TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State plays three of their next four games at home inside the NSU Event Center and will host Arlington Baptist for the first time on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The RiverHawks are coming off a 1-1 weekend in the Central Region Classic in Edmond, beating the University of Mary 80-70 and falling to Northwestern Okla. 66-58.
The first 500 students in attendance will get a Bingo Card, where they will have the opportunity to win prizes throughout the night, with the grand prize being a $500 book scholarship.
The Setup
- Tuesday will be the ninth home opener inside the NSU Event Center. The RiverHawks moved into the building for the 2013-14 season.
- Arlington Baptist will be the only Texas team NSU is scheduled to see during the 2021-22 season.
- The RiverHawks are 4-4 in their home opener in the NSU Event Center era.
- Arlington Baptist is the first non-NCAA program that the RiverHawks will see under head coach Ja Havens.
- Northeastern State has won six straight games against non-NCAA foes.
Storylines
- Northeastern State was picked to finish in 13th place in both the MIAA Coaches and Media Polls in October.
- The 2021-22 season is the 93rd for men's basketball at Northeastern State.
- The RiverHawks are entering their tenth season as members of the MIAA and 25th season as an NCAA Division II program.
- Brad Davis is the RiverHawks' longest-tenured player on their roster and has played in 44 games and started all but one game for NSU last season. Between NSU and two seasons at Eastern Okla. CC, the native of Red Oak, has over 1,200 career points scored.
- Christian Cook has scored at-least ten points in the last seven games and is the RiverHawks' leading scorer averaging 18 points per game this season. Against the University of Mary, he started the game shooting 9-for-9 from the field.
- Emeka Obukwelu is a graduate transfer from the University of Arkansas, where he played for two seasons for the Razorbacks. He transferred from Texas-Tyler, where he was Selected to the Small College Basketball Watch List for the Bevo Francis Award of 2018 following a season where he averaged 19.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Obukwelu recorded a double-double in his first outing at NSU with 23 points and ten rebounds.
- Graduate transfer Tylor Arnold played for Head Coach Ja Havens for three seasons at East Central (Okla.) and was on the top-10 list for career minutes played, career steals, and career throw percentage. Arnold came to NSU as a graduate and was a finalist for the Distinguished George Nigh Award, given to East Central's Top Graduate and the 2021 Distinguished Graduate of the ECU Stonecipher School of Business. Arnold recorded a double-double in his first outing at NSU with 13 points and ten rebounds.
- Northeastern State has brothers Jake Gendron and Ryan Gendron on their roster. Jake was a 2021 All-State selection out of Bishop Kelley HS where he played for Jordan Nagel, a Northeastern State alumnus. Ryan is a transfer from the University of Tulsa, where he was a member of the men's basketball program (2019-21). He attended Oklahoma State on a baseball scholarship and redshirted the 2019 season.
- Local Tahlequah product Jaxon Jones is in his second season at NSU, and was limited to three games last season after suffering a season ending injury on New Year's Eve. Jones had three of the RiverHawks five three pointers Saturday against Northwestern Okla. and had a career-high 11 points.
About Arlington Baptist
- Will come to NSU with a 1-3 mark, with a home win against Texas College.
- NCCAA has stats for two games Da'vione Stafford and Trey Ballard, averaged 17 points.
- Leading NCCAA Division II play with 52.9-percent shooting and a 46.4-percent at the arc.
- Faced Oklahoma Baptist in an exhibition and lost 98-48, Ballard and Stafford were the only two Arlington Baptist players in double figures.
- Led by Bubba Jennings, a Texas Tech standout, and was honored with the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, a national award given to the best college men's basketball player who is 6'0" or shorter.
- Finished the 2020-21 ranked second in NCCAA Division II play with a 14-9 record.
Series Notes
- First meeting between the two programs.
