TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Northeastern State struggled to find a consistent rhythm on the offensive end as Central Missouri won a low-scoring battle, 55-45, in the NSU Event Center Thursday night.
The RiverHawks (6-10, 1-9 MIAA) fell victim to a 35.4% (17-of-48) shooting night, highlighted by a seven minute long scoring drought in the second half. A -17 margin on the glass also played a key role in the defeat, with the loss putting an end to a three-game winning streak against the Mules (9-6, 4-5 MIAA).
UCM pushed for a double digit lead in the first half with a 25-16 start, but NSU closed the starting period on a 7-0 run to bring the matchup to two points (25-23) going into break. Despite a couple of brief stints with the lead in the second half, the Mules held the advantage for over 35 minutes of game time and went +8 in the last 20 minutes thanks to a 12-of-24 (50.0%) shooting stretch in that span of time.
Anthony Allen scored 11 points and was the lone NSU player to enter double figures, making it the sixth straight game the sophomore has finished at or higher than ten points.
Seth Pratt knocked down two treys in as many attempts to end the game with nine.
NSU is in action for a Saturday game against Lincoln at 3:30 in the NSU Event Center.
