TAHLEQUAH – Northeastern State men's basketball finishes the calendar year on the road, facing Christian Brothers in Memphis, Tenn. on Sunday (3 p.m.) before drawing an MIAA date against Missouri Southern in Joplin, Mo. this Tuesday (7:30 p.m.).

Sunday's contest can be watched on FloCollege, while Tuesday's matchup can be viewed on The MIAA Network. Orry Phillips will be on the call on Lakes Country 102.1 from Joplin on Tuesday for the doubleheader against the Lions.

A quick look back 

The RiverHawks split their opening week of MIAA battles, taking a close decision over Arkansas-Fort Smith (84-81) on Dec. 3 in Fort Smith before dropping to Newman (85-66) on Dec. 5 from the NSU Event Center. Trey Phipps was the top scorer across both games, scoring a combined 40 points to begin conference play. The fifth-year product of Tulsa, Okla. secured his seventh scoring performance of 20 points or more against the Jets, leading NSU with 24 in the loss. Jaxon Jones also offered a season-best 19 points in the NU game and scored 30 across the week on a combined 12-of-18 shooting.

Rebounding served as a weakness for the group, as they only grabbed 42 rebounds and allowed 82 boards over the week for a combined -40. During the Havens era, Northeastern State holds an 18-47 record when being outrebounded.

About Christian Brothers (4-3)

The Bucs enter the week losers of two straight after dropping their first two Gulf South Conference (GSC) games of the season to Mississippi College (57-46) and Delta State (86-75) at home. They continue their GSC schedule with a Friday date against Union at their home floor before NSU marks their fourth and final opponent of the homestand on Sunday.

CBU ranks in the bottom half of the GSC in both scoring offense (73.7 PPG, ninth) and defense (73.3 PAPG, seventh), though they are tied for second in three-point percentage (36.0%) and are fourth in field goal percentage (46.6%). The Bucs are the top rebounding team in the conference (41.4 RPG), while Iman Kheirati (10.4 RPG) paces all individuals in the league. 

The Series

NSU's 78-75 victory over CBU on Nov. 23 at the NSU Event Center marked the first meeting in the all-time series. The season series serves as the first times Northeastern State men's basketball has done battle with an opponent from the Gulf South Conference (GSC) since 2010.

About Missouri Southern (5-5, 1-1 MIAA)

The Lions split their opening week of MIAA games, taking a loss at Rogers State (92-73) on Dec. 4 before emerging with a win at Central Oklahoma (82-74) on Dec. 8.

MSSU enters Tuesday's game with a 4-0 record at home, while they also serve as the third-best rebounding unit in the MIAA (37.4 RPG). The Lions have allowed the most points per game across the league so far (79.9), though their offense is in the top half of the conference in total scoring (80.3 PPG, sixth), field goal percentage (47.5%, fifth) and three-point percentage (37.6%, fifth).

The Series

NSU trails the all-time series, 29-20. Carrying a 6-14 record in Joplin, last season's 79-72 win over the Lions was the program's first regular season triumph against MSSU away from Tahlequah since 2020 and just their second since 2013.

Up Next

The RiverHawks tip off 2025 at home against Ozark Christian at the NSU Event Center on Jan. 2 at 5:30 p.m.