TAHLEQUAH – Christian Cook's career night wasn't enough as a RiverHawks' rally came up short in the final minutes Thursday night in an 82-78 loss to Central Missouri.

Central Missouri opened the contest with ten unanswered points, and it took until the second half for Northeastern State to turn things around using a 23-10 run out of the locker room to take a 55-46 advantage with 11:33 remaining. 

The Mules' Gaven Pinkley took over the game though, scoring 26 of his 34 points carrying his team to the win.  In the final 3:58, Central Missouri held an 11-2 run, with the RiverHawks missing their last five buckets.

Down 81-78, Northeastern State had an open three-point look to tie the game with two seconds remaining, but it would hit the back of the rim, sending them to its fourth consecutive loss. 

For the first time this season, Cook came off the bench and was 9-for-15 with 29 points.  Emeka Obukwelu had 19 and six rebounds.   Tylor Arnold scored ten, with Ryan Gendron leading the team with seven rebounds. 

The RiverHawks shot 54-percent (27-50) on the floor, while Central Missouri was 60.4-percent, with Pinkley shooting 13-for-15. 

With the win Thursday, Central Missouri improves to 8-7 (5-6 MIAA).

Northeastern State (8-9, 3-8 MIAA) returns to the floor Saturday to host Lincoln at 3:30 p.m.