TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State gets their final tune-up before conference play begins on Nov. 30, as they face NCAA Division III foe Ozarks (Ark.) Monday, Nov. 20 at 7:00 p.m. inside the NSU Event Center. 

The RiverHawks enter Monday coming off a 92-70 win over Haskell (Okla.) in their most recent home contest last Wednesday as well as a 76-63 triumph in their first true road game of the season aganst Texas-Tyler last Saturday. 

The Setup
- Ja Havens is in his fourth season as the head men's basketball coach at Northeastern State and his eleventh season overall as a head coach. 
- The RiverHawks are in their 12th season as members of the MIAA and 27th season as an NCAA Division II program.  
- Monday is the penultimate non-conference matchup for the RiverHawks this season. On Dec. 30, NSU will face Ecclesia (Ark.) in Tahlequah. 

Storylines
- A win over the Eagles would mark the third consecutive season where NSU's taken at least three of their first four in Tahlequah. 
- NSU enters Monday coming off of their strongest performance from deep this season, as they hit 12-of-25 (48.0%) from beyond the arc Saturday against Texas-Tyler in the winning effort.
- Anthony Allen has been a force on both ends of the floor in the early stages of the campaign. The sophomore enters Monday with a team-best 19.5 points per game, while he also holds the NSU lead in rebounding (7.5 RPG) and blocks (3.5 BPG). He dropped a career-high 30 points against Haskell the last time he played inside the NSU Event Center last Wednesday. His 14 made field goals against Haskell marked the most in a single game for an NSU player since 2021. 
- Jaxon Jones continued his impressive start to the season with another solid performance last Saturday against the Patriots, finishing second on the team in scoring with 13 points, highlighted by three made triples. Jones has hit 8-of-14 (57.1%) from long range and 13-of-23 (56.5%) overall across four games, while he also leads the team in assists (6.0 per game). 
- Ethan Blackmon has had a productive beginning to his collegiate career, as the true freshman pieced together another near double-double last week against Haskell (13 points, nine rebounds). Blackmon is tied with Trey Quartlebaum for second on the team in scoring (11.0 PPG), while his consistent efforts on the glass places him in second in rebounding (6.8 RPG). 
- Caison Hartloff has been one of the team's anchors off the bench so far, as the redshirt sophomore has played in a majority of minutes over the last three games and ties for fourth on the team in scoring (8.5 PPG) and ranks third in rebounding (5.3 RPG). Meanwhile, Hartloff's three-point conversion total (six) puts him behind Jaxon Jones (eight) for second among NSU players. 
- Teamwork has made the dream work for the RiverHawks, as the team has recorded more assists than their opponents in every game so far. They average 20.3 per game as a unit this season. 
- All three transfers from the class of newcomers have found lots of playing time early, all receiving starts in every game so far alongside at least 17.8 minutes per contest apiece. 

Northeastern State vs. Ozarks // November 20 at 7:00 p.m. // Live Coverage

About Ozarks (4-1)
- This is the third game for the Eagles in as many days. Before making the trip to Tahlequah, Ozarks picked up their fourth straight win to open the season with a 73-66 result against Millsaps (Miss.) on Saturday before taking an 85-51 defeat to Rhodes (Tenn.) on Sunday. 
- Matt Bolton is in his second season as head men's basketball coach and his third with the program. 
- The Eagles are led by two players who were among last season's top scorers in the American Southwest Conference (ASC) in Josh Ukpe (15.5 PPG in 2022-23) and Tylan Jackson (15.4). 
- True freshman Jordan Jenkins has made an early impact, as the forward has logged multiple double-digit scoring nights to start the season and ranks as one of the team's best rebounders. 

Last Time They Met
Northeastern State 82, Ozarks 61 | Nov. 27, 2021 | Tahlequah, Okla.

- NSU held the opposition to under 40% shooting on the night while hitting nearly half of their attempts (30-of-61) to take a dominant 21-point victory. 
- Emeka Obukwelu had a monstrous night in scoring and rebounding, leading the way with 22 points and 20 boards. Obukwelu's rebounding total was the most for an NSU player since 2013. 
- Four players entered double figures for NSU. 

Series Notes
- One of NSU's oldest men's basketball opponents, the series dates back to 1927, the program's fourth season of play.
- The overall series history is a best guess due to older record books not defining Ozarks (Ark.) and Ozarks (Mo.). Northeastern State should have a 29-15 series lead over the Eagles. 
- 2021's meeting was the first in Tahlequah since Nov. 29, 1996. 

Coming Up
The RiverHawks break for Thanksgiving and return to kick off their 22-game MIAA schedule against Fort Hays State in the NSU Event Center on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m.