TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State travels for two road meetings to finish the month at Missouri Southern (Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.) and Pittsburg State (Saturday, 1:30 p.m.). 

The RiverHawks claimed a win last week to complete their January home schedule with a victory over Lincoln (67-54) in Tahlequah at the NSU Event Center. 

The Setup
- Keith Ferguson is in his first season as head women's basketball coach at Northeastern State after spending the previous seven at Bethany College (Kan.). 
- The RiverHawks are in their 12th season as members of the MIAA and 27th season as an NCAA Division II program.  
- The slate of games this week rounds out the month and marks the final times the RiverHawks will play away from Tahlequah until Feb. 15.

Storylines
- The RiverHawks have an opportunity to claim their tenth victory this week. Should they be successful, it will be the first season Northeastern State has reached double digit wins since the 2017-18 season.
- After losing four of their first five MIAA contests, the RiverHawks have won four of six since the start of 2024.
- Courtney Lee led the way for NSU in scoring and rebounding over last week's action, with 34 points along with 15 rebounds across two games. 
- Halie Jones was a force on both ends of the floor last week, scoring double figures against Lincoln with 15 points while combining for five steals over last week's games. 
- Emily Weathers made her first pair of starts as an NSU player last week and finished second on the team in minutes last Saturday (33) against the Blue Tigers and scored eight points with seven boards in the win. 
- The NSU defense continued to give the opposition trouble last week in preserving possession, as they forced 19 turnovers against Central Missouri, the most for the Jennies in a single game in 2024, while accounting for 11 steals against Lincoln. 
- The three-pointer has not been a friendly selection for NSU's shooters of late, as they have shot 9-of-39 (23.1%) over the last three games from long range.
- NSU finished the two-game homestand strong against Lincoln on the defensive end, holding the Blue TIgers to 9-of-40 (22.5%) from the floor across the last three quarters.

Northeastern State at #23 Missouri Southern // January 24 at 5:30 p.m. // Live Coverage

About #23 Missouri Southern (13-4, 9-2 MIAA)
- The Lions have won ten straight, the longest active winning streak in the conference.
- Ronnie Ressel is in his eighth season leading women's basketball at MSSU. His experience on the staff at his alma mater has exceeded two decades. Ressel has led the team to two consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, with the Lions making a trip to the NCAA Regional Championship game in the 2022-23 season. 
- Kryslyn Jones (12.2 PPG) leads four MSSU players who averaged at least ten points per game on the campaign. Jones scored 22 in a 76-43 win against Emporia State last Saturday. 
- Ryan Franklin is second on the team in scoring (11.5 PPG), holds the team rebounding lead (5.9 RPG) and paces all MSSU players in blocks (21) on the season.

Last Time They Met
Missouri Southern 63, Northeastern State 51 | Jan. 21, 2023 | Tahlequah, Okla.

- Northeastern State fell to a late-game collapse, with Missouri Southern taking a 21-6 final period to claim the triumph on the road.
- MSSU held a key advantage in turnovers, forcing 21 against NSU while only losing possession seven times themselves.
- Jaylee Kindred scored 25 in the loss.

Series Notes
- MSSU leads the series 19-12.
- The Lions have won six consecutive matchups.
- The RiverHawks are in search of their first victory against MSSU on the road since Jan. 26, 2013.

Northeastern State at Pittsburg State // January 27 at 1:30 p.m. // Live Coverage

About Pittsburg State (12-5, 6-5 MIAA)
- The Gorillas will match up with Rogers State on Wednesday before rounding out the month with NSU at home this weekend.
- Amanda Davied is in her sixth season as the head women's basketball coach after spending 14 seasons on the staff and playing at Pitt State. Davied holds the program record in assists (553) and career free throw percentage (.844, 313-of-371) and ranks in the top ten in scoring. She led PSU to the NCAA tournament in her first season (2018-19) and made a return to the tournament in 2022-23. 
- Grace Pyle (16.5 PPG) and Korenna Gerber (16.4 PPG) lead the way for the PSU offense. Pyle was quieter last week, with seven points in 72 minutes over two games, while Gerber has scored under her season average in three of her last four.
- Pittsburg State enters this week's slate with three consecutive defeats.

Last Time They Met
Pittsburg State 82, Northeastern State 70 | Jan. 18, 2023 | Tahlequah, Okla.

- Strong starts to both halves helped the visitors to the win, as they took a +12 first quarter and a +10 third period.
- Despite the loss, NSU shot just above 47% (26-of-55) and 10-of-15 (66.7%) from outside the circle. 
- Four NSU players made it to double figures in the loss, led by Ashton Hackler with 18 points.

Series Notes
- Pittsburg State leads the series, 23-10.
- The Gorillas have won 15 of 16 MIAA matchups. 
- The last two games in Pittsburg have been narrow two-point wins for the hosts. 

Coming Up
The RiverHawks go to the NSU Event Center for their longest homestand in MIAA play with three contests on deck against Emporia State (Feb. 1), Washburn (Feb. 3) and Rogers State (Feb. 10).