TAHLEQUAH -- Bryson Smith paced Northeastern State with 19 points as they pulled away in the second half for a 68-47 win at home over Ozark Christian.  The victory on Thursday evening is the third consecutive for the RiverHawks who shot a season-low 36.1 percent (22-61) from the field.

Smith was 8-for-12 and had four steals as Northeastern State closed out its non-conference play with an 8-4 overall mark.  Ethan Blackmon turned his second consecutive double-double performance with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. 

Northeastern State never trailed Ozark Christian but a rough shooting opening half where the RiverHawks shot 9-for-31 had them only up 29-27 at the half. 

After trading buckets for the opening two minutes of the second stanza the RiverHawks found some momentum with a 19-6 run on the Ambassadors.  Smith scored ten points during those eight minutes with NSU having four takeaways.  Northeastern State limited Ozark Christian to 20 points in the second half while outscoring them by 19. 

Keon Edwards had his sixth double-digit night with ten points, and Trey Phipps scored nine and had six rebounds.  Jaxon Jones had a season-high five steals and added eight points. 

Ozark Christian shot 33.9 percent from the field (21-62) and was limited to a trio of three-point makes.  Thursday's game was an exhibition contest for the Ambassadors.  

The RiverHawks return to MIAA play on Saturday, traveling to Pittsburg State at 3:30 p.m.