TAHLEQUAH – Northeastern State opens its home slate Tuesday inside the NSU Event Center, hosting Ouachita Baptist at 5:30 p.m. Fans who bring a toy or stuffed animal will receive free admission to both of Tuesday's basketball games, as the programs partner with Toys for Tots.

A quick look back
The RiverHawks rolled out of Weatherford with two wins, edging Oklahoma Baptist 83–77 and cruising past Southwestern Oklahoma 63–44. Annaston Brown delivered big minutes off the bench in both outings, hitting double figures each time while shooting 50 percent from deep. The sophomore averaged 16.5 points across the two contests.

McKenzie Smith nearly posted a double-double in her NSU debut, finishing with 18 points and nine boards against Oklahoma Baptist.

Through two games, NSU controlled the glass with a +7 rebounding margin and shot 41.1 percent from the field.

About Ouachita Baptist
Tuesday marks the Tigers' official season opener, though they recently played a pair of exhibitions—falling 93–45 to Division I Grambling State before defeating Champion Christian 91–49.

Ouachita is under new leadership with head coach Nick Long, formerly an assistant for the Louisiana-Monroe women's program. The Tigers ended the 2024–25 season on a five-game slide, finishing 9–17 overall (5–17 GAC).

The series
Ouachita Baptist holds a 5–1 lead in the all-time series, though the teams haven't met since 2000, back when both programs spent a brief stint in the Lone Star Conference.

Up next
NSU heads to Topeka for two games this weekend, taking on MSU Denver for the first time Friday before facing Southwest Baptist on Saturday.