TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State starts the New Year with a pair of home dates against MIAA foes from the Show-Me state in Northwest Missouri (Thursday, Jan. 4, 5:30 p.m.) and Missouri Western (Saturday, Jan. 6, 1:30 p.m.).

Both matchups will be contested in the NSU Event Center and provide chances for the RiverHawks to regain momentum in the league after dropping three straight conference games to finish out 2023. 

The Setup
- Keith Ferguson is in his first season leading the program after spending the previous seven at the NAIA level with Bethany College (Kan.).
- The RiverHawks are in their 12th season as members of the MIAA and 27th season as an NCAA Division II program.  
- This week concludes a three-game homestand for the team. They previously took a 102-26 home victory at Jack Dobbins Field House on Dec. 30 over Ecclesia (Ark.). 

Storylines
- For the first time in over a month, Northeastern State returns to the NSU Event Center with Thursday's game against Northwest Missouri. The last time the team played in official action at the Event Center was on Dec. 2, 2023, when the RiverHawks knocked off the defending conference champions in a 74-71 decision over Nebraska-Kearney.
- The RiverHawks are one win away from matching their overall 2022-23 total, while they are also one home win away from surpassing five home wins for the first time since the 2017-18 season. 
- NSU will aim to get back in the win column this week against Northwest Missouri and Missouri Western, a pair of teams who have won their last three each, respectively, against the RiverHawks. 
- The 102-26 victory over Ecclesia marked the first time since Dec. 30, 2018 that the team reached the century mark. Partycja Pawlata scored their 100th point with 1:31 to go, while 17 converted three-point attempts helped guide NSU to tripe-digits. 
- Halie Jones scored roughly a point per minute with 23 in 24 minutes of action last Saturday in JDF. The fifth year senior enters 2024 as the team's leading scorer (14.5 points per game) and is the nation's 12th-best three-point shooter so far with a 48.2% clip from beyond the arc. 
- Last week's win over Ecclesia was highlighted by big days from multiple members of NSU's second unit. Grace Abercrombie came off the bench and paced all NSU players with 24 points, just one shy of her single-game career-high, while Madina Camara made good use of her 27 minutes to score a career-best 15 points alongside seven rebounds. 
- Aubrey Brown entered the starting lineup for the second time this season and for the first time since Nov. 15, 2023 when she was in the initial five for the RiverHawks last Saturday. Brown made a large impact amid the increased minutes, notching her first double-double (15 points, 11 assists) while partaking in a three-way tie for the team lead in steals with four.
- Minimizing mistakes with the basketball will be key this week, as the Griffons (5.33) and Bearcats (4.25) enter this week's action posing the first and third-best turnover margins in the conference. 

Northeastern State vs. Northwest Missouri // January 4 at 5:30 p.m. // Live Coverage

About Northwest Missouri (10-2, 4-2 MIAA)
-The Bearcats have won two straight, claiming their most recent conference game over Emporia State (55-48 OT) and a non-conference meeting against Augustana (67-63). 
- Austin Meyer is in his sixth season as head women's basketball coach at Northwest Missouri. Meyer played for the Bearcats from 2002-06 and served on the men's staff from 2008-18, including as the associate head coach from 2015-18. 
- Northwest Missouri owns the conference's 8th-highest scoring offense, led by Molly Harnett (13.3 PPG) and Caely Kesten (10.6 PPG). 
- Jayna Green will be a name to watch on the defensive end, as she ranks third in the MIAA in blocks per game (1.7). 

Last Time They Met
Northwest Missouri 68, Northeastern State 46 | Feb. 11, 2023 | Tahlequah, Okla.

- After taking a 7-3 advantage over the game's first 3:52, the RiverHawks surrendered the lead during a 9-0 Bearcat run, and the visitors never looked back to take a 22-point win. 
- NSU had great difficulty finding a rhythm on the offensive end, being held to 31.1% shooting (14-of-45) and 1-of-7 from three-point range.
- Ashton Hackler was the lone NSU player to hit double figures with 17 points. 

Series Notes
- Northeastern State owns the series lead over Northwest Missouri, 10-7.
- After winning nine of the first eleven matchups in the all-time series from 2005-2017, the RiverHawks have lost five of the last six to the Bearcats, with their only win in the span coming in Tahlequah on Nov. 19, 2020. 
- This is the first of two meetings for the campaign, with the rematch commencing in Maryville, Mo. on Feb. 17. 

Northeastern State vs. Missouri Western // January 6 at 1:30 p.m. // Live Coverage

About Missouri Western (9-3, 4-2 MIAA) 
- The Griffons are flying high after a pair of strong performances on the offensive end to close out the 2023 side of the campaign, scoring 98 against Washburn on Dec. 16 followed by a 147-point outburst of offense against Kansas Christian on Dec. 30 to break the MIAA single-game scoring record. 
- Candi Whitaker is in her fifth season as the head women's basketball coach at Missouri Western State. The former Texas Tech head coach has led the team to two consecutive 24-win seasons and an Elite Eight appearance in the 2021-22 season, their deepest NCAA tournament run in the 21st century. 
- Missouri Western holds the conference's second-highest scoring offense (78.8 PPG). Connie Clarke has been the team's top scoring and rebounding threat with 11.9 PPG and 7.3 RPG. 
- The team goes to Claremore, Okla. to clash with Rogers State on Thursday before Saturday's meeting in Tahlequah against NSU. 

Last Time They Met
Missouri Western 68, Northeastern State 58 | Feb. 9, 2023 | Tahlequah, Okla.

- Missouri Western overcame a less efficient shooting day (40.0% to NSU's 44.2%) to take a ten-point result.
- After scoring the first basket, NSU surrendered the lead for the first and only time after MWSU responded with a three-point bucket to take charge 43 seconds into the game.   
- Jaylee Kindred led NSU in scoring with 14 points, while Ashton Hackler added 11 in the setback.

Series Notes
- Missouri Western possesses an 11-6 lead in the all-time series entering this week.
- The RiverHawks won five of the first six in the series, but the Griffons have won ten of the last eleven. 
- Slow starts have been a problem for NSU throughout their recent history with MWSU, as the RiverHawks have been held to under 15 points in the first quarter in six of their last seven against the Griffons (all six were losses). 

Coming Up
Northeastern State goes on the road next week, traveling to face Central Oklahoma on Jan. 10 at 5:30 p.m. and Newman on Jan. 13 at 1:30 p.m.