TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- Northeastern State faded in the fourth quarter as Arkansas-Fort Smith grabbed an 81-75 victory Thursday night at the NSU Event Center in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play.

The RiverHawks (7-9, 3-4 MIAA) found themselves in a back-and-forth battle, with nine ties and 13 lead changes punctuating the contest. However, turnovers and missed opportunities in the final minutes proved costly, as the Lions (11-5, 5-2 MIAA) capitalized on 23 Northeastern State miscues to score 21 points off turnovers.

NSU's Alex Hill paced the RiverHawks with a career-high 26 points.  The senior between her time at NSU and three seasons at Arkansas Tech is 15 away from a 1,000-point milestone.  Deyanna Douglas added a career-best 19 points and nine rebounds, while Emily Weathers chipped in six points off the bench. The RiverHawks controlled the glass with a 41-39 rebounding advantage but struggled to maintain possession, with Arkansas-Fort Smith's defense forcing key turnovers down the stretch.

The Lions' balanced attack was led by Anna Trusty, who scored a game-high 27 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including five three-pointers. Morgan Browning contributed 16 points and five assists, while Sinetra Jones added 12 points and six rebounds. Arkansas-Fort Smith's depth made the difference, with 32 bench points compared to NSU's 18.

Northeastern State had control of the game late in the third quarter holding onto a nine-point lead.  However, the Lions used an 11-3 run in the final to pull back even early in the fourth.   UAFS did their damage at the free throw line in the closing ten minutes going 13-for-16 for the season sweep of the RiverHawks. 

Northeastern State will look to regroup as they have a week off before visiting Emporia State on Jan. 23.