TAHLEQUAH – Maleeah Langstaff led the RiverHawks with a career-high 24 points, but they would fall 78-62 to Missouri Southern Tuesday inside the NSU Event Center.

Northeastern State played catch-up for most of the game after shooting 15.8-percent in the second quarter.

Zaria Collins turned in her 30th career double-digit game with 17, and Ashton Hackler recorded her fourth consecutive game in double figures with ten points. 

After trailing 18-14 out of the opening quarter, Missouri Southern opened up the second stanza scoring 16 unanswered points pulling away by 20 with 2:35 left to the half.  Northeastern State held Southern scoreless the rest of the way, trimming the deficit down to 38-24 on a 6-0 run.

The RiverHawks' offensive woes returned in the third quarter, making only one of their first eight shots.  Southern's advantage continued to grow with the cool NSU shooting, taking a 29 point lead with under three left in the period. 

Behind a 10-for-15 fourth, NSU cut the Southern deficit down, out-scoring them by four.

The RiverHawks shot 37.1-percent and was limited to just one three-pointer on the night.   Kailyn Lay paced NSU with eight boards, but they were outrebounded 45-to-30.  Southern (8-5, 5-3 MIAA) recorded ten blocks on the NSU offense and had four players in double figures. 

The loss to the Lions drops Northeastern State to 3-10 (1-6 MIAA); they return to the Event Center on Saturday, where they will host Rogers State at 1:30 p.m.