TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State heads into the third week of conference play with a midweek matchup on the road against Rogers State on Wednesday night.

The RiverHawks enter seeking to get back to .500 in MIAA play after taking a 63-57 loss at Emporia State last Saturday. 

The Setup
- Keith Ferguson is in his first season as head women's basketball coach at Northeastern State after spending the previous seven at Bethany College (Kan.). Notably, Ferguson scored his first MIAA win, in addition to his 200th overall win as a head coach last Saturday against Nebraska-Kearney. 
- The RiverHawks are in their 12th season as members of the MIAA and 27th season as an NCAA Division II program.  
- Wednesday marks the middle of a three-game road trip for NSU. The team will go to Topeka, Kan. to do battle with Washburn on Dec. 19 before returning to Tahlequah for their final game of the calendar year against Ecclesia on Dec. 30. 

Storylines
- A win on Wednesday would mark the first time since the 2020-21 season that Northeastern State has split their first four conference games.
- The team's opponent this week in Rogers State accounts for the last NSU road win, which took place in Claremore on Feb. 4, 2023. The team has lost four straight on the road since then.
- With 12 points last Saturday against ESU, Halie Jones reached double-figures for an eighth time in as many games this season. Notably, Jones has converted on multiple three-point attempts in three straight contests, most recently going two-of-two from beyond the arc in the weekend meeting in Hornet Country. 
- Courtney Lee was the team's top offensive presence in last weekend's battle against the Hornets. Despite fouling out, the junior led the team in scoring (13 points) and rebounding (eight). With eight games in the rear view mirror, Lee is second on the team in scoring (11.5 PPG) and paces all NSU players in rebounding (5.3 RPG). 
- The RiverHawks tied a season high with 16 assists against the Hornets. Aubrey Brown led the team off the bench with five across 15 minutes of action. 
- Lower scoring battles have been the story of the last couple of weeks for NSU, as no team has exceeded 70 points in three of their last four. 
- The RiverHawks have two players ranking inside the top 100 nationally in multiple stat categories. Halie Jones is tied for 27th in three point percentage (46.3%), tied for 65th in three pointers per game (2.38) and tied for 92nd in three pointers made (19). Courtney Lee is tied for 34th in free throw attempts (56) and tied for 68th in free throws made (36). 
- NSU sits inside the nation's top 50 in free throws made per game (t-14th, 16.9), free throw attempts per game (t-16th, 23.4) and three point percentage (t-37th, 35.8%). 

Northeastern State at Rogers State // December 9 at 5:30 p.m. // Live Coverage

About Rogers State (4-5, 0-4 MIAA)
- Rogers State will aim to secure their first conference win of the Heather Davis era on Wednesday after taking losses to Nebraska-Kearney (58-51), Fort Hays State (58-44), Emporia State (80-71) and Washburn (56-44). 
- Davis is in her first season as head women's basketball coach at RSU. Before coming to Claremore, she spent time as an assistant at Southwestern Oklahoma State and Central Oklahoma. 
- After scoring at least 73 in four out of their first five non-conference matchups, the Hillcats have only exceeded 51 points once in their first four MIAA contests and have been held to less than 45 points in two out of four. 
- Alayzha Knapp is the lone RSU player to average more than 9.1 PPG, scoring 16.1 per contest thus far. Despite that, Knapp was more limited on the offensive end last week against Emporia State and Washburn, being held to a seven points on 3-of-18 points across the two games. 

Last Time They Met
Northeastern State 72, Rogers State 48 | Feb. 4, 2023 | Claremore, Okla.

- A +16 second half helped guide Northeastern State to victory, as did a stellar 20-of-23 (87.0%) shooting clip at the free throw line. 
- RSU's 48 points were the fewest an MIAA opponent scored against NSU in a single game across the 2022-23 season. 
- Ashton Hackler scored 20, while Jaylee Kindred and Tess Talo Tomokino entered double-figures with 14 and 13, respectively. 

Series Notes
- Northeastern State holds a slim 7-6 lead in the all-time series entering Wednesday. 
- After losing four straight from Feb. 8, 2020 to Jan. 15, 2022, the RiverHawks have taken two of the last three against the Hillcats. 
- The two teams have faced off on an annual basis even prior to RSU's admission into the MIAA, with at least one meeting being held every year since 2014. 

Coming Up
Northeastern State finishes their three-game road trip with Washburn in Topeka, Kan. on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 2:00 p.m.