TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Northeastern State capitalized on a stellar second-half performance to topple Newman 78-50 on Thursday night at the NSU Event Center.

Led by an explosive fourth quarter in which they scored 30 points, the RiverHawks (5-4, 1-1 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association) turned a close contest into a decisive win, securing their first conference victory of the season.   NSU also pushed its home winning streak to 10, its longest since 2012-13 when they went 11-0 inside Jack Dobbins Field House.

Senior forward Grace Abercrombie spearheaded the offensive surge, tallying 11 points and dominating the boards with eight rebounds. Freshman guard Snowda Watie chipped in nine points, including a critical three-pointer at the start of the fourth quarter that set the tone for NSU's runaway finish.

Newman (4-5, 0-1 MIAA) held their ground in the first half, leading by two at the break, 25-23. Guard Paige Craft paced the Jets with nine points, while center Valeriya Lioukina contributed six points and four rebounds. However, their offense faltered under NSU's relentless defense, managing only six points and shooting a dreadful 0-for-12 in the final period.

The game saw its fair share of physical play, with both teams combining for 43 fouls. Despite this, NSU thrived from the free-throw line, sinking 23 of their 34 attempts.
Key to NSU's dominance was their bench, which outscored Newman's reserves 45-14. Deyanna Douglas provided a spark with 12 points in just 14 minutes off the bench, going 8-for-9 from the charity stripe.

Newman struggled with efficiency, shooting just 26% from the field (14-for-53) and committing 15 turnovers. Meanwhile, NSU's transition game proved lethal, scoring 19 points off fast breaks. The RiverHawks also controlled the paint, outscoring the Jets 38-14 down low.

Northeastern State returns to the floor on Dec. 17 where they will face Missouri Southern for their final MIAA contest of 2024.