TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State goes on the road for the first time during conference play and the second time overall when they face #21 Emporia State at the White Auditorium on Saturday.

The RiverHawks are in search of their first victory in league action this season after taking losses at home in the previous week to Fort Hays State (65-43) and Nebraska-Kearney (85-82). 

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.  
- Saturday is the MIAA road opener for NSU, in addition to the start of a three-game road trip that spans the middle portion of December. 

Storylines
- A win for NSU would be their first in an MIAA road opener since 2020. 
- Despite the loss, Northeastern State had one of their strongest offensive performances against a NCAA Division II opponent so far this season last Saturday against UNK. The team shot 28-of-60 (46.7%) from the floor and a season-best 50% from three-point range (11-of-22). The team also had four players enter double figures during the contest.
- Jaxon Jones was a factor in both games last week to start conference play, leading the team in assists in the Thursday opener against Fort Hays State with four and providing a career-high 23 points in the close loss to Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday. Jones connected on five treys over the afternoon matchup, the most for an NSU player in a single game this season. 
- Trey Quartlebaum saw action in 77 of the team's 80 minutes of work on the court last week and has played at least 35 minutes in six of NSU's first seven. The graduate student's efforts last week were highlighted by a 19-point performance on Saturday against the Lopers. 
- Ethan Blackmon continues to be a force off the bench, as the true freshman enters this week coming off of consecutive double figure scoring performances to open conference play. Blackmon led all NSU players with 14 against FHSU while contributing 11 against UNK. In seven games as a member of the team's second unit, the true freshman is third across the roster in scoring (10.4 PPG) and second in rebounding (6.1 RPG). 
- Seth Pratt became the first true freshman to start for the RiverHawks since the 2020-21 season with a pair of appearances in NSU's starting five last week. Pratt has consistently seen his playing time increase since the start of the season and has been a regular presence on the glass, grabbing at least three rebounds in four of his last five games.
- After last week's action, NSU entered the nation's top ten in fouls per game (t-7th, 13.0). They also sit in the top 25 nationally in assist/turnover ratio (17th, 1.56) and assists per game (t-22nd, 18.0). 
- After just one away game in November, the RiverHawks spend the next three away from Tahlequah, featuring road encounters with Emporia State (Dec. 9), Rogers State (Dec. 13) and Washburn (Dec. 19). 

Northeastern State at #21 Emporia State // December 9 at 8:00 p.m. // Live Coverage

About Emporia State (8-1, 2-0 MIAA)
- The Hornets won their seventh and eighth straight games when they took down Washburn (71-69) in the Turnpike Tussle to open conference play last week, followed by an 85-74 win over Rogers State Wednesday night. 
- Craig Doty is in his sixth season leading the program. A three-time Coach of the Year and three-time National Champion, Doty led the team to their first back-to-back 20+ win seasons at the Division II level in 2021-22 and 2022-23. 
- The Emporia State offensive attack has seen many strong performances this season, as the unit averages over 81 PPG and has four players averaging at least 15.5 PPG. 
- Alijah Comithier will be a name to watch. The senior leads the team in scoring (17.7 PPG) and has scored at least 16 in seven out of nine games this season. He sits in second on the team in rebounding (6.0 RPG), while 21 of his 54 boards so far have come on the offensive glass. 

Last Time They Met
Emporia State 69, Northeastern State 60 | Jan. 25, 2023 | Emporia, Kan.

- After a back-and-forth first 30 minutes of play, the Hornets outscored the RiverHawks 20-9 over the last 9:15 to take the nine-point win.
- Rashad Perkins shot 5-of-11 to lead the team in scoring with 15. 
- Dillon Bailey played the entire game and provided 13 points in the loss. 

Series Notes
- ESU controls the all-time series with a 19-11 advantage over NSU.
- The Hornets have won six straight to hold the longest winning streak for either team across the series. 
- The last two matchups have been decided by a combined ten points. 

Coming Up
Northeastern State continues their road trip Wednesday, Dec. 13 for a mid-week clash with Rogers State at 7:30 p.m.