238

 
STRUGGLING AWAY FROM HOME
Northeastern State is currently enjoying Year 2 of the Jason Tinsley era. During that time, however, the RiverHawks have not fared well away from the friendly confines of the NSU Event Center. Over the last two seasons, NSU is just 1-20 on the road, which includes a 1-13 mark last season and a 0-7 record this year. The lone road win for Northeastern State over the past two years came on Feb. 12, 2015, when the team was able to get past Emporia State 73-63. NSU is currently on a 10-game losing streak on the road. The RiverHawks were able to pick up a neutral-site victory earlier this season when they defeated Northwestern Oklahoma State 92-90 on Nov. 14 in Durant, Oklahoma. 
 
RETURNING JUST 3
NSU entered the 2015-16 campaign with just three players who have stepped on the court for the RiverHawks prior to this year. Senior forward Dakota Caudill had posted the most experience, as he is currently in his fifth year with the program. Senior guard Trey Mohair and sophomore guard Montre' Williams are both in their second seasons donning the green and white. Junior guard Mytaa'h Crawford and freshman guard Mike Thompson were both on the team last season, but they redshirted and did not see any playing time. In total, NSU's current lineup features eight newcomers. That includes one senior transfer (Killven Samuel), five junior transfers (Erick Broadnax, Braxton Williams, Javon Wallace, KD Moore, Stefon Rich) and two true freshmen (Peyton Pratt, Tanner Mouse). There is also another junior transfer (Scott Kingsley) and two more true freshmen (Gordon Hill, Trent Cantrell) who are sitting out the season.
 
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.