TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State heads into the second week of the regular season with continued non-conference action, hosting Haskell on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. and UA-Fort Smith on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. in the NSU Event Center. 

Wednesday's matchup against Haskell is Nike N7 Indigenous Peoples' Night, sponsored by the Cherokee Nation, at the NSU Event Center. All tribal citizens with a CDIB or tribal ID card will receive free admission. At 5 p.m. there will be a free and open to the public beans and cornbread meal in the NSU Event Center Community Room sponsored by The Muscogee Nation. 

The RiverHawks enter the week coming off of two matchups to start the season against Northwestern Oklahoma State and Mary. After dropping last Friday's opener against NWOSU (68-58), NSU collected their first win of the season the following day over Mary (74-66). 

The Setup
- Keith Ferguson picked up his first win as the head women's basketball coach at NSU last Saturday night after defeating Mary in a 74-66 result in Tahlequah. He in his first season leading the program after spending the previous seven at the NAIA level with Bethany College (Kan.). Ferguson is the third-winningest coach in Bethany women's basketball history, tallying 121 wins across his time coaching the Swedes. 
- The RiverHawks are in their 12th season as members of the MIAA and 27th season as an NCAA Division II program.  
- This week marks the middle third of NSU's six-game non-conference schedule, as they face Henderson State in Arkadephia, Ark. on Monday, Nov. 20 and will do battle with Ecclesia in Tahlequah for their non-conference finale on Dec. 30. 

Storylines
- Everyone received a piece of the action last Saturday against Mary. In the win, all eleven players on the 2023-24 roster logged at least four minutes. Tess Talo Tomokino came off the bench to receive the most playing time across all NSU players against the Marauders, tallying 33 minutes of work. 
- To're Alford was a frequent contributor on the offensive end across the Central Region Classic. After scoring eight in her NSU debut Friday night against Northwestern Oklahoma State, the fifth year senior led the team with 18 points on five-of-nine shooting from the floor against Mary on Saturday. Alford also added nine rebounds and six assists across last week's action. 
- The Central Region Classic was a busy one for Halie Jones. Making her first apperances as a RiverHawk, the fifth year senior from Wichita, Kan. led the team with 30 points over last week's back-to-back, providing 14 in the loss against Northwestern Oklahoma State and giving the team 16 points on Saturday against Mary. 
- Despite seeing limited minutes in the opening half of the season opener against Northwestern Oklahoma State, Courtney Lee went on to contribute 14 second-half points to lead the team with 16 total against the Rangers. Lee is the team's top returning scorer from last year, as the forward averaged 11.9 points per game over her sophomore campaign in 2022-23. 
- So far, so good has been the story of NSU's performance at the free throw line after the first week of the season. In the Central Region Classic, the RiverHawks made 44-of-56 (78.6%) at the charity stripe. Notably, their 35 free throw attempts in Saturday's contest against Mary was their most in a single game since Feb. 17, 2022 when they received 38 tries at the line against Newman. 
- The team returns five players, including four starters, from last season's squad. 
- The RiverHawks welcome six newcomers to the program this season, all of whom come to Tahlequah with previous playing experience at the collegiate level. 
- Experience is a key theme of the group, as the team's 11-player roster consists of two fifth years, three seniors, and four juniors. No freshmen are on the 2023-24 roster. 

Northeastern State vs. Haskell // November 15 at 6:00 p.m. // Live Coverage

About Haskell (2-5)
- The Fightin' Indians enter the matchup after dropping five of their first seven, most recently to Wayland Baptist (Tex.) in a 78-74 setback in Plainview, Tex. on Nov. 11. 
- Adam Strom is in his third season leading the Fightin' Indians. Prior to coming to the program, Strom coached at Yakima Valley College from 2016-21, where he was named 2016-17 NWAC Coach of the Year and made two apperances in the NWAC Playoffs.
- Malia Jacobs and Janae Kalama have been a solid scoring duo early for Haskell, averaging 12.6 and 10.3 PPG, respectively.
- Northeastern State is the first of two MIAA opponents that Haskell will face this week. On Saturday, Nov. 18, the team will travel to Claremore, Okla. for an afternoon date with Rogers State. 

Last Time They Met
Northeastern State 81, Haskell 58 | Nov. 25, 2022 | Tahlequah, Okla.

- The RiverHawks rode a 34-point second quarter on a 12-of-16 (75%) shooting clip alongside five made triples in the half's last ten minutes to take a 28-point advantage to the break. Despite outscoring NSU across the second half, the first-half deficit proved too much to overcome for the Fightin' Indians. 
- Courtney Lee went 8-of-10 from the floor and recorded a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. 
- Aubrey Brown and Tess Talo Tomokino combined to account for two-thirds of the team's assists with 12 of their 18, providing six apiece.

Series Notes
- Last season's meeting was the first between the schools. 

Northeastern State vs. UA-Fort Smith // November 18 at 1:00 p.m. // Live Coverage

About UAFS (2-0)
- The Lions enter the week after winning two against Westminster College last Friday (78-47) and Saturday (55-36). They will face a foe from the Great American Conference (GAC) in Southern Nazarene at home on Nov. 15 before making their first road trip of the season by facing NSU Saturday. 
- Coming off a ten-win 2022-23 season, UAFS was picked to finish 14th in the Lone Star Conference (LSC) this year. 
- Head women's basketball coach Ryan McAdams is in his third season with the program after four seasons as an assistant at New Mexico State. 
- Riley Hayes was named an LSC Player to Watch in preseason. The junior has started over 50 games across her collegiate career and finished third on the team in scoring last year (9.0 PPG.) 

Last Time They Met
UAFS 81, Northeastern State 78 | Nov. 23, 2022 | Fort Smith, Ark.

- Entering the fourth quarter down 15 (67-52), NSU put together a hard-charging comeback attempt, doubling the opposition's scoring output for the next 8:45 (24-12) to bring the difference to three points (79-76) with 1:15 left. Heroics at the free throw line allowed the Lions to find a last push to victory, as they survived in an 81-78 decision. 
- The duo of Ashton Hackler and Courtney Lee proved hard to stop for the UAFS defense, as Hackler (26 points) and Lee (19) combined for 45 in the close defeat. Lee shot a near-perfect 8-of-9 overall. 
- The three-ball was especially friendly for the Lions, as they shot from deep at a nearly unstoppable 15-of-22 clip on the game. 

Series Notes
- The RiverHawks hold the all-time series lead (5-4).
- NSU took the most recent meeting in Tahlequah (73-57, Nov. 16, 2019). 
- Lions vs. RiverHawks will be held for a second consecutive season. Before a three-year hiatus, the teams met on a near-annual basis, facing off eight times from 2012-19. 

Coming Up
The RiverHawks get their final non-conference test before MIAA play when they journey to the Natural state to face GAC opponent Henderson State in Arkadelphia, Ark. on Monday, Nov. 20 at 5:30 p.m.