TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- Northeastern State nearly knocked off a national power but couldn't fully recover from a cold second quarter in a 68-63 loss to No. 8 Fort Hays State on Thursday night at the NSU Event Center.

The RiverHawks (16-5, 8-4 MIAA) held their own against the Tigers for most of the night, but an eight-point second quarter proved to be the difference. Northeastern State shot just 17.6 percent from the field in the period, allowing Fort Hays State to build a double-digit cushion it would protect the rest of the way.

Despite the loss, Deyanna Douglas delivered one of the best performances of her career. Douglas recorded her second career double-double, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds while matching her career high in scoring. She was aggressive throughout, getting to the free-throw line 17 times and converting 14 of them, while also adding two blocks and a steal.

Annaston Brown added 16 points for NSU, while McKenzie Smith chipped in six points and five rebounds. The RiverHawks closed strong in the fourth quarter, outscoring Fort Hays State 24-19 and cutting the deficit to five points in the final seconds, but the early scoring drought was too much to overcome.

Fort Hays State, which improved to 20-2 (11-2 MIAA), leaned on balanced scoring and timely shooting to maintain control. The Tigers led for more than 33 minutes and built their largest lead at 15 points midway through the third quarter.

"We did a better job, especially in the fourth quarter of getting back and making things harder for them (Fort Hays)," said head coach Keith Ferguson. "But if you let them get going and transition, they're gonna destroy you every night.  They got really good players, man. I mean, they're a really good team, and they got a chance to make the final four."

The RiverHawks return to the court on Saturday when they host Nebraska-Kearney at 1:30 p.m.