TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State women's basketball ends their 2023-24 home schedule by facing Newman and Central Oklahoma in rematches from earlier encounters from January.

The RiverHawks seek to return to the winning side after two losses last week on the road at Missouri Western (58-49) and Northwest Missouri (72-54).

For both games Thursday night against Newman (5:30/7:30 p.m.), all teachers, school support staff, and high school students will receive free admission to the games as part of Education Appreciation Night, partnered with Tommy Nix Auto Group and NSU Student Affairs Office.

All fans 18 and older in attendance on Thursday will also have a chance to win a new truck thanks to sponsor Tommy Nix Auto Group. Free raffle tickets will be handed out from admission gate open (4:30 PM) until the end of the 3^rd quarter of the women's game. Three (3) participants will be randomly selected to have a chance to toss a nerf ball 35 yards into the driver side window of a truck. The participants will only have one chance at the toss and there can only be a maximum of one (1) winner. The contest will take place at the conclusion of the women's game and before the men's game.

Stick around in between games as we introduce the incoming football staff. A Meet & Greet for the football coaches will take place in the Event Center beginning at 6 PM.

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.  
- This week's games place a bow on a 16-game home slate on the season.

Storylines
- Newman's arrival in Tahlequah on Thursday presents Northeastern State with their first chance at a multi-game regular season sweep of the Ferguson era against an MIAA foe. The RiverHawks won the initial game between the schools in Wichita, Kan. on Jan. 13 in a 68-62 finish.
- The RiverHawks have defended their turf better than any NSU women's basketball team has in roughly a decade, as the team's ten home wins marks their most since the 2012-13 season. They have a chance to surpass that group's 11 victories with two this week.
- NSU will look for a return to form on the offensive side after being forced to just 103 points on 31-of-113 (27.4%) shooting over the road trip the previous week.
- Courtney Lee was the offensive attack's central producer in last Saturday's battle with Northwest Missouri, scoring 18 points. Lee added five rebounds and three steals for a good day on both ends.
- Halie Jones scored 12 against NW last Saturday and finished with two steals, her 16th game in double figures and her 14th with multiple steals during '23-24.
- Jones and Tess Talo Tomokino will be names to keep an eye on this week, as Jones scored 21 on UCO in Jan. 10, while Tomokino scored 15 on Newman during a Jan. 13 matchup in Wichita. The duo combined for 11 steals against NU in a 68-62 win. 
- The team had a good week at the free throw line, shooting 32-of-39 (82.1%) during the brief two-game stint outside of Tahlequah.
- NSU enters the week in a tie for eighth in the MIAA standings at 8-10 with Emporia State. Any chance to find a better seed in the conference postseason is virtually nonexistent, as the RiverHawks are 3.5 games behind seventh-place Nebraska-Kearney at 12-7.

Northeastern State vs. Newman // Feb. 22 at 5:30 p.m. // Live Coverage

About Newman (2-22, 1-17 MIAA)
- Newman's 11-game losing skid is the longest-active streak in the conference. The Jets have not won a matchup since Jan. 3 against ESU.
- Amy Briggs is in her first season as the head women's basketball coach at NU. Most recently, she spent three seasons as an assistant on the Truman State staff, where she was the team's associate head coach for the 2022-23 season. 
- The Jets hold the lowest-scoring offensive attack in the league (56.3 PPG), with no players averaging beyond 8.4 PPG.
- Delaney Wylie will be a name to watch off the bench, as the freshman has reached double figures in two consecutive appearances and scored 13 against the RiverHawks in January. She leads the team in blocks (50), with four when battling NSU. 

Last Time They Met
Northeastern State 68, Newman 62 | Jan. 13, 2024 | Wichita, Kan.
- The RiverHawks controlled three of four quarters, with the Jets ending on an 11-1 scoring run to take a 16-point game with 2:27 left on the ticker to six by the closing buzzer.
- Tess Talo Tomokino finished with 15 points and five steals, while Courtney Lee scored 14 with four rebounds.
- Halie Jones added six steals in her return performance in her native Wichita.

Series Notes
- Northeastern State holds a 7-3 lead in the all-time series.
- Newman won the most recent game in Tahlequah, 74-66. 
- The last five have been decided by ten points or less. 

Northeastern State vs. Central Oklahoma // Feb. 24 at 1:30 p.m. // Live Coverage

About Central Oklahoma (6-18, 5-13 MIAA)
- At one game behind 6-12 Washburn for the final position in the postseason picture, the Bronchos (5-13 MIAA) are still very much alive in the tournament hunt and will face another bubble team in Rogers State (4-14 MIAA) on Thursday before battling Northeastern State.
- Emma Andrews is in her second season leading women's basketball at UCO. She came to Edmond in May 2022 after six seasons as the head coach at Cameron, featuring five Lone Star Conference tournament appearances and a berth in the 2020-21 NCAA Division II national tournament with the Aggies.
- A victory over Washburn (82-68) on Saturday put an end to a four-game winless drought.
- Reagan Fox (9.1 PPG) leads the UCO offensive unit and has been largely efficient at both the free throw line (90.0%) and beyond the three-point line (37.6%). 

Last Time They Met
Northeastern State 67, Central Oklahoma 59 | Jan. 10, 2024 | Edmond, Okla. 
- Halie Jones was a dominant force with 21 points and six rebounds.
- NSU drove to a double-digit lead in the second quarter, and while UCO brought the game down to three in the fourth quarter, the RiverHawks never surrendered their advantageous differential after taking charge with 1:23 left in the first.
- Outside of Jones, Courtney Lee (11 points) and Emily Weathers (ten points) reached double figures in the matchup.

Series Notes
- NSU holds a one-game lead in the series, 33-32.
- The RiverHawks are winners of two of the last three, including a 60-59 triumph in Tahlequah on Jan. 5, 2023.
- The series began in 1982, with a few meetings during the decade happening before an 11-year break. The two have battled on an annual basis since 1998.

Coming Up
Northeastern State ends the regular season with Lincoln (Feb. 29) and Central Missouri (Mar. 2) in road meetings.