TAHLEQUAH – The Northeastern State women's basketball team travels this week as part of a three-game road trip. The road trip starts Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. against Central Oklahoma and continues at the Claremore Expo Center at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday when they face Rogers State. The RiverHawks are 10-3, their best 13-game start since the 2011-12 season. They are also 3-1 in true away contests.

Through 13 games, McKenzie Smith is 10th in the MIAA in scoring (14.1 points per game) and has reached double figures in 11 games. The redshirt sophomore from Amarillo is sixth in the conference among qualified players in field goal percentage (46.7%), while she is also tied for 10th in free throw percentage (80.9%). As a team, NSU is second nationally in free throws made (238) and third in free throw percentage (81.5%). 

A Quick Look Back
Northeastern State was handed their third loss of the season and their second straight against MIAA foes with a 67-59 defeat against Pittsburg State on Saturday. Tilley led with 17 points and McKenzie Smith added 14, but the team's other four starters combined for just 13 points and four made field goals. The RiverHawks were limited to 25 rebounds in the loss, a season low.

The RiverHawks have gotten a major scoring boost lately from their second unit. The team most recently found 31 points off the bench against PSU, highlighted by Gabrielle Tilley's 17-point game (a career high). Tilley has reached double figures in four straight, while the team's second leading scorer in Annaston Brown (10.5 PPG) has seen all of her appearances this season happen off the bench.

About Central Oklahoma
The Bronchos (6-7, 1-3 MIAA) are in their first season under head coach Hannah Moeller and enter Wednesday winners of four straight. Their most recent showing saw the team grab their first MIAA win of the Moeller era in a 73-55 road triumph against Newman.

Central Oklahoma only returned 22.7% of scoring from last season and youth is a key feature of the 2025-26 roster. Four of the team's top eight players in minutes played are underclassmen, while just two are returners from last season. Bobbie Fouquet led UCO in scoring Saturday in Wichita, logging 22 points. Jerney Bennett had a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

The Series: In a series dating back to 1982, NSU leads 36-32. The RiverHawks are 4-0 in the Ferguson era against the Bronchos, with both wins in Edmond occurring by eight points.

About Rogers State
The Hillcats (5-8, 2-2 MIAA) enter the week with two straight wins, most recently knocking off Newman on Jan. 1 in a 62-53 win in Wichita. Rogers State will face Arkansas-Fort Smith in Claremore on Wednesday before hosting NSU.

Rogers State holds the lowest-scoring offense in the conference (61.7 PPG) and does not have a player averaging more than 9.2 PPG. While their team field goal percentage (37.5%) also sits at the bottom of the association, they have limited makes to just 35.8% of opposing tries, the second-lowest rate in the league.

The Series: NSU leads the series, 9-8, while they hold a 5-4 record in away contests and a 5-7 mark in MIAA matchups. Defense has been a guiding factor of all four Ferugson-era meetings, with no team scoring more than 68 points.

Up Next
The RiverHawks finish the road trip in Fort Smith on Friday, Jan. 16 against UAFS at 5:30 p.m. inside the Stubblefield Center.