TAHLEQUAH – Northeastern State returns home for two games and will play Christian Brothers for the first time on Saturday at 2 p.m. and then they will make its yearly return to Jack Dobbins Field House to host Ecclesia on Monday at 7 p.m. Both games will be aired on The MIAA Network (PPV) and carried live on the radio on Lakes Country 102.1 with Orry Phillips on the call.
A quick look back
Despite
Ethan Blackmon's stellar performance and his second double-double of the season, Northeastern State (2-3) fell to Truman State 90-87 on a dramatic buzzer-beating three-pointer on Wednesday evening.
Blackmon contributed 19 points and 10 rebounds for NSU (2-3), while
Taven Washington delivered an exceptional 24 points off the bench, shooting an efficient 10-for-13 from the field.
Trey Phipps remained consistent, extending his streak of 20-point games to five with 20 points and four steals.
About Christian Brothers (2-0)
Heading into Saturday's matchup, Christian Brothers had been off for two weeks. They previously edged out Tuskegee 68-66 and beat Lane College 71-57. In the Gulf South Conference preseason poll, the Bucs were picked to finish in fourth place after winning 15 conference games last season and setting a record dating back to CBU joining the GSC in 1996-97. Jailen Anderson leads the Bucs with 18.5 points per game.
The series
Saturday is the first of two games against CBU this season with Northeastern State visiting the Bucs on Dec. 15.
About Ecclesia (0-8)
Ecclesia will be at Champion Christian College and Arkansas-Monticello before Monday's matchup. Heading into the weekend, the Royals have allowed over 100 points in its previous four games. In one meeting against an NCAA Division II program, they allowed 120 points to Southern Arkansas.
The series
The RiverHawks have won all seven meetings in the series with a win margin of at least 30 points in the last five games.
Up next
Northeastern State opens MIAA play following the Thanksgiving break and will travel to Arkansas-Fort Smith on Dec. 3.
