TAHLEQUAH – Northeastern State's last-second heartbreak came in a 58-57 loss to Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday afternoon inside the NSU Event Center.

After Deyanna Douglas converted a three-point play with six seconds remaining to give the RiverHawks a 57-56 advantage, Nebraska-Kearney responded immediately. Myleigh Weers finished a fast-break layup off a feed from Jillian Aschoff with just one second on the clock to lift the Lopers past NSU.

The loss drops Northeastern State to 16-6 overall and 8-5 in MIAA play, while Nebraska-Kearney improves to 12-13 (5-9 MIAA).

McKenzie Smith paced the RiverHawks with 18 points, going 8-of-9 at the free-throw line and adding four rebounds. Douglas added 11 points and six boards off the bench, while Gabrielle Tilley chipped in 13 points, including a perfect 4-for-4 performance at the stripe.

Northeastern State trailed by seven after the first quarter but clawed back to take a 26-24 lead into halftime. The RiverHawks went up by five midway through the third quarter but could not pull away, as the teams exchanged the lead six times and tied on nine occasions throughout the contest.

NSU shot 31.1 percent from the field and just 11.8 percent (2-of-17) from three-point range. The RiverHawks did their damage at the line, converting 27 of 30 free throws (90%). The NSU bench also outscored the Lopers' reserves 20-16.

The RiverHawks will be on the road for the next two weeks, starting with a contest at Central Missouri on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.