TAHLEQUAH – The Northeastern State men's basketball team travels this week as part of a three-game road trip. The road trip starts Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. against Central Oklahoma and continues at the Claremore Expo Center at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday when they face Rogers State. The RiverHawks are 8-5 overall and seek their first road wins of the campaign.

Through 13 games, the RiverHawks are third in the MIAA in scoring (88.2 points per game) and field goal percentage (49.5%), while they converted three-point tries at the fifth-highest clip (37.9%). The team has shot at least 50.7% from the field in three straight and reached at least 90 in scoring in four straight.

Xavier Glenn is fifth in the conference in scoring (19.2 PPG) and has scored at least 22 in four straight games and in seven across the campaign. Ethan Blackmon is the league's second-ranked rebounder (9.0 rebounds per game), while he encounters a pair of foes this week that he averaged a combined 18 points and 10.3 rebounds per game against across four games last season.

A Quick Look Back
Northeastern State needed extra basketball for a second straight game to reach the decision against an MIAA foe on Saturday. The RiverHawks were handed a 98-95 loss to Pittsburg State, marking just their second loss to the Gorillas in their last seven meetings. Xavier Glenn and Ethan Blackmon each scored 24 points in the loss, while Blackmon landed a double-double with 12 rebounds.

All five starters reached double figures, but the offense ran cold in the overtime period, converting just one of nine tries. Meanwhile, the defense would surrender 52 points in the paint and 25 points off fast breaks. They struggled to contain the Gorillas in the second half, allowing the visitors to connect on 62.2% (23-of-37) of attempts in a comeback bid that saw PSU rally from 13 down to take the win inside the NSU Event Center.

About Central Oklahoma
The Bronchos (9-7, 2-2 MIAA) enter off an 89-72 win over Newman last Saturday. Only five players have appeared in all 16 games and four of the team's top six scorers have missed time this year, including Central Missouri transfer Josh Nwankwo (18.8 PPG across 12 games). Nwankwo scored 24 points against Northeastern State in 38 minutes on Feb. 13, 2025 and would assist the Mules in eliminating the RiverHawks in the MIAA Tournament's opening round a month later.

Matthew Willenborg is the only individual to start in all 16 for the Bronchos so far. Willenborg is the top rebounder in the conference (9.2 RPG) and paces the team in scoring (19.8 PPG), posting an average output that ranks third across the league. The junior has scored at least 19 points in six straight and has reached double figures in 15 of 16 games so far.

Parker Hannah paced the offense on Saturday, landed 27 points off of ten made field goals against the Jets. After only one performance in double figures across his first ten appearances, Hannah has logged at least 13 points in his last four, shooting 57.8% (26-of-45) from the field during that time.

The Series: In a series that dates back to 1925, UCO leads 103-64. The RiverHawks split the season series last year, but seek their first win in Edmond since 2021.

About Rogers State
The Hillcats (8-5, 2-2 MIAA) have won two straight, most recently against Newman (84-72) on Jan. 1 on the road. They face #5 Arkansas-Fort Smith on Wednesday night in Claremore before hosting NSU on Saturday.

Rogers State owns an offensive attack that sees every regular starter averaging at least 9.9 points per game. As a unit, they have shot at least 51% in four of their last five. Andrew Mason matched a season high against the Jets last weekend with 22 points, while Central Missouri transfer Tim Jordan Jr. added 22, as well.

Mason reached double figures against NSU in both meetings a season ago and Jordan scored 26 points across two matchups against NSU while at UCM. Caden Fry paced the RSU rebounding crew with 20 boards in last season's series.

The Series: Rogers State has won 13 of 24 meetings in the series, including the last five. The last four meetings have been decided by eight points or less.

Up Next
The RiverHawks finish the road trip in Fort Smith on Friday, Jan. 16 against UAFS at 7:30 p.m. inside the Stubblefield Center.