EMPORIA, Kan. –
Trey Quartlebaum provided 19 points and five players made it into double figures as Northeastern State took an 89-77 defeat at #21 Emporia State Saturday night.
The RiverHawks (4-4, 0-3 MIAA) fought a back-and-forth affair with the Hornets (9-1, 3-0 MIAA) throughout most of the night inside the White Auditorium. After the hosts took a 42-37 advantage to the break, an early 9-3 scoring run over the second half's first 3:44 allowed the RiverHawks to hold a slim edge of their own (46-45) with just over 16 minutes to play.
The Hornets quickly retook control of the contest with a 27-12 run to counter. The difference between the teams never got back to single digits over the last 9:54, despite a 58.3% (14-of-24) shooting clip over the closing period from NSU.
Frequency of shots proved to be a key factor. NSU had a more efficient shooting night both from the floor (51.8% to 50.0%) and at the free throw line (78.6% to 77.3%), but ESU logged ten more attempts overall and eight more at the free throw line to ultimately secure more conversions in both areas of the offensive attack.
Quartlebaum's second straight 19-point outing led the charge for the RiverHawks. The graduate student shot 8-of-16 overall and tallied five assists and four rebounds in the loss. It marked the fourth time in the last five games that he has scored at least 12.
Caison Hartloff returned to the court for NSU after missing last week's action and knocked down four triples en route to a 16-point performance.
Ethan Blackmon entered double figures for a third straight game with 15, while
Keon Edwards and
Anthony Allen added ten, respectively.
Northeastern State heads to Claremore on Wednesday, Dec. 13 for a midweek battle with Rogers State at 7:30 p.m.
