JOPLIN, Mo. -- Northeastern State came up short in a tightly contested Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) matchup, losing 75-71 to Missouri Southern at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center on Tuesday night.

The RiverHawks (5-5, 1-2 MIAA) rallied in the second flipping a 13-point deficit into a slim one-point lead with 2:22 left in the contest.  However, Vinta native Kennady Roach spurred NSU with seven points in the final minutes and landed a go-ahead trey to move the Lions to 9-5 (2-1 MIAA).

Courtney Lee led Northeastern State with 19 points and nine rebounds, shooting 7-of-12 from the field.  Annaston Brown contributed a career-best 13 points, hitting three three-pointers, while Alex Hill also recorded 13 points, going 5-of-7 from the free-throw line before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.

Missouri Southern gained control in the second quarter, taking advantage of a near three-minute scoreless scoring drought by NSU, and took a 35-27 lead into halftime. 

The RiverHawks outscored the Lions in the second half but turnovers plagued them across the night and they committed 22 throughout the game. Missouri Southern capitalized on those mistakes, scoring 25 points off turnovers compared to just four by Northeastern State.

NSU finished with 38 total rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass. From the field, they had shot 48.1 percent (25-52), slightly better than Southern who went 45.8 percent (27-59) on their side of the floor.  

Missouri Southern was led by Roach, who posted a game-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including three three-pointers. Ryan Franklin added 15 points and six rebounds, while Kaitlin Hunnicutt scored nine points.

Northeastern State will look to bounce back on Saturday when they will play in Springfield for a non-conference contest at Drury.