TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State returns from Thanksgiving break with a pair of MIAA home matchups in the NSU Event Center to open conference play.

The RiverHawks are set to battle Fort Hays State on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. before they face Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 3:30 p.m. 

Before going to break, NSU took a 72-70 win over Ozarks (Ark.) on Monday, Nov. 20. 

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.  
- Thursday begins a 22-game conference slate for NSU. The team won nine conference games last season, with six of their league wins coming at home. They enter in search of their first winning season inside MIAA action since the 2019-20 season. 

Storylines
- With last week's win over Ozarks, Northeastern State has now claimed four of their first five for the third consecutive season. 
- Anthony Allen has been on a tear to start the season, leading the team in scoring (19.4 PPG), rebounding (7.2 RPG) and blocks (3.2 BPG). The sophomore's per-game average for blocks paces all MIAA players and ranks third in the country. Most recently, Allen slammed home the game-winning basket in Nov. 20's matchup with Ozarks to highlight a 19-point performance. 
- NSU's newcomers have found plenty of ways to contribute early into the campaign. All three transfers (Trey Quartlebaum, Keon Edwards, Marcus Scott V) have received starts in every game so far. Notably, Quartlebaum leads the team in minutes (33.4 MPG) and is second in scoring (11.8 PPG). Meanwhile, true freshman Ethan Blackmon has been one of the team's top threats off the bench, ranking third in scoring (9.6) and second in rebounding (6.2 RPG) over 16.2 minutes per contest. 
- Jaxon Jones has been a key factor in the offensive attack this season, leading all NSU players with 6.2 assists per game, an average that ties him for first in the MIAA. The junior also holds the conference's best assist/turnover ratio (6.2), a mark that sits third nationally. 
- In last week's win over the Eagles, three different players reached double figures. Allen led the team with 19 points on the night, while Quartlebaum provided 15 in a team-high 35 minutes of work. Caison Hartloff added 13 to log his third performance with at least 10 points this season. 
- The RiverHawks enter the week coming off a perfect performance at the charity stripe before going to Thanksgiving Break, as they put together at 14-of-14 day at the free throw line against Ozarks last week. The team has shot 75.7% at the line this season on a 56-of-74 clip, while opponents have struggled to a 35-of-71 (49.3%) line so far. 
- NSU's been content to shoot from distance recently, as they've logged at least 25 three-point attempts in each of their last three games. 
- Staying out of foul trouble has largely been a strong point for the team entering conference play. The RiverHawks rank second in the MIAA and 14th in the country in fouls per game (13.2).

Northeastern State vs. Fort Hays State // November 30 at 7:30 p.m. // Live Coverage

About Fort Hays State (4-1)
- The Tigers enter conference play after claiming four of five in non-conference action. The team has emerged victorious over Southwestern Oklahoma State (70-66), Arkansas Tech (66-52), Central Christian (63-44) and Manhattan Christian (75-46), with their lone loss being a overtime defeat at MSU Denver (75-71).
- Head men's basketball coach Mark Johnson is in his 23rd season leading the program. Johnson is the all-time coaching wins leader in FHSU history, entering Thursday with 432 across his time leading the Tigers. During the Johnson era, the team has made seven trips to the NCAA Tournament, most recently in the 2015-16 season. 
- Kaleb Hammeke will be a name to watch for the Tigers, as the junior leads the team in scoring (14.8 PPG) and steals (1.6 SPG). Hammeke is in his fourth season with the program and has started all 86 games he's played in across his collegiate career. 
- FHSU has been among the nation's best on the defensive end so far, ranking fourth in the country in field goal percentage defense (35.8%) and sixth in scoring defense (56.6). 

Last Time They Met
Fort Hays State 96, Northeastern State 87 | Dec. 1, 2022 | Hays, Kan.

- The Tigers fought to an overtime victory after making five-of-six during the extra period. NSU failed to make a field goal during that same span of time.
- Five RiverHawks hit double figures, led by 19 points from Dillon Bailey and Rashad Perkins. 
- Free throws played a huge role in the matchup, with the two teams combining for 59 attempts at the line. 

Series Notes
- Fort Hays State possesses the all-time series lead, 16-7. 
- The Tigers hold the longest winning streak in series history, entering this week as winners of the last six meetings. The RiverHawks were last victorious against FHSU on Jan. 9, 2020 in a 76-70 win in Tahlequah. 
- While the RiverHawks have struggled to a 2-10 record in away contests against the Tigers, NSU sits at .500 all-time at home against FHSU with a 5-5 record. 

Northeastern State vs. Nebraska-Kearney  // December 2 at 3:30 p.m. // Live Coverage

About Nebraska-Kearney (2-2)
- UNK enters the week with two wins across their first four matchups in 2023-24. Most recently, they were dealt at 95-68 loss on the road at Wayne State on Saturday, Nov. 25. 
- Prior to battling the RiverHawks on Saturday, the Lopers will travel to Claremore, Okla. to take on Rogers State to open their MIAA schedule.
- Antoine Young is the interim head coach after Kevin Lofton resigned on Nov. 17. Young is in his sixth year with the program after spending time at Pittsburg State and at Concordia University from the NAIA ranks. 
- Five players enter this week's contests averaging more than ten points per game, led by Miguel Robles (15.3 PPG). Robles also highlights a group of three-point shooters that have hit 38.6% of their tries from long range this season (27-of-70), as the junior has knocked down 10-of-17 (58.8%) up to this point. 

Last Time They Met
Northeastern State 85, Nebraska-Kearney 62 | Dec. 3, 2022 | Kearney, Neb.

- The RiverHawks found a 65.4% shooting half, making 17-of-26 in the second while holding the Lopers to just 8-of-25 (32.0%) to hold a +19 advantage in the last 20 minutes of play to secure the win.
- In the final season of his collegiate career, Tristan Green put together his strongest offensive performance against the Lopers, leading the team with 20 points and going 9-of-11 from the floor. Green added four rebounds over 23 minutes in the win. 
- NSU controlled the paint all game long, doubling UNK's inside production with 56 points in the paint compared to the opposition's 28. 

Series Notes
- Nebraska-Kearney holds the all-time series lead, 14-8, though Northeastern State has taken the last three.
- Their 23-point victory over UNK last season was NSU's first to come by double digits against them since their 94-75 triumph in the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
- This will be the first meeting between the teams in Tahlequah since the RiverHawks won a 97-90 double-overtime thriller back on Jan. 3, 2022 against the Lopers. 

Coming Up
Northeastern State kicks off a three-game road trip with a trek to the Sunflower state to face Emporia State on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 8:00 p.m.