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Men's Basketball vs Lincoln
Zac Cahill

Men's Basketball travels to Neb.-Kearney and Fort Hays State

Northeastern State at Neb.-Kearney Thursday, Feb. 9 | 7:30 p.m. | Health & Sports Center 
Northeastern State at Fort Hays State Saturday, Feb. 11 | 4 p.m. | Gross Memorial Coliseum
Game Notes Northeastern State •  Fort Hays State • Neb.-Kearney
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Live Stats NSU Live Stats
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The Setup

  • With six games remaining in the regular season, the RiverHawks are just a game ahead of Neb.-Kearney and Pittsburg State for the final spot into the MIAA Tournament. 
  • This week's contests are the final out-of-state regular-season road games for the RiverHawks.

Last Time Out

at Northeastern St. 72, Washburn 71 | Feb. 5, 2022 | Tahlequah 
  • Dillon Bailey scored ten points in the final 50 seconds to lead the RiverHawks past Washburn 72-71 on Saturday. 
  • The RiverHawks trailed 68-63 before they went on a 10-3 run to close out the game.  Bailey scored the tying bucket with 3.7 seconds left in the game and drew an offensive foul, leading to the go-ahead winning free throw. 
  • All five of NSU's starters were in double-figures, with Rashad Perkins having 13 points and seven assists.  Bailey, Christian Cook, and Tylor Arnold all had 12.  Obukwelu led the team with seven rebounds and had ten points.   Jaxon Jones scored nine off the bench.

Storylines

  • Emeka Obukwelu is ninth overall in the MIAA, averaging 15.9 points per game.  Nationally speaking, Obukwelu is among the top-100 in six statistical categories.  He is the only player in the Division II men's basketball with a pair of 20 rebound games this season and is second in the MIAA with 8.6 boards per outing.  Obukwelu crossed the 1,000 career point plateau at Missouri Southern.
  • Christian Cook has scored at least ten in 24 of the previous 26 contests, going back to last season.  In his short career at NSU so far, Cook has 502 points scored in 43 games.
  • Rashad Perkins is third on the NSU roster in points per game at 12.3.   At Missouri Western, his 40 points were the most for an NSU men's basketball player since 2014 and tied for the most in the game this season in the MIAA.  Perkins scored his 1,000 overall career point on Jan. 29 at Missouri Southern. 
  • Tylor Arnold has two double-double games this season for NSU and is fourth in points (8.9), second in rebounding (5.2), and second in overall assists (55). 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.   He scored his 1,000 NCAA Division II point on Feb. 3 against Emporia State.
  • Dillon Bailey scored NSU's final ten points in their late win over Washburn.  He has scored at least ten points in three of the last four games and has averaged 10.8 points during that stretch. 
  • Northeastern State men's basketball set an attendance record during Thanksgiving break, with 2,231 fans attending their game against Haskell.  The number is good for the 17th-most in NCAA Division II basketball this season, with the program ranked 17th overall in attendance.
  • The RiverHawks has made a three-pointer in 118 consecutive games.  Feb. 2, 2017 against Southwest Baptist is the last time NSU did not make a three.
  • 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.

About Neb.-Kearney

  • With six games left in MIAA regular season play, the Lopers are a game back of the RiverHawks for the final transfer spot to the postseason tournament. 
  • From the field, the Lopers are third-best in the MIAA, making 49.1-percent of their shots and second in three-point shooting at 40.2-percent.
  • UNK has four players entering their contest with NSU averaging over ten points per game. 
  • Heading into Thursday, David Simental held the nation's 20th best free-throw percent in the nation (88.8).  He leads the Lopers in scoring with 17.5 points per game and is third in the MIAA with over 35 minutes played a game.  Simental is a D2 transfer from Colorado State-Pueblo and was a Second Team All-Conference selection last season.

Last Time They Met

at Northeastern State 97, Neb.-Kearney 90 | Jan. 3, 2022 | Tahlequah
  • NSU had six in double-digit scoring as they needed two overtime periods to outlast Nebraska-Kearney 97-90 Monday evening. 
  • Rashad Perkins was a catalyst off the bench scoring 13 of his team-high 24 points in overtime as the RiverHawks picked up their first home win over the Lopers since Jan. 2014.  Monday is the third straight home contest against the Lopers to go to overtime and the first double-overtime game since Feb. 2, 2018, against Fort Hays State.
  • Christian Cook saved the RiverHawks in regulation, hitting an open three-pointer with 12 seconds remaining to send things to overtime.

Series Notes

Northeastern State trails 6-14 | 3-8 at home | 2-6 in Kearney | 1-0 neutral 
  • Northeastern State has won two of its last three visits to Kearney.
  • Neither team has blown the other out in the last 14 meetings, with each contest being decided within single digits.
  • The Lopers met NSU in the 2003 Elite Eight, with Northeastern State winning that contest 94-75.
  • Neb.-Kearney and Northeastern State made an odd meeting in the 1931-32 season, making the two furthest apart schools that each other will face all year, one of the longest active series.

About Fort Hays State

  • Fort Hays State will face Rogers State on Thursday evening prior to hosting Northeastern State on Saturday.
  • This week, the Tigers are the fourth team out of the NABC Top-25 poll receiving four votes.
  • The Tigers are ranked second nationally, allowing just 59.4 points per game, with teams shooting 40.9-percent, lowest in the MIAA this season.  Additionally, they turnover the ball 10.3 times per game, good for 11th best in the nation.
  • Jared Vitztum is the 22nd Fort Hays State player to reach 1,000 career points and the 11th to have over 600 rebounds. Among active career leaders he is 12th in Division II with 846, and 11th with 28 career double-doubles. Vitztum is fifth in the nation averaging 8.2 defensive rebounds per game, and leads the MIAA with 9.9 rebounds per game.
  • Entered the season ranked eighth in NCAA Division II with over 1600 wins.

Last Time They Met

Fort Hays State 59, at Northeastern State 53 | Jan. 1, 2021 | Tahlequah
  • The Tigers snapped a six-game win home streak for the RiverHawks that dated back to the end of the previous season. 
  • The RiverHawks took a slim 24-23 lead at the half, but Fort Hays State came out of the locker room with the momentum scoring 11 unanswered points.  Northeastern State went nearly seven minutes without scoring as they shot 9-29  in the second half.
  • The turning point came following the final official timeout at the 4:30 mark, with things even at 44-44.  The Tigers went on a short 5-0 run in the following two minutes.  Northeastern State would go 0-3 for from the field during a 3:38 span that led into the final minute of the contest. 

Series Notes

Northeastern State trails 7-14 | 5-5 at home | 2-8 in Hays | 0-1 neutral 
  • Northeastern State has lost its previous eight visits to Hays, with the RiverHawks last win being on their first visit as MIAA members on Feb. 28, 2014 (75-72).
  • First meeting was in the Fort Hays State 'Big Cheese Classic' on Nov. 14, 1981. Northeastern State took the cheese, 73-58, over the Tigers.
  • Five of the ten visits to Hays have come in February.
  • Northeastern State has averaged 68.7 points per game against Fort Hays State.
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