Game 16: Northeastern State (3-12, 0-7 MIAA) vs. Emporia State (8-7, 3-3 MIAA) at 3:30 p.m. | January 13, 2018
Emporia, Kan. | White Auditorium
The Series
Northeastern State won 69-65 the last time they visited White Auditorium at the end MIAA play last season but they trail the overall series 9-7 against Emporia State. The series has gone back-and-forth since the RiverHawks joined the MIAA in 2012 with NSU holding a 6-4 favorable margin.
The Coaches
Mark Downey was introduced as NSU's tenth men's basketball coach on April 11, 2017 and carries a 207-115 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.
Shaun Vandiver (85-100) is in his seventh season at Emporia State. A first round draft pick by the Golden State Warriors in 1991 he spent ten years as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level. As a player he led Hutchinson CC to the 1988 NJCAA National Championship before earning first-team All-Big 8 honors at Colorado.
Last Time Out for NSU
Northeastern State put up a strong fight but Washburn outlasted the RiverHawks 82-70 on Thursday evening at Lee Arena. The Ichabods who were leading the MIAA heading into their tussle with NSU never took a double-digit lead until the final seconds while the RiverHawks clung onto a two-possession deficit for a good part of the evening.
Jamir Andrews scored 14 of his team leading 17 points in the second half with the RiverHawks having a fairly balanced scoresheet.
Isaiah Bellamy,
Coryon Mason, and
Trent Cantrell all had nine points, with
Tanner Mouse just behind with eight.
Montre' Williams had seven points and six assists.
Last Time Out for ESU
Emporia State built a 16 point lead in the second half and then held on for a 71-69 victory over Central Oklahoma on Wednesday night in White Auditorium. The Hornets held the Bronchos scoreless for the first 5:14 of the game with Grant Shell leading ESU with 13 points, he was three of five from beyond the three-point arc.
Hall of Fame Bound
The 2003 NCAA Division II National Championship basketball team highlights the 33rd class of the Northeastern State Hall of Fame and will be inducted on Feb. 5.
The 2003 NSU basketball team claimed the school's first, and only to date, NCAA title with an impressive 32-3 mark. Coached by NSU Hall of Famer Larry Gipson, Northeastern State won the South Central Regional championship over host Tarleton State to earn its first-ever NCAA Elite 8 appearance in Lakeland, Fla. NSU took down Nebraska-Kearney and Queens (NY) on consecutive nights with stellar shooting performance. Northeastern State held off powerhouse Kentucky Wesleyan two days later to win the championship, in a game televised nationally by CBS.
A NSU win would…
- Be back-to-back win against Emporia State.
- End a ten game skid.
- First MIAA win of the season.
An ESU win would…
- Back-to-back wins at home over Oklahoma Institutions.
- Be their eighth win at home this season.
- Tenth overall win over Northeastern State.
Coming Up
Northeastern State's marathon week continues on Monday were they will host William Woods in a non-conference contest at 7 p.m.
