TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team is set to make its fourth-straight postseason appearance as the green and white will compete in the first round of the 2016 MIAA Championship. The RiverHawks earned the tournament's No. 11 seed and will face No. 6 seed Missouri Southern State at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 29 inside Leggett & Platt Athletic Center in Joplin, Missouri. The Lions are 17-11 this year and 11-11 in MIAA play.
 

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
G	04	Alexis Hill	5-6	So-1L	5.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg	Garland, Texas
G	05	Kate Bellamy	5-9	Sr-3L	10.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg	NSW, Australia
G	12	Miranda Griffin	5-10	So-SQ	3.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg	Ketchum, Okla.
G	20	Cailyn Long	6-0	Fr-HS	9.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg	Sparta, Mo.
G	22	Kylie Looney	5-8	Fr-HS	7.0 ppg, 2.1 apg	Adair, Okla.
Missouri Southern State's Probable Starters
F	30	Bri Shavers	6-0	So.	3.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg	Carrollton, Texas
G	01	Dru Clark	5-7	So.	5.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg	Collinsville, Okla.
G	11	Kenya Wilson-Brown	5-5	Sr.	3.1 ppg, 4.0 apg	Arlington, Texas
G	24	Deb Holcomb	5-7	Jr.	15.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg	Dallas, Texas
G	44	Sharese Jones	5-8	Sr.	17.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg	St. Charles, Mo.

 
Northeastern State and Missouri Southern State are 7-7 against each other since since the RiverHawks joined the NCAA in 1996-97. The Lions are riding a three-game win streak over NSU, which includes a 62-55 victory over the RiverHawks in Joplin earlier this season. The last win in the series for NSU came at home on Feb. 13, 2013.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT – UNK 51, NSU 43
Northeastern State lost 51-43 to Nebraska-Kearney Saturday afternoon at the NSU Event Center. The RiverHawks dropped their last four games to end the regular season, but they still secured the No. 11 seed in the 2016 MIAA Championship. NSU was led by a pair of true freshman guards. Cailyn Long tallied 14 points, while Kylie Looney scored 11. Hailey Chamberlin finished with seven points, three blocks and a career-high 10 rebounds. NSU shot 31.3 percent (15-for-48) overall, 22.7 percent (5-for-22) from behind the 3-point arc and 88.9 percent (8-for-9) at the free-throw line. Nebraska-Kearney shot 28.1 percent (16-for-57) from the field, 29.6 percent (8-for-27) from downtown and 84.6 percent (11-for-13) at the charity stripe. Alexa Hogberg led UNK with 11 points, while Laramey Becker chipped in 10. Imani Kyser hauled in a game-high 13 rebounds, and Bri Starks pulled down 11 boards. NSU led in blocks (6-5), steals (5-4) and points in the paint (18-12). UNK led in rebounding (40-37), assists (9-8), points off turnovers (12-10), second-chance points (15-4), fast-break points (2-0), bench points (11-9), and fewer turnovers (7-11).
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - MSSU 62, NSU 55
The RiverHawks lost 62-55 to Missouri Southern State at Leggett & Platt Athletic Center on Dec. 5, 2015. Mary Jane Buschmann led NSU with 14 points, while Destiny Strange added 10 off the bench. Kate Bellamy and Cailyn Long and Kylie Looney all scored nine points for the visitors. Northeastern State shot 42.2 percent (19-for-45) from the field, 36.8 percent (7-for-19) from behind the 3-point line and 83.3 percent (10-for-12) at the free-throw line. Missouri Southern State shot 48.9 percent (23-for-47) overall, 52.9 percent (9-for-17) from distance and 70 percent (7-for-10) at the charity stripe. Deb Holcomb was the lone Lion in double figures, as she finished with a game-high 23 points. MSSU led in rebounds (32-21), assists (12-9) and points in the paint (26-25), while the RiverHawks led in fewer turnovers (11-13), steals (6-2) and bench points (30-22).
 
WHERE THEY STAND
NSU finished the season 5-17 in league play to land in 11th place in the MIAA standings. The RiverHawks earned the No. 11 seed and will now travel to No. 6 seed Missouri Southern State on Feb. 29 in the first round of the MIAA Championship. The winner of that contest will join seven other schools in Kansas City for the remainder of the tournament. Missouri Western State, Fort Hays State, Pittsburg State and Emporia State all clinched byes to KC.
 
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 averaging double figures this year. Junior transfer Mary Jane Buschmann leads the team at 13.0 points per game, while senior Kate Bellamy is averaging a career-high 10.1 ppg. Buschmann has notched double figures in 14 games this year. She also has three 20-point games. Bellamy owns 16 double-digit performances. True freshman Cailyn Long is third on the team in scoring at 9.5 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.
 
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.
 
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.