TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State women's basketball goes to Missouri for two games this week against #24 Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri.

The RiverHawks have won three straight after most recently taking a victory over Rogers State in a 61-47 effort at the NSU Event Center on Saturday.

The Setup
- Keith Ferguson in his first season leading the program after spending the previous seven at the NAIA level with 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 RiverHawks spend two of the regular season's last three weeks on the road, with all four of their concluding games away from Tahlequah commencing in Missouri. 

Storylines
-  Rematch season has been a success, as the RiverHawks avenged three December losses in two weeks with wins over Emporia State (81-61), Washburn (66-62) and Rogers State (61-47). 
- A win in either game would be their 13th, the most since a 19-win 2012-13 season. 
- Tor'e Alford continued to provide heightened offense in last Saturday's victory over RSU, with her second consecutive 17-point game, as well as her four straight in double figures to lead the RiverHawks. Notably, she was the only player in the game to shoot over 50.0% from the field, with a 6-of-8 (75.0%) clip. 
- Madina Camara was an impactful player on both sides last week against the Hillcats, finishing second on the team in scoring with nine points, while finishing the game with three steals. 
- Grace Abercrombie finished the Saturday matchup with 14 rebounds, the best single-game effort in that regard across the campaign for the RiverHawks. 
- Halie Jones will be a name to watch this week, as the fifth year senior reached double figures against the Bearcats on Jan. 4 and was a leading force behind NSU's 74-58 win over the Griffons on Jan. 6, with 21 points and 12 in the fourth. 
- The RiverHawks have not necessarily needed the three-point shot to win games in 2024. The team has made six or fewer from beyond the arc in seven of their last nine, though they've emerged the victors in six games during the time. 
- Saturday's win now positions NSU in sole possession of eighth place in the conference standings with an 8-8 conference record. Chances to move up the ladder are still possible, as the RiverHawks are two games back from Central Missouri at 10-6, who they'll meet in the regular season finale on Mar. 2 in Warrensburg, Mo.

Northeastern State at #24 Missouri Western // February 15 at 5:30 p.m. // Live Coverage

About #24 Missouri Western (19-4, 14-3 MIAA)
- The Griffons have taken every game since dropping Jan. 6's date with NSU. They possess the longest-active winning streak in the MIAA at nine games and are tied for the conference lead with three weeks left in the regular season. 
- Candi Whitaker is in her fifth season as the head women's basketball coach at Missouri Western State. The former Texas Tech head coach has led the team to two consecutive 24-win seasons and an Elite Eight appearance in the 2021-22 season, their deepest NCAA tournament run in the 21st century. 
- MWSU is tied for the highest-scoring offensive unit in the MIAA (77.0 PPG), while allowing the second-fewest points (57.9). 
- Connie Clarke (12.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG) highlights the group as a scoring-rebounding threat, while three other players average at least 9.0 PPG. 

Last Time They Met
Northeastern State 74, Missouri Western 58 | Jan. 6, 2024 | Tahlequah, Okla.
- In a close contest, where the lead never made it past eight points for the first three quarters, NSU took a 27-9 fourth quarter run to secure a triumph over MWSU.
- Halie Jones outscored the Griffons across the closing period with 12 points, while finishing the afternoon contest with her tally up to 21. 
- Tor'e Alford finished with 18 and Madina Camara had ten scored, while Courtney Lee grabbed 11 rebounds.

Series Notes
- Missouri Western leads the series at 11-7 entering Thursday.
- The Griffons have won ten of the most recent twelve.
- Northeastern State will claim their first multi-game regular season sweep of Missouri Western with a win Thursday. 

Northeastern State at Northwest Missouri // Feb. 17 at 1:30 p.m. // Live Coverage

About Northwest Missouri (18-6, 12-5 MIAA)
- The Bearcats host Rogers State Thursday before they have their weekend meeting with Northeastern State. 
- NWMSU has won three straight and six of their most recent seven. 
- Austin Meyer is in his sixth season as head women's basketball coach at Northwest Missouri. Meyer played for the Bearcats from 2002-06 and served on the men's staff from 2008-18, including as the associate head coach from 2015-18. 
- Molly Hartnett (13.2 PPG) and Caely Kesten (11.5 PPG) are the team's top scorers. They were held to 16 points combined against NSU in their initial 2024 encounter with the RiverHawks on Jan. 4. 

Last Time They Met
Northwest Missouri 71, Northeastern State 69 | Jan. 4, 2024 | Tahlequah, Okla. 
- The Bearcats took a close result after the RiverHawks failed to score on the game's last possession. 
- A stellar shooting clip in the third quarter (8-of-12, 66.7%) assisted the Bearcats in the win. 
- Four players reached double figures for the hosts.

Series Notes
- Northeastern State owns the series lead over Northwest Missouri, 10-8.
- The Bearcats have been the more dominant team of late, winning six of the most recent seven.
- The RiverHawks will aim to avoid a fourth straight loss in Maryville, Mo.

Coming Up
Northeastern State takes the floor two more times at home with Newman (Feb. 22, 5:30 p.m.) and Central Oklahoma (Feb. 24, 1:30 p.m.) making the journey to Tahlequah.