KEARNEY, Neb. – A second-half RiverHawks rally came up short on the road at Nebraska-Kearney, 81-73, on Saturday.  
 
Northeastern State dug themselves out of a 11-point deficit with a 12-1 run to tie the game at 54-each on a Javon Wallace layup with 8:12 left.   However, NSU momentum was cut short after trading buckets, UNK dropped 12 straight on the RiverHawks to send them to 3-20 this season and 2-12 in MIAA play.
 
All 11 players who entered the game for NSU scored in the contest with Karon Waller leading the RiverHawks off the bench with 15 points, matching his season high in a NSU uniform.  Braxton Williams was NSU's other player in double-figures with ten.  Montre' Williams scored nine and dished out seven assists. 
 
The RiverHawks out-shot a team for the fourth time this season going 48.2-percent (27-56) from the field.  UNK was 42.6-percent (23-54) on their side of the floor but the difference maker was the Lopers ability to go to the line.  Nebraska-Kearney shot 33 free-throws which was one-short of a season high for a NSU opponent.   26 of the Lopers 81 points came from the free-throw line with the RiverHawks going to the line 16 times.
 
Rebounds were even for both teams at 33 with Erick Broadnax grabbing six.
 
Saturday's game was even out of the gates with the score tying 11 times and lead exchanging hands five times in the first half.  Neither team led by more than four points and with 15 seconds to halftime Broadnax slammed down a dunk to take a 34-32 lead.  The Lopers ran back and hit a buzzer-beating trey to re-take the lead for the last time into the locker room.
 
Northeastern State led by ten inside the paint with 36 points, and their bench grabbed 38, outscoring UNK by 26.
 
The Lopers (17-7, 10-5 MIAA) had four in double-figures with Isaiah McKay scoring 19.  Both teams will meet again at the NSU Event Center next Saturday in the RiverHawks final regular season home contest. 
 
In the meantime, NSU will host Fort Hays State next on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.