TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State concludes a three-game stint away from Tahlequah with a contest against Washburn in Topeka, Kan. on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 4:00 p.m. 

The RiverHawks will look to bounce back after taking an 80-72 loss to Rogers State in Claremore, Okla. last Wednesday. 

The Setup
- Ja Havens is in his fourth season as 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.  
- After Tuesday, Northeastern State will return to MIAA action on Jan. 4, hosting Northwest Missouri inside the NSU Event Center.

Storylines
- Last Wednesday's loss to Rogers State marked the fourth straight for Northeastern State to open conference play, the first time since the 2018-19 season that the RiverHawks have dropped their first four MIAA games.
- Jaxon Jones fell two points shy of tying his career-high of 23 points with a 21-point performance against RSU last week. The junior shot 7-of-11 from the field and connected on three treys in the loss. Jones is tied with Trey Quartlebaum for second on the team in scoring across conference play with 12.8 points per game against MIAA opponents.
- Anthony Allen has continued to be a forceful presence on both ends of the floor during conference play, as the sophomore reached double-figures for the third straight game and the seventh time this season with 12 points against Rogers State. Allen also swatted away two Hillcat attempts, marking the sixth game this season that he's logged multiple blocks. 
- Playing in his hometown of Claremore last Wednesday, Caison Hartloff saw 33 minutes off the bench and scored 11 points on four-of-six shooting. Hartloff has been the team's top scorer from the second unit this season and ranks third overall with 10.6 PPG. 
- Seth Pratt made his fourth consecutive start with an appearance in the initial five against RSU. The true freshman provided a solid showing on the offensive end, converting on three triples to reach double-figures for the first time as a RiverHawk, tallying 11 on the night. 
- Claiming 30 rebounds against RSU's 28, it marked the third straight game that NSU has won the battle on the glass. Ethan Blackmon led the team with eight boards on Wednesday. 
- Despite taking defeats in their two most recent contests, NSU has had more efficient shooting nights than both of their most recent opponents in Rogers State and Emporia State. Most recently, the RiverHawks shot 49.0% (25-of-51) from the floor against RSU's 46.7% (28-of-60). 
- After last week's action, NSU ranks inside the top 50 nationally in fouls per game (17th, 13.9), assists per game (26th, 17.0) and assist/turnover ratio (29th, 1.39). 

Northeastern State at Washburn // December 19 at 4:00 p.m. // Live Coverage

About Washburn (6-4, 2-2 MIAA)
- Washburn heads into Tuesday fresh off an 83-77 win last Saturday in St. Joseph, Mo. against Missouri Western. The win is their second in league ball after they defeated Rogers State (93-71) in Topeka on Dec. 9, while the team has taken narrow road losses against Emporia State (71-69) and Northwest Missouri (68-65).
- Brett Ballard is in his seventh season leading the program. Under his leadership, the Ichabods have reached the MIAA Tournament Championship game in four of the last six seasons. Prior to coming to Topeka, Ballard spent time as an assistant at the NCAA Division I level with stints at Wake Forest (2014-17) and Tulsa (2012-14), in addition to two seasons as the head men's basketball coach at Baker (2010-12) from the NAIA ranks. 
- Sophomore Sam Ungashick has taken command of the WU offense in his first season in the program, leading the team in scoring (17.3 PPG) and connecting on over half his shots from beyond the arc (28-of-55, 50.9%) so far. Ungashick came to Topeka after taking Freshman of the Year and All-Conference Honorable Mention honors in the Heart of America Athletic Conference with Benedictine. 
- The Ichabods are one of the nation's best at sinking threes (3rd, 43.3%) and winning the rebounding battle (14th-best rebounding margin, 8.8). Notably, WU have out-rebounded nine consecutive opponents. 

Last Time They Met
Washburn 66, Northeastern State 56 | Jan. 28, 2023 | Topeka, Kan.

- The RiverHawks were plagued by a slow start on the offensive end, being held to just six made field goals in the first half. 
- Despite having 13 more free throw attempts than their opponents, the RiverHawks finished with just a +3 advantage due to a 55.6% (15-of-27) showing at the charity stripe. 
- Dillon Bailey led the way for NSU with 26 points in 38 minutes of work.

Series Notes
- Washburn leads the all-time series 11-10. 
- The RiverHawks have won three of the last four. 
- The series dates back to 2003, when the teams first met in the 2003 NCAA Division II tournament in the Round of 32. After NSU scored a 64-59 result over WU on the road to their first national championship, the teams would not meet again until the RiverHawks joined the MIAA. 

Coming Up
Northeastern State finishes the 2023 portion of the season with their non-conference finale against Ecclesia (NCCAA) on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 3:30 p.m. in Tahlequah.