Game 6 at Tucker Coliseum, Russellville, Ark.
Saturday, Nov. 25 at 2 p.m. | Northeastern State (3-2) at Arkansas Tech (3-1) | Live Stats | Game Notes

The Matchup 
This will be the third straight trip for the RiverHawks to visit Arkansas Tech, a place there they trail 17-5 and haven't won since Dec. 13, 2003.  The series is home tilted with Northeastern State 15-3 when hosting the Wonder Boys in Tahlequah.  Overall, a win on Saturday will even the series history at 21 wins for each program. 

Return to Russellville
Saturday's meeting at Arkansas Tech will be the return for current NSU head coach Mark Downey to face a team he once led from 2006-10.  Downey coached the Wonder Boys to 77 wins and for eight weeks during the 2009-10 season he had ATU ranked #1 in the country while winning 30 games, and starting the year on a 25 game winning streak.  Downey led ATU to their first GSC West Division title and won the GSC Postseason Tournament.  The Wonder Boys reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament and Downey was picked to coach the 2010 NABC/NCAA Division II East All-Star Team. Downey was also voted as the 2010 NABC South Region Coach of the Year for going 30-2 during his 2009-10 campaign.   One-year prior, Downey led ATU to their first NCAA Tournament appearance, and their first GSC Tournament Championship. 

The Coaches 
Mark Downey was introduced as NSU's tenth men's basketball coach on April 11, 2017 and carries a 207-105 overall head coaching record, with four NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances, and has been named Coach of the Year six times.  Downey comes to NSU after two seasons at Fort Wayne (NCAA DI) as the program's top assistant on the bench, and has helped the Mastodons to appearances in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) and the NIT, while going 44-23.  Prior to Fort Wayne, Downey spent the 2014-15 season at Bowling Green where they went 20-12, and he helped direct them into the second round of the CIT.

Chad Kline is in his fourth season as head coach at Arkansas Tech has posted a 83-43 record during that timespan. The Wonder Boys earned their first 20-win season under Kline during the 2016-17 season, finishing with an overall record of 21-8 and a 16-6 conference record. Tech earned the third seed for the GAC Championships, followed by an appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament for the eighth time in 10 seasons.

Guarding the Arc
After five games the RiverHawks lead the MIAA in three-point defense, holding teams to a 30.2 shooting percentage (32-for-106).

The Glass
Northeastern State has had string of three straight evenings this season with 40+ rebounds which is something that hasn't happened since the end of the 2009-10 season.  In rebounding, the RiverHawks are averaging 39.0 per game which is third most in the MIAA, with Josh Bougher leading the team with 7.0 per outing.

Perfection 
NSU sophomore Trent Cantrell was perfect off of the RiverHawks bench in their 91-77 win over Oklahoma Baptist on  Nov. 21 this season.  Cantrell went 6-for-6 from field and was 3-for-3 at the free throw line for a career high 16 points.

A win for NSU would...

• First win at Arkansas Tech since Dec. 13, 2003.
• First win against the Wonder Boys for Head Coach Mark Downey.
• First win in Arkansas since Nov. 30, 2013 against Harding (66-64) in Russellville.

A win for ATU would...

• Be their third straight win over Northeastern State.
• Stay perfect at home with a 3-0 record
• Maintain a perfect non-conference record at 3-0.

Up next
Northeastern State will start MIAA play to face Northwest Missouri on the road on Nov. 30.