TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team returns home for the final two contests of the regular season. The RiverHawks (8-18, 5-15 MIAA) are set to play host to No. 9 Fort Hays State at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 25 before entertaining Nebraska-Kearney at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 27. The Tigers (23-3, 17-3 MIAA) are currently in second place in the MIAA, while the Lopers (14-12, 10-10 MIAA) are in a tie for seventh. NSU seniors Kate Bellamy and Minja Savic will be honored following the contest against UNK.
 

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	34	Hailey Chamberlin	6-2	Fr-HS	2.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg	Broken Arrow, Okla.
G	04	Alexis Hill	5-6	So-1L	5.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg	Garland, Texas
G	05	Kate Bellamy	5-9	Sr-3L	10.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg	NSW, Australia
G	20	Cailyn Long	6-0	Fr-HS	9.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg	Sparta, Mo.
G	21	Eriyonna Irvin	5-7	Fr-HS	2.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg	Lee's Summit, Mo.
#9 Fort Hays State's Probable Starters
F	35	Paige Lunsford	5-11	Sr.	10.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg	Hays, Kan.
F	45	Elle Stein	6-0	Sr.	4.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg	Spearville, Kan.
G	05	Beth Bohuslavsky	5-6	Sr.	11.5 ppg, 3.2 apg	Dwight, Neb.
G	11	Chelsea Mason	5-6	Sr.	13.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg	Bellevue, Neb.
G	32	Jill Faxon	5-10	Jr.	12.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg	Beatrice, Neb.

Fort Hays State is 6-2 all-time against NSU, which includes a current five-game win streak. FHSU and Northeastern State met three times last year, and all three contests were won by the Tigers. NSU's last victory came at home on Jan. 18, 2014 (49-48), and the green and white has never defeated FHSU in Hays. Fort Hays State topped Northeastern State 68-47 in Hays earlier this year.
 
UNK holds a 4-2 edge over NSU since the RiverHawks joined the NCAA. Northeastern State won the lone meeting during the 2012-13 season and won the first matchup in the 2013-14 season. The Lopers have won the four meetings since, which includes an 82-49 victory in Kearney earlier this year.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT – #22 ESU 79, NSU 46
Northeastern State fell 79-46 to No. 22 Emporia State Saturday afternoon inside White Auditorium. Cailyn Long led all scorers with 16 points to finish in double figures for the fourth time in her last five games. She was 6 of 9 from the field and 4-for-4 from 3-point territory. NSU shot 31.9 percent (15-for-47) overall, 37.5 percent (9-for-24) from distance and 70 percent (7-for-10) at the free-throw line. ESU shot 52.7 percent (29-for-55) from the field, 42.9 percent (9-for-21) from behind the arc and 70.6 percent (12-for-17) at the line. Megan Holloway paced the Lady Hornets with 13 points off the bench. Addie Lackey was the only starter in double figures, as she finished with 12 points. Kyrstie Miller added 10 points. Emporia State led in rebounding (35-21), assists (16-10), blocks (4-1), steals (9-5), points in the paint (36-8), points off turnovers (12-11), second-chance points (12-2), fast-break points (8-0), bench points (37-17), and fewer turnovers (14-19).
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - #3 FHSU 68, NSU 47
NSU lost to No. 3 Fort Hays State 68-47 on Jan. 14 inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. Alexis Hill paced the NSU offense with a team-best 12 points. Kate Bellamy chipped in six points and a season-high eight rebounds. Northeastern State shot 39.1 percent (18-for-46) from the field, 33.3 percent (5-for-15) from behind the 3-point line and 66.7 percent (6-for-9) at the free-throw line. FHSU shot 31.8 percent (21-for-66) overall, 35.5 percent (11-for-31) from distance and 65.2 percent (15-for-23) at the charity stripe. Jill Faxon led all scorers with 17 points, while Paige Lunsford added 14 points and 13 rebounds. Chelsea Mason needed 21 shots just to get to 12 points (4-for-21), and she added nine boards. Fort Hays State led in rebounds (43-35), assists (13-10), steals (12-5), points in the paint (16-14), points off turnovers (19-4), second-chance points (25-2), fast break points (6-0), bench points (17-10), and fewer turnovers (6-19). NSU led in blocks (3-1).
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - UNK 82, NSU 49
The RiverHawks lost to Nebraska-Kearney 82-49 on Jan. 16 at the Health & Sports Center. Kate Bellamy led NSU with 11 points, while Cailyn Long added 10 points for the visitors. 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).
 
WHERE THEY STAND
NSU is currently 5-15 in league play and is in 11th place in the MIAA standings. If the season were to end today, the RiverHawks would earn the No. 11 seed and would travel to No. 6 seed Missouri Southern State on Feb. 29 in the first round of the MIAA Championship. The winner of that contest would join seven other schools in Kansas City for the remainder of the tournament. Missouri Western State, Fort Hays State, Pittsburg State and Emporia State have all clinched byes to KC.
 
ROAD STRUGGLES
The RiverHawks have not fared well away from home over the past three seasons. NSU posted a 7-6 road record in 2012-13, but the green and white is just 11-33 away from the NSU Event Center since 2013-14. Northeastern State has gone 10-28 in true road games and 1-5 in neutral-site contests. The RiverHawks have been able to post three true road victories and one neutral-site triumph this season.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN KC
The 2016 MIAA Women'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 Feb. 29, 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 3, 5-6. The RiverHawks have advanced to the MIAA Championship Quarterfinals in all three years since joining the league in 2012-13.
 
GIPSON'S UNCHARTED TERRITORY
Northeastern State posted an 11-17 record in 2013-14, which was the first time since the 1998-99 campaign that an NSU team finished with a losing record. NSU coach Randy Gipson took over the reins the following year and led the RiverHawks to 14-straight winning seasons before last year. He also coached at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M prior to coming to Tahlequah and had winning seasons all nine years in Miami. Last season was the first time in Gipson's historic career that he was unable to lead a team to a winning record.
 
NSU SELECTED 10TH IN MIAA PRESEASON POLLS
The Northeastern State women's basketball team was picked to finish 10th in the 2015-16 MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The RiverHawks earned 57 points in the coaches' poll and were projected to finish one place lower than their ninth-place effort from a season ago. Emporia State was projected to run away with the league title, as the Hornets received 169 points and all but one first-place vote. Fort Hays State picked up the only other first-place vote (coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team) and landed in second with 147 points. Central Missouri (135), Pittsburg State (128) and Missouri Western State (124) were all projected to finish inside the top five.
 
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 26 games of the 2015-16 season, NSU has used 13 different starting lineups. The 13 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, Eriyonna Irvin, Taylor Jones, 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.