CLAREMORE, Okla. –
Jaxon Jones scored 21 points to lead Northeastern State in a 80-72 loss against Rogers State inside the Claremore Expo Center Wednesday night.
The RiverHawks (4-5, 0-4 MIAA) fought a back-and-forth battle in the first half with the Hillcats (4-4, 3-2 MIAA), which finished with a 36-36 draw at intermission. NSU shot 14-of-24 (58.3%) from the floor with three converted treys in the opening half, while Rogers State connected on as many baskets with seven more attempts (14-of-31, 45.2%).
RSU finished the half with four unanswered, starting a scoring run that would extend to 12-0 over the start of the second half to take a 44-36 advantage. NSU would not hold the lead again after surrendering it to start the half, despite bringing the deficit down to as few as four points with 31 seconds remaining.
Jones shot 7-of-11 overall while securing three made triples on seven tries from deep. The junior also provided six rebounds and four assists in the loss. He has now exceeded 20 points in two of his last three games, as his high-scoring output comes eleven days after scoring a career-high 23 points against Nebraska-Kearney.
Three other NSU players reached double-figures, with
Anthony Allen scoring 12 and
Seth Pratt and
Caison Hartloff adding 11. Pratt's 11-point evening marked a career high in the young collegiate career of the true freshman.
Northeastern State rounds out the three-game road trip with their last MIAA matchup of the calendar year when they face Washburn in Topeka, Kan. on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 4 p.m.
