TAHLEQUAH – The Northeastern State women's basketball team returns to the MIAA Tournament for their second league postseason appearance during the Ferguson era. As the bracket's eighth seed, they face Emporia State in an opening round matchup on Wednesday at 12 p.m. from Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

The RiverHawks pursue their first MIAA Tournament win since 2015 and their third across the program's history.

With the regular season in the books, Northeastern State ranks seventh in the MIAA in scoring (68.7 points per game). The RiverHawks are second in turnover margin (3.3) and are fourth in steals per game (8.5) and scoring defense (62.5 PPG). NSU leads the MIAA and ranks second nationally in free throw percentage (81.6%). The RiverHawks are fourth in NCAA Division II women's basketball in free throws made (475) and are sixth in free throws made per game (17). Notably, Gabrielle Tilley is tied for ninth nationally in free throw conversion rate (89.1%).

A Quick Look Back
The RiverHawks led at the half against Rogers State on Wednesday but fell in a 53-51 decision after being limited to 6-of-25 (24%) shooting in the second half. NSU would turn around and clinch an MIAA Tournament spot with a 69-66 win over Central Oklahoma on Saturday. The victory also snapped an eight-game losing streak.

Gracy Shieldnight paced NSU's scoring in the UCO game with 13 points and provided four steals on the defensive side. Additionally, Makala Bingley provided 11 points on Senior Day. Across the week, Deyanna Douglas led the NSU offense with 19 points and 14 rebounds. 

About Emporia State
The Lady Hornets (14-14, 8-11 MIAA) enter their 30th straight league postseason appearance with the conference's eighth-ranked scoring attack (67.5 PPG), holding identical positioning in field goal percentage (40.1%) and three-point conversion rate (31.2%).

Kaitlyn Sanders leads the team and is sixth in the MIAA in scoring (15.2 PPG). Sanders also sits in seventh across the association in assists per game (3.1). Gracie Gilpin averages 34 minutes per game (fifth in MIAA) and is second in scoring (13.3 PPG). Gilpin is the lone player that saw minutes from 2024's opening round meeting against NSU that is expected to receive minutes on Wednesday.

The Series: The Lady Hornets have won 24 of 32 meetings in the series, though the RiverHawks have claimed three of the last four. Wednesday marks NSU's third straight MIAA postseason game against Emporia State. The Lady Hornets claimed decisions in the opening rounds of the bracket in 2018 (72-62) and 2024 (72-58).

Up Next
If they advance, Northeastern State would battle Central Missouri, the top-seeded regular season champions, on Thursday at 12 p.m.