TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team is set to begin the stretch run of the 2015-16 season. The RiverHawks (5-12, 2-9 MIAA) are currently on the outside looking in at the MIAA playoff picture, but they will play eight of their final 11 games inside the friendly confines of the NSU Event Center. The green and white will first play host to Central Missouri (6-9, 5-5) at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 21 before welcoming Southwest Baptist (9-7, 4-6) at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 23.
 

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	15	Mary Jane Buschmann	5-11	Jr-TR	12.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg	St. James, Mo.
G	04	Alexis Hill	5-6	So-1L	3.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg	Garland, Texas
G	05	Kate Bellamy	5-9	Sr-3L	10.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg	NSW, Australia
G	20	Cailyn Long	6-0	Fr-HS	8.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg	Sparta, Mo.
G	22	Kylie Looney	5-8	Fr-HS	7.0 ppg, 2.0 apg	Adair, Okla.
Central Missouri's Probable Starters
F	34	Ashley Duffy	5-10	Jr.	7.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg	San Diego, Calif.
F	42	Ashley Jones	6-2	Sr.	11.1 ppg, 9.0 rpg	Tulsa, Okla.
G	00	Paige Redmond	5-8	Fr.	3.8 ppg, 1.7 apg	Springdale, Ark.
G	11	Tayler Weiks	5-9	Sr.	10.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg	Seattle, Wash.
G	23	Shelby Winkelmann	5-9	Sr.	21.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg	Rhineland, Mo.

 
UCM is 4-0 against NSU since the RiverHawks joined the NCAA in 1996-97. The Jennies topped Northeastern State 63-52 on Jan. 9, 2013, in Warrensburg and also took down NSU in Tahlequah on Dec. 2, 2013 (84-73). UCM ended Northeastern State's 2013-14 season with a 79-65 victory in the MIAA Championship quarterfinals and also defeated NSU 56-53 in December 2014.
 
This will be the 16th meeting between NSU and SBU with the RiverHawks holding a 9-6 advantage. Northeastern State has won the last three meetings, earning a 59-43 victory in Bolivar in the 2012-13 season and winning at home 60-47 two years ago. NSU went to Bolivar last year and collected a 60-45 triumph.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT – UNK 82, NSU 49
NSU lost to Nebraska-Kearney 82-49 Saturday afternoon at the Health & Sports Center. The RiverHawks (5-12, 2-9 MIAA) are now on a four-game losing skid and have lost 12 of their last 14 games. UNK improved to 9-8 on the year and 5-6 in the conference. Senior guard Kate Bellamy led NSU with 11 points, while true freshman guard Cailyn Long added 10 points for the visitors. Junior forward Mary Jane Buschmann finished with nine points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in 33 minutes. Northeastern State shot 28.8 percent (15-for-52) from the field, 25 percent (7-for-28) from behind the 3-point line and 85.7 percent (12-for-14) at the free-throw line. UNK shot 46.8 percent (29-for-62) overall, 36 percent (9-for-25) from deep and 88.2 percent (15-for-17) at the stripe. Laramey Becker led all scorers with 21 points. Bri Starks added 14, while Jenna Gillespie and Kennedy Sander both netted 10. Nebraska-Kearney led in rebounding (51-22), assists (18-11), points in the paint (30-12), points off turnovers (18-4), second-chance points (17-3), fast break points (4-0) and bench points (24-14). NSU led in steals (6-4) and fewer turnovers (10-11).
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - UCM 56, NSU 53
The RiverHawks lost 56-53 to Central Missouri inside UCM's Multipurpose Building on Dec. 20, 2014. Fontana Tate led NSU with 14 points and a game-high seven rebounds, while Chelsey Beathard added 11 points for the visitors. Northeastern State shot 44 percent from the field (22-for-50), 40 percent (6-for-15) from behind the 3-point line and 60 percent (3-for-5) at the free-throw line. UCM shot 43.8 percent (21-for-48) overall, 35 percent (7-for-20) from distance and 63.6 percent (7-for-11) at the charity stripe. The Jennies were paced by a 15-point outing from Shelby Winkelmann. Tayler Weiks added 11 off the bench and Jasmine Thompson chipped in 10. Northeastern State held all four of Central Missouri's top four scorers below their season averages. Northeastern State outrebounded Central Missouri 31-28 and the two teams tied with 13 turnovers and 26 points in the paint.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - NSU 60, SBU 45
NSU defeated Southwest Baptist 60-45 inside Meyer Sports Center on Jan. 8, 2015. Northeastern State never trailed in the contest and had four score in double figures. Chelsey Beathard led the way with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Bria Pierce scored in double figures (12 points) for the first time in her career. Fontana Tate added 11 points, while Kate Bellamy chipped in 10 points and tied her career high with eight rebounds. NSU shot 48 percent (24-for-50) from the field, 33.3 percent (4-for-12) from behind the 3-point line and 53.3 percent (8-for-15) at the free-throw stripe. SBU shot 36.5 percent (19-for-52) overall, 29.4 percent (5-for-17) from distance and 28.6 percent (2-for-7) at the line. No Bearcat scored in double figures, but Sarah Magana finished with a game-high 10 rebounds (one point). This marked the first time since Jan. 21, 2006, that Southwest Baptist did not have a player score in double figures (79-37 home loss to Missouri Western State). The RiverHawks committed just eight turnovers, which was four less than its previous season low. They also were able to force 15 Bearcat turnovers. NSU also outrebounded SBU 35-34.
 
SCORING IN DOUBLE FIGURES
No member of the NSU women's basketball team averaged double-digit scoring a season ago, but the RiverHawks have two players who are scoring at least 10 points a game this year. Junior transfer Mary Jane Buschmann leads the team at 12.7 points per game, while senior Kate Bellamy is averaging a career-high 10.1 ppg. Buschmann has notched double figures in 11 games this year. She also has three 20-point games. Bellamy owns nine double-digit performances. True freshman Cailyn Long is third on the team in scoring at 8.3 ppg and had a season-best 27-point explosion earlier this year. Only once last season did a member of the team score at least 20 points in a game.
 
THE STARTING FIVE
Randy Gipson-coached teams are usually known for consistency at the top of the lineup. The past three years, however, have been much different for Northeastern State. The team utilized 10 different starting lineups in 2013-14 and had 13 different starting combinations in 2014-15. Through the first 17 games of the 2015-16 season, NSU has already used nine different starting lineups. The 11 different student-athletes to have started at least once this year are Mary Jane Buschmann, Hailey Chamberlin, Destiny Strange, Minja Savic, Kate Bellamy, Alexis Hill, Cailyn Long, Miranda Griffin, Caley Shaffstall, Kylie Looney, and Danielle Robertson (no longer with the program).
 
TICKETS REQUIRED FOR ENTRY IN 2015-16
All fans wishing to attend an NSU home basketball contest this season will be required to show a ticket prior to entering the facilities. NSU students and faculty/staff will still be allowed free admittance, but NSU ID's will no longer be accepted as a form of entry. Tickets can be purchased at NSU's ticketing Web site, goriverhawkstickets.com. NSU students and faculty/staff can access goriverhawkstickets.com and secure their free tickets (either printable or downloaded to your smart phone) through their goNSU accounts. For questions regarding ticket options, please contact Brynn Hamner at 918.444.3901.
 
GO RIVERHAWKS GEAR
Northeastern State University Athletics has partnered with Advanced-Online and has launced its new, 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.