TAHLEQUAH - Northeastern State closes the calendar year with a home matchup against Missouri Southern, resuming conference play in the process. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Sunday. The contest will be themed toward the holidays with giveaways for children and photo opportunities with Rowdy.

Northeastern State sits at 7-4 entering the weekend, while they seek their first MIAA wins after dropping to Arkansas-Fort Smith (86-75) and Newman (81-71) earlier in December. Xavier Glenn ranks seventh in the MIAA in points per game (17.8) and has 45 points across his last two games. Ethan Blackmon is second in the league in rebounds per game (8.5). AJ Reed Jr. is tied for seventh in assists per game (4.2)  and has nine across his last two, in addition to multiple steals in two of his last three.

A Quick Look Back
Northeastern State has won two straight, taking down a pair of non-conference foes in Truman State (90-81) on Sunday and Missouri Valley (105-73) on Wednesday. The win over the Vikings in midweek competition marked the third time this season that NSU reached the century mark in scoring, the first time the team has reached that total on three occasions since the 2000-01 season.

In the pair of wins, the RiverHawks were efficient when shooting from beyond the arc. NSU drilled makes on 19-of-36 (52.8%) from outside, while they also have had strong showings at the charity stripe (combined 42-of-52, 80.7%). 

About Missouri Southern
The Lions are 7-3 and will face Southwest Baptist on Friday in their non-conference finale before traveling to Tahlequah for Sunday's meeting. MSSU split the two-game slate from the MIAA's opening week earlier in December with a win against Rogers State (84-77) and a loss to Central Oklahoma (87-79), both in Joplin, Mo.

As a team, Missouri Southern owns the top scoring offense in the MIAA (92.6 PPG) so far. The Lions are fourth in field goal percentage (48.5%) and are the league's most efficient team at the free throw line (81.3%). The defense ranks 13th in scoring (78.4) and surrenders makes at a 34.6% rate (10th in MIAA), though they rank in the top half of the association in steals per game (8.1).

Jaden Taylor is the MIAA's scoring leader (23.4 PPG) through ten games and has scored at least 15 points and made at least six field goals in every appearance this season. The senior had a 20-point performance across 38 minutes in the most recent meeting against NSU in Tahlequah on Feb. 1, 2025. Tyrone Wright Jr. is sixth in rebounds per game (6.9) and third in offensive rebounds per game (2.8), while he holds a team-best 62% shooting clip and has 59 points across his last three.

Series History: Northeastern State trails the series 29-22, but have won the last three by a combined ten points. Last February's contest saw NSU come back from a ten-point deficit (88-78) with 2:02 remaining to obtain a 94-93 win. The comeback bid was capped off by a steal from Trey Phipps with seven seconds remaining and a pair of made free throws by Ethan Blackmon with two seconds left.

Up Next
The RiverHawks return in January, wrapping up the homestand with a date against Pittsburg State on Jan. 3 at 3:30 p.m.