WEATHERFORD, Okla. — Reese Shirey returned from a year lost to injury with a career night, scoring 21 points to lead Northeastern State past Oklahoma Baptist 83–77 on Friday at the Pioneer Event Center.

Shirey, who missed the entire 2024–25 season after going down in the opening 10 minutes of last year's opener, knocked down two 3-pointers and went a perfect 11-for-11 at the free-throw line in her long-awaited return. She added three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 28 minutes.

McKenzie Smith shined in her NSU debut with 18 points and nine rebounds, shooting 8-of-14 from the field. The RiverHawks also got 15 points from Annaston Brown and 10 from Snowda Watie.

Northeastern State (1–0) used a 23-point second quarter to build a 43–31 halftime lead. Oklahoma Baptist stormed back in the third, outscoring NSU 27–18 behind a barrage of 3-pointers and a steady dose of offense from Jaedyn Getman, trimming the RiverHawks' lead to 61–58 heading into the fourth.

NSU responded in the final period, pushing the lead back to double digits behind Shirey's aggressiveness at the line and Smith's inside scoring. The RiverHawks sealed the win by outscoring the Bison 22–19 in the fourth. Getman finished with 45 points for Oklahoma Baptist.

Northeastern State scored 40 points in the paint and got 26 points from its bench in the victory.

The RiverHawks continue their weekend slate Saturday, facing Southwestern Oklahoma State at 5 p.m.