Game #13
Northeastern State (6-6, 0-3 MIAA) vs. Missouri Western (7-7, 1-2 MIAA)
Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019 at 3:30 p.m. | Tahlequah, Okla. | NSU Event Center
Opening Tip
- Both teams will come into Saturday's meeting with .500 overall records.
- At home this season Northeastern State is 5-2 but has dropped its last five MIAA contests.
- Northeastern State has out rebounded teams eight times this season.
- In nine games this season, NSU has went on at-least a 10-0 run against a foe.
- Caleb Smith is leading the RiverHawks in scoring with 14.8 points per game and 3.1 assists per game.
- Tanner Mouse is second in scoring with 12.3 points.
- Aaron Givens has two double-doubles this year and he is eighth in the MIAA with 6.7 rebounds per game.
- Northeastern State is fourth in the MIAA in field goal defense at 43.1-percent and second in rebound margin at +6.4.
About the Griffons
- Surpassed their win total from one season ago with a 85-80 victory at Central Oklahoma.
- 3-2 on the road while 1-3 at home this season.
- Lead the MIAA in turnovers (15.1 per game) and have been sent to the free-line the most (319).
- 12th in the MIAA in scoring offense (74.5) and scoring defense (76.6).
- Senior Lavon Hightower leads the Griffons in scoring 18.7 ppg and rebounding 7.6 rpg.
- Hightower is the sixth leading scorer in the MIAA and was named Honorable Mention last season.
- Was voted to finish in last by the MIAA coaches in their preseason poll.
- Led by first year head coach Sundance Wicks.
RiverHawks vs. Griffons Series
- Northeastern State trails 7-5 in the overall series.
- The RiverHawks have won its last three meetings at home against Missouri Western and is 3-0 at home in MIAA play.
- Head Coach Mark Downey is 0-2 all-time against the Missouri Western.
Looking Back
- A big run to end the first half by #2-ranked Northwest Missouri dropped Northeastern State 105-70 on Thursday.
- With NSU trailing by only one (23-22) with 6:23 left in the first half, the Bearcats outscored them 32-to-11.
- Eight of Northwest's 19 treys on Thursday were landed during that time span
- All 11 players who saw playing time for NSU scored with Bradley George having a team high 13 points in his first start of the season.
- NSU shot the ball efficiently going 26-for-49 on the floor and led the rebounding battle by seven with 27 as a team.
- Caleb Smith was the RiverHawks' second leading scorer with ten points, with three others collecting eight.
Inside Men
NSU's post players,
Aaron Givens and
Josh Ihek are shooting a combined 72.3-percent and accounting for 11.1 rebounds per game. On the offensive glass the two is averaging 4.3 rebounds per game, and scoring 14.4 points a game.
4-Year
Tanner Mouse has scored ten or more points in 14 of the last 17 games for the RiverHawks. The senior is second at NSU with 12.3 points an outing which is nearly double his career average during his first Mouse's three seasons (7.7 ppg).
Already at 1,000+
Senior transfer
D'Angelo Jackson starts the season with 1,203 career points in-between stops at Eastern Illinois and Highland CC. Jackson has a career average at over 15 points per game and was selected as a NJCAA All-American.
- In 12 games, Jackson is averaging 9.3 points, and is shooting 50% from the field.
Double-Trouble
For the first time since Feb. 10, 2010 at Southwestern Okla., the RiverHawks had two players with a double-double on a box score.
Josh Ihek and
Aaron Givens both hit double-doubles on Nov. 27 against Bacone by hitting double-digits in points and rebounds.
Benchmark
The RiverHawks broke a facility scoring record in its last two contests inside the NSU Event Center. Northeastern State set a new bar with 118 points on Nov. 30, 2018 against Central Christian (Mo.), a mere 72 hours after braking the prior record that has held for five years.
Here is a quick look at the other 100 point games in the Center's 5+ year history...
1. 118 vs. Central Christian (11/30/18)
2. 107 vs. Bacone (11/27/18)
3. 102 vs. Ecclesia (11/9/13)*
4. 101 vs. Hillsdale Free Will Baptist (11/13/13)
* - First game in the complex
Quick Runs
Northeastern State runs of ten or more unanswered points during the 2018-19 season.
10-0 - 3:43 at Missouri Southern (12/8/18)
10-0 - 4:03 vs. Bacone (11/27/18)
10-0 - 3:50 vs. Dallas Baptist (11/24/18)*
10-0 - 2:44 vs. Dallas Baptist (11/24/18)#
10-0 - 2:15 vs. Southwestern Oklahoma (11/9/18)
11-0 - 3:59 vs. Oklahoma Baptist (11/19/18)
11-0 - 2:06 at Rogers State (11/14/18)
12-0 - 3:23 vs. Bacone (11/27/18)
12-0 - 2:45 vs. Northwestern Oklahoma (11/10/18)#
13-0 - 3:38 vs. Central Christian (11/30/18)
13-0 - 4:31 vs. Bacone (11/27/18)
15-0 - 8:01 at Missouri S&T (12/17/18)
18-0 - 4:03 vs. Central Christian (11/30/18)
20-0 - 5:04 vs. Central Christian (11/30/18)
* - Start of the game
# - Spans the half
Up Big
Largest leads of the season for Northeastern State.
58 - 1:28 (2nd Half) vs. Bacone on Nov. 27, 2018
22 - 11:28 (2nd Half) vs. Southwestern Oklahoma on Nov. 9, 2018
21 - 14:46 (2nd Half) vs. Northwestern Oklahoma on Nov. 10, 2018
19 - 1:25 (2nd Half) at Missouri S&T on Dec. 17, 2018
14 - 2:23 (2nd Half) vs. Oklahoma Baptist on Nov. 19, 2018
14 - 00:34 (1st Half) at Rogers State on Nov. 14, 2018
10 - 16:10 (1st Half) vs. Dallas Baptist on Nov. 24, 2018
Our Colors
Northeastern State's uniform record during the 2018-19 season.
3-1 Gray
2-1 White
1-3 Green
0-1 Black
An older group
Northeastern State has one freshman on its roster this season with nine juniors, and four seniors.
Former Rangers
Jahmel Bodrick,
Michael Bowers, and
Caleb Smith all come to Northeastern State from Ranger College (Texas) and played for Former Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie.
