TAHLEQUAH – Northeastern State men's basketball finishes their 2023-24 season with road games at Lincoln on Feb. 29 and Central Missouri on Mar. 2. 

They enter the week after closing their home schedule with a win against Newman (98-88) and a loss to Central Oklahoma (74-68).

The Setup
- Ja Havens is in his fourth season as the head men's basketball coach at Northeastern State and his eleventh season overall as a head coach. 
- 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 conclude a 22-game MIAA schedule and a 28-game slate. 

Storylines
- Trey Quartlebaum concludes his Northeastern State career this week. Quartlebaum has been the team's top offensive threat in the backcourt with 11.4 points per game, while he is second on the team in steals (27), too.
- Shakeil Bertrand plays his final collegiate games this week. Bertrand wraps up a three-season stint in Tahlequah where he's seen career bests in points and minutes, while owning a 75.0% field goal percentage for the year. 
- NSU's 98 points against Newman marked a season high and is their most against an MIAA opponent since Dec. 2, 2015.
- Ethan Blackmon continued to be a bright spot in the pair of games from a week ago, reaching double figures against Newman with a season-high 20 points and doing the same against Central Oklahoma with a 13-point display. His scoring efforts were showcased with stellar play on the glass, with 13 rebounds across the games. 
- NSU dished out 26 assists against NU Thursday night, their most against an NCAA opponent this season. Leading the way for the RiverHawks was Jaxon Jones with nine, which he paired alongside his third 20+ point showing of the season with 22 scored against the Jets. 
- Anthony Allen is primed to finish with the team's scoring crown, averaging 13.1 PPG over the season, while he also is the team's leader in blocks (34) by a commanding amount. 
- The RiverHawks will aim to avoid being swept by both of this week's opponents, Lincoln and Central Missouri, for the regular season.
- In initial encounters with the Blue Tigers and the Mules, the RiverHawks were held to a combined 94 points. 

Northeastern State at Lincoln // February 29 at 7:30 p.m. // Live Coverage

About Lincoln (14-12, 9-11 MIAA)
- The Blue Tigers have lost six of their most recent eight.
- Jimmy Drew is in his second season as the head men's basketball coach at Lincoln University of Missouri. Drew led the team to a 17-win campaign in 2022-23 and a berth in the MIAA tournament, their first appearance in the conference's postseason since the 2019-20 season. Drew previously spent six seasons as an assistant coach and director of basketball operations at Central Florida (2016-22) following a year as the head coach of Victory Rock Prep (2014-15) and a season as an assistant at Kentucky Wesleyan (2013-14). 
- D.J. Richardson (15.1 PPG) is tied for seventh in the conference in scoring, though he was held to nine points in the team's first contest with NSU this season.
- Elijah Farr (12.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG) led the team in scoring against the RiverHawks last month with 17 points. 

Last Time They Met
Lincoln 63, Northeastern State 49 | Jan. 20, 2024 | Tahlequah, Okla.
- The Blue Tigers took the contest behind three players reaching double figures and two recording double-doubles. 
- Free throws made little impact in this one, with the teams combining for just eight conversions on 17 attempts over the afternoon. 
- Keon Edwards scored 16 points to highlight NSU's scoring efforts. 

Series Notes
- NSU leads the series 9-8 and is 7-7 in conference games. 
- The Blue Tigers have won four of the last five at Jason Gym in Jefferson City, Mo.
- With Lincoln set to depart the MIAA for the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) after the 2023-24 athletics season, this Thursday will be the last conference meeting between the teams. 

Northeastern State at Central Missouri // March 2 at 3 p.m. // Live Coverage

About Central Missouri (11-15, 6-14 MIAA)
- Since taking a win in Tahlequah over NSU over a month ago, the Mules have lost nine of 11 since then, with their lone wins since Jan. 18 occuring against the likes of then-#22 Missouri Western (68-60) and Nebraska-Kearney (67-58). 
- UCM first will play host to Rogers State on Thursday before NSU makes the trip this weekend to Warrensburg. 
- Adam Bohac is in his first season as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Central Missouri after spending 15 seasons in the same role at Southern Nazarene, where he won 312 games and led the program in their transition from the NAIA ranks to NCAA Division II level. Bohac's final campaign from his decade-and-a-half tenure in Bethany with SNU saw the Crimson Storm win 27 games, including 21 in Great American Conference play, and a deep postseason run that ended in the NCAA Division II Central Region Championship game. 
- Keith Kiner III (11.7 PPG) leads a trio of UCM players averaging double figures.

Last Time They Met
Central Missouri 55, Northeastern State 45 | Jan. 18, 2024 | Tahlequah, Okla.
- Neither team shot the ball particularly well, with the RiverHawks shooting just 35.4% (17-of-48) and the Mules having a moderately better 40.4% (21-of-52) mark.   
- The Mules claimed a +17 on the glass, while a +8 in second chance points nearly made the difference on the final outcome. 
- Anthony Allen led the way for the RiverHawks with 11 points. 

Series Notes
- UCM holds a one-game favorable difference in the series, 8-7.
- NSU has claimed the last three of the last four. 
- The RiverHawks have built separation before the final horn against the Mules across recent history, with their last five wins against UCM being decided by at least 11 points. The Mules notably claimed their first double digit win over the RiverHawks since 2017 with their 55-45 triumph in Tahlequah last month.