TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State never trailed rolling past Arkansas–Fort Smith 71-49 at the NSU Event Center to open Mid-America Intercollegiate play with a statement win.

The RiverHawks (7-1, 1-0 MIAA) set the tone from the opening tip, jumping out to a 22-12 first-quarter lead and stretching the margin to 45-23 by halftime. NSU hit 11 3-pointers and out-rebounded the Lions 41-39 while forcing 17 turnovers.

Junior forward McKenzie Smith delivered a season-high 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting and added six rebounds, pacing an offense that had answers for nearly every UAFS run. Smith scored nine in the first quarter alone as NSU quickly built a double-digit cushion.

Tuesday also marked the first career start for Gracy Shieldnight, who made the most of the spotlight. She chipped in 10 points, including a pair of threes, while adding two rebounds and an assist across 20 impactful minutes.

Makala Bingley added 12 points with four 3-pointers, and Reese Shirey stuffed the stat sheet with eight points and five assists. NSU's bench contributed 22 points, highlighted by steady stretches from Annaston Brown and Jazmin Adams.

Arkansas-Fort Smith (1-7, 0-1 MIAA) struggled to find consistent offense, shooting 27.8% from the floor and 6 of 22 from deep. Jah'Mareah Linville led the Lions with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Keytonna Ross Wilson scored eight.

NSU's defense tightened late, allowing just nine points in the fourth quarter to close out its third straight home win. The RiverHawks finished with 17 assists on 25 made field goals and outscored UAFS 22–12 in the paint.

Northeastern State continues its road through MIAA competition on Thursday at Newman, with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m. in Wichita.