TAHLEQUAH -- Down 11 points with exactly three minutes left, Northeastern State rallied to a 94-93 win over Missouri Southern at the NSU Event Center on Saturday evening.

Trey Phipps paced the RiverHawks (13-7, 7-4 MIAA) with 23 points, while he was joined by three individuals on the roster that provided 15 points or more. This consisted of Bryson Smith (19), Taven Washington (19) and Ethan Blackmon (15). Blackmon led in rebounding with eight, while Smith added a team-high seven assists. Phipps and Jaxon Jones were tricky presences on the defensive side of the perimeter, each contributing three steals to the win.

NSU fell behind early to the Lions (9-11, 4-7 MIAA), who went to intermission with a 43-40 advantage behind 19-of-37 (51.4%) shooting from the floor and a 30-8 result on points in the paint. MSSU further caught fire from beyond the arc in the closing half, ripping 10-of-12 (83.3%) attempts from beyond the arc through the net and finished the night with three different players scoring at least 20 points. 

The Lions led with an 86-75 score with three minutes to play, but the RiverHawks powered back with six made field goals and the visitors fell victim to four turnovers in that span of time to further open the door for the hosts. With 27 seconds left, Washington drove to the paint on a converted layup to bring the matchup to a one-point difference (91-90). After the Lions responded with two made tries at the line of their own, Bryson Smith answered with as many conversions at the charity stripe to bring the game back to a single point (93-92) with nine seconds to play. 

The RiverHawks recovered the basketball in quick fashion off of the following inbounds play, with a steal from Phipps being followed by a pass to a pursuing Ethan Blackmon, who was fouled with three seconds left. Blackmon scored the equalizer and the go-ahead bucket on his trip and the Lions could not return down the floor in time for keep their hopes alive.

In the win, NSU knocked down 13 triples with 22 assists, their most against an NCAA opponent for the season. The 94-point effort narrowly surpasses a 93-point showing against Central Oklahoma on Jan. 9 for the most scored against an NCAA foe, as well.

Northeastern State clinches their seventh home and MIAA win in the process, while completing their first multi-game regular season sweep of Missouri Southern since the 2012-13 season. With Rogers State's 85-78 defeat at the hands of Newman, NSU's victory places them tied with Pittsburg State for second in the league standings at the end of the week.

A two-game road trek is next, facing Fort Hays State (Thursday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m.) and Nebraska Kearney (Saturday, Feb. 8 at 3:30 p.m.).