TAHLEQUAH – Six unanswered Northwest Missouri points in the final 90 seconds downed Northeastern State 62-59 in a seesaw battle on Thursday evening in their MIAA home opener.   
 
The contest featured 23 lead changes with neither team taking more than a two-possession advantage.
 
Cenia Hayes gave the RiverHawks a 59-56 lead with 1:35 remaining after hitting both her free throws.  Northwest closed within one with on a lay-up 20 seconds later and got a dagger from Erika Scholsser who hit a trey with 13 seconds to the final horn for the eventual winning shot.
 
Cailyn Long had the hot hand in final minutes with 12 of her 20 points coming in final period.  The senior finished with a game high on 8-for-13 shooting.
 
Cielo McClain was a point short of a career high but had her first double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.  Hayes was a point and rebound short of a double-double and finished with a game high six assists.  Bailee Eldred grabbed 12 off the glass and had seven points.
 
The RiverHawks dominated to glass 43-to-27 and had a 44.9-to-33.3-percent shooting edge on the Bearcats.   The key difference was Northwest's eight three-pointers, while the RiverHawks were limited to three.
 
Thursday's loss will send the RiverHawks to 3-9 (0-3 MIAA) while the Bearcats go to 5-7 (1-2 MIAA).
 
THE NUMBERS
2 – Second straight double-digit game for true freshman Cielo McClain.
9 – Ninth career 20-point game for Long.
 
TIP-INS
In the second quarter, seven minutes lapsed without either team scoring … Thursday's win for Northwest snapped a six game winning streak for Northeastern State … the RiverHawks do own the overall series 9-3 … in their MIAA home opener, NSU is now 4-3.
 
COMING UP
Northeastern State will host Missouri Western next on Saturday afternoon; tip is set for 1:30 p.m.