Game 25: Northeastern State (9-15, 5-12 MIAA) vs. Emporia State (16-8, 11-6 MIAA) at 5:30 p.m. | February 22, 2018
Tahlequah, Okla. | NSU Event Center
Clinched
Northeastern State has punched its ticket to the MIAA Tournament which starts on Feb. 26. The postseason berth is the 16th for Northeastern State in the NCAA era and fifth appearance for the RiverHawks in MIAA Tournament.
The Matchup
Northeastern State has lost their last five meetings with Lady Hornets and trail the overall series 12-5. The RiverHawks won three times against ESU in Tahlequah with their last win (59-44) coming during the 2013-14 season when NSU took three in a row over the Lady Hornets.
The Coaches
Fala Bullock is in her first season as head coach and was named to lead her alma mater on April 1, 2017 to replace Randy Gipson who retired after 18 years. With six years of head coaching experience, Bullock is 107-89 overall and within conference play she is 66-64. She has spent the last four seasons (2013-17) as head coach at NCAA Division II Armstrong State University, where she recorded a career mark of 60-52. In her first season at Armstrong State, she led the Pirates to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history, and reached the Sweet 16.
Bullock played for Gipson for two seasons, and was a graduate assistant under Gipson from 2004 to 2006. As student-athlete, Bullock played in 57 games and NSU went 36-19, winning the 2003 Lone Star Conference Tournament, and made the program's first NCAA Tournament berth. As a member of Gipson's coaching staff, NSU reached the Sweet 16 in 2004, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2005 and 2006.
Jory Collins (198-55) is in his eighth year as the head coach of the Lady Hornets. He has 35 career wins against Top 25 teams. This is his 17th season on the Lady Hornet coaching staff and Emporia State has advanced to the NCAA tournament in 14 of the first 16 seasons. He is the first Lady Hornet coach to have seven 20 win seasons in his first seven years as head coach.
Last Time Out for NSU
Northeastern State could not sustain a fast start to the second half and fell 69-53 at No. 6 Central Missouri on Saturday afternoon.
Cailyn Long and
Lauren Woods both paced the RiverHawks (9-11, 5-8 MIAA) who dropped their third contest in a row.
Bailee Eldred was NSU's next highest scorer on Saturday with nine points; Long had12 of her points at the arc with the RiverHawks 7-for-20 as a squad. Free throws aided the Jennies in the third quarter run and they were sent to the line 15 times, while shooting 3-for-17 from the field. The RiverHawks were called for eight more fouls with 20 and were at the line seven times on Saturday.
Last Time Out for Emporia State
Northeastern State's
Bailee Eldred poured in a season high 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to collect her third double-double of the year in a 79-63 loss to Nebraska-Kearney at the Health & Sports Center on Saturday afternoon.
Cailyn Long poured in eight of her 12 points in the first half who joined Eldred as the only two RiverHawks in double figures. Beyond Long and Eldred, every RiverHawks player contributed,
Morgan Hellyer and
Lauren Woods had eight points,
Miranda Griffin had six,
Tree Brooks with five,
Alexis Hill and
Cenia Hayes tallied three apiece and
Joi Bertrand with two.
MIAA Defense
Northeastern State is second in MIAA play in field goal defense 37.9 percent. When facing MIAA programs, NSU is averaging nearly five blocks a game which is third best with
Joi Bertrand third in league blocks at 1.7 per game.
Coming Up
The RiverHawks will host Washburn on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. for Senior Day to close out the regular season.
