TAHLEQUAH – Northeastern State took the court at the NSU Event Center against an MIAA opponent for the final time on the 2023 side of the season, dropping an 85-82 decision to Nebraska-Kearney.
After an explosive first half, where the RiverHawks (4-3, 0-2 MIAA) landed 16-of-29 (55.2%) shots and 7-of-14 from three-point range, a cold stretch on the offensive end in the second half slowed NSU's momentum, while UNK (3-3, 1-1 MIAA) countered with a 54.5% clip overall on 18-of-33 shooting in the second half to give the visitors a +10 advantage over the last 20 minutes of basketball.
Four different NSU players reached double figures in the contest, led by
Jaxon Jones and his career-high 23-point performance. Guiding the junior to a big day was his five made three-point attempts, which counted for the majority of his converted baskets. Jones also led the team with six assists in the loss.
Trey Quartlebaum gave the RiverHawks 19 points in the high-scoring battle while also serving as a leading factor among NSU's efforts on the glass, tying with
Ethan Blackmon for a team-best nine rebounds.
Anthony Allen scored 13 points while Blackmon finished with 11.
Northeastern State starts a three-game road trip next week with a matchup against Emporia State on Dec. 9 at 8:00 p.m.
