TAHLEQUAH — Northeastern State emerged from an 18-0 run to claim a 93-84 victory over Central Oklahoma in a Thursday night at the NSU Event Center.

The RiverHawks (10-4, 4-1 MIAA) fell behind early to the Bronchos (8-6, 2-3 MIAA) on an immediate 8-2 run favoring the visitors. Following the early outburst, the hosts rebounded and gained the advantage off an Ethan Blackmon free throw with 13:12 left in the opening half. It marked the middle of an 18-0 run that spanned the middle portion the opening half, seeing the RiverHawks wipe a six-point deficit (15-9) into a 12-point advantage (27-15) with 11:04 remaining in the first.

NSU never looked back, shooting 55.4% (31-of-56) from the floor on the night and maintaining the lead throughout the second half behind a 23-point performance from Trey Phipps, the tenth time the Tulsa native reached or surpassed 20-point mark this season.

Ethan Blackmon added 21 points with nine rebounds in the win. Meanwhile, Bryson Smith (18) reached double figures and Keon Edwards (18) knocked down four treys and set a season-high in scoring. 

The RiverHawks match up against Rogers State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at the NSU Event Center.