TAHLEQUAH – Northeastern State is on the road again this week for a pair of contests at Fort Hays State (Thursday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m.) and Nebraska Kearney (Saturday, Feb. 8 at 4 p.m.).

A live broadcast feed will be available for both games on The MIAA Network (PPV). The games can also be listened to live on Lakes Country 102.1 with Orry Phillips on the call. 

A quick look back 

The RiverHawks earned a pair of narrow victories over Pittsburg State (71-66) last Thursday and Missouri Southern (94-93) on Saturday at the NSU Event Center, needing over overcome double-digit deficits in both contests. Down by as much as 19 against the Gorillas, NSU powered forward behind 22 points each from Ethan Blackmon and Trey Phipps. The RiverHawks also benefited from a +19 differential on free throws made and clinched the regular season sweep over PSU in the closing minutes of action. The team would follow by completing their first multi-game regular season sweep of Missouri Southern since 2013 after coming back from an 11-point hole with three minutes to play. The RiverHawks finished on a 19-7 scoring run to claim the triumph after a 23-point showing from Trey Phipps.

Phipps earned his second (and the program's third) MIAA Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week honor of the season after pacing the team with 45 points scored last week. The senior has reached at least 20 points scored in six of his last eight, while he maintains the league lead in scoring across the season (21.7 PPG) and is third in made three-point field goals per game (3.1) and minutes (36.0 MPG). Ethan Blackmon is fourth in scoring (16.1 PPG) and field goal percentage (54.9%) entering the regular season's last four weeks, while holding the rebounding crown (7.7 RPG), as well. Bryson Smith is fifth in the conference in minutes per game (34.1) and is tied for tenth in field goal percentage (49.7%), tied for third in assists per game (4.5), tied for fourth in steals per game (1.9) and tied for sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1). Jaxon Jones is ninth in the MIAA in assists per game (3.9) and tied for third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3).

As a team, the RiverHawks are third in scoring offense (81.1 PPG), second in field goal percentage (49.3%) and first in three-point percentage (38.6%), where they also rank 18th nationally. NSU also owns the second-best free throw shooting clip (74.9%) and rank fourth in assists per game (15.9).  

About Fort Hays State (13-7, 6-5 MIAA)

The Tigers enter with three straight losses, most recently to Central Missouri (41-31) last Saturday. The defeat occurred amid an offensive struggle that saw FHSU land just ten made field goals, while the team has not surpassed 65 points scored in each of their last three games. Despite that, the Tigers are 10-1 at home this year and have won their last eleven at Gross Memorial Coliseum against unranked opponents.

FHSU ranks 12th in the MIAA in scoring offense (67.2 PPG) and is tenth in field goal shooting (45.1%), though they currently place fourth in three-point percentage (36.7%). They own the top scoring defense in the country, allowing just 59.4 PPG, while sitting in seventh at an opposing 39.2% field goal shooting clip. The Tigers only surrender conversions on 30.5% of three-point tries, second in the MIAA. FHSU collects the fourth-fewest rebounds per game in the conference (32.7) while opponents snag the fourth-most (31.4). The team owns a healthy third-place turnover margin (2.2) in the MIAA, while their assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3) places fifth.

Individually, Kaleb Hammeke leads in scoring (14.7 PPG) and has earned two MIAA Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week honors this season. In January, Hammeke broke the program's scoring record, while he has reached double figures in 19 of 20 games this season. Hammeke is also sixth in the league in assists per game (4.2). Shaun Riley paces all FHSU individuals in rebounding (6.7 RPG) and blocks (0.9 BPG), averages that rank fifth and ninth in the MIAA. 

The Series

NSU is 7-17 in the series against FHSU, losing the last seven. They seek their first win against the Tigers overall since Jan. 9, 2020 and their first in Hays since Feb. 28, 2014.

About Nebraska Kearney (7-12, 5-6 MIAA)

The Lopers enter with losses in four of their last five, most recently to #1 Washburn (97-64) last Saturday. They host Arkansas-Fort Smith on Thursday night before battling NSU.

In their first campaign under former SAU Tech head coach Marty Levinson, the team has already surpassed their win total from last season (five) and seeks to punch their first ticket to the MIAA Tournament since the 2019-20 season. Levinson guides a team that owns the ninth-ranked scoring offense in the MIAA (72.3 PPG), while they place 11th in scoring defense (75.3 PPG). The Lopers shoot at a 43.1% clip on field goals to rank 11th in the MIAA, while UNK sits in last in shooting efficiency from outside (32.0%). They defend the three-point shot to a 33.0% success rate, tied for fifth in the conference, while they collect steals at the third-highest rate (8.7 SPG), as well. Ranking eighth in rebounds per game (33.8) and last in rebounds allowed (37.3 RPG), Nebraska Kearney is 13th in per-game margin on the glass (-3.5).

Individually, Chase Thompson leads in scoring (15.3 PPG, t-7th in MIAA), shooting at 44.9% overall and at 40.2% from beyond the arc. Ja'Bryant Hill (14.9 PPG) and Allen Taylor (14.9 PPG) join Thompson in averaging double figures. The duo of Hill and Taylor combined for 77 of the team's 165 steals, with the former providing 33 and the latter adding 44. 

The Series

NSU is 8-15 in the series with UNK, though the RiverHawks have claimed wins in three of the last four and each of the last two in Kearney.

Up Next

The RiverHawks begin their final homestand of the season next week, hosting Central Missouri (Feb. 13 at 5:30 p.m.) and Washburn (Feb. 15 at 1:30 p.m.).