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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team will host Emporia State in MIAA play. The RiverHawks (3-13, 1-8 MIAA) will meet the Hornets (9-8, 2-6 MIAA) at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 21 in the NSU Event Center.

ESU holds a 5-3 record over NSU since Northeastern State joined the NCAA in 1996-97. After splitting the first two meetings in 2005-06, the Hornets took both contests in 2006-07. The RiverHawks won both meetings in 2012-13, while Emporia State earned the victory in both games last season. Northeastern State was picked 12th in the preseason MIAA coaches' poll, while ESU was slated eighth.
 

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	10	C.J. Winzer	6-5, 195	Fr-HS	4.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg	Elmo, Texas
F	32	Dakota Caudill	6-6, 220	Jr-RS	8.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg	Claremore, Okla.
G	5	Keon Littleton	6-1, 185	Sr-1L	9.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg	DeSoto, Texas
G	20	Trey Mohair	6-0, 190	Jr-TR	8.4 ppg, 2.4 apg	Denton, Texas
G	25	Demone Harrison	6-3, 185	Jr-TR	12.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg	Houston, Texas
Emporia State's Probable Starters
C	12	McWisdom Badejo	6-10, 255	Jr.	3.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg	Dallas, Texas
G	1	Perryonte Smith	5-11, 180	Sr.	4.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg	Milwaukee, Wisc.
G	10	Jay Temaat	6-4, 170	So.	7.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg	Lenexa, Kan.
G	11	Terrence Moore	6-2, 170	Jr.	17.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg	Wichita, Kan.
G	13	Micah Swank	6-1, 170	Jr.	7.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg	Pratt, Kan.

 
SCOUTING THE HORNETS    
Emporia State is located in Emporia, Kansas and the team competes in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The Hornets are 9-8 in the 2014-15 season and have put up a 2-6 record in MIAA play. After defeating Central Missouri in overtime (84-78) on Jan. 10, ESU lost to Pittsburg State (59-58) in their most recent game. Terrence Moore (17.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg) leads the Hornets in scoring and rebounding and is the second leading scorer in the MIAA. Jevon Taylor (11.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg) also averages double-figure scoring. Emporia State averages 69.6 points per game and shoots .452 as a team.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT – FHSU 77, NSU 49
Northeastern State lost 77-49 to Fort Hays State University Saturday afternoon inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. Junior forward Dakota Caudill tallied a career-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting. He also pulled down seven rebounds in 37 minutes. NSU shot 31.9 percent (15-for-47) from the field, 27.3 percent (6-for-22) from behind the 3-point line and 50 percent (13-for-26) at the charity stripe. FHSU shot 60 percent (30-for-50) overall, 47.4 percent (9-for-19) from distance and 66.7 percent (9-for-12) at the free-throw line. Jeremy Wilson paced the Tigers with 17 points. Achoki Moikobu added 14, Royce Williams contributed 12 and Dom Samac chipped in 11. The Tigers jumped out to a 25-3 lead before carrying a 42-17 advantage at halftime. They led by as many as 37 points in the second half before the RiverHawks were able to cut the deficit to 28 points at the final buzzer. FHSU outrebounded NSU 40-22 and led in assists, 22-11. NSU finished with fewer turnovers (14-20) and more steals (9-6).
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET – ESU 73, NSU 65
Northeastern State lost 73-65 to Emporia State Feb. 12, 2014 inside White Auditorium. Guard Bryton Hobbs led NSU with 16 points and crossed the 1,000-point threshold for his career despite a 4-for-19 outing. Hobbs also had seven assists, seven rebounds and five turnovers in 39 minutes. Forward Marcus Sheppard added 13 points and seven rebounds, while guard Michael Harmon chipped in 10 points. Forward Jeremy McDonald posted nine points and eight boards. Northeastern State shot 35 percent (21-for-60) from the field, 31.8 percent (7-for-22) from beyond the arc and 76.2 percent (16-for-21) at the free-throw line. The Hornets shot 45.9 percent (28-for-61) from the field, 18.8 percent (3-for-16) from downtown and 70 percent (14-for-20) from the line. ESU also dominated NSU in rebounds (45-32), points in the paint (42-24) and second-chance points (17-6). Kaleb Wright paced Emporia State with 25 points. Paul Bunch added 13 points and 17 rebounds, and Gavin Brown contributed 13 points for the home side. The RiverHawks led 32-26 at halftime and even took a 58-57 advantage into the final media timeout with just 4:57 remaining in regulation, but the Hornets closed the game on a 16-7 run to earn the eight-point victory.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN KC
The 2015 MIAA Men's Basketball Championship is set to take place inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The top 12 teams in the regular season all qualify for postseason play, with the top four earning byes to Kansas City. The first round will be contested at host sites March 2, with the fifth seed hosting No. 12, the sixth seed hosting No. 11, etc. Those four winners will join the top four seeds in KC March 5-8. Both NSU basketball programs have advanced to the MIAA Championship Quarterfinals in Kansas City in each of their first two years in the league.
 
NSU SELECTED 12TH IN MIAA PRESEASON POLLS
The Northeastern State men's basketball team was picked to finish 12th in the MIAA by the league coaches. The RiverHawks earned 39 points and are projected to finish just inside the cut line for the MIAA Championship tournament in May. Central Missouri topped the coaches' poll with 151 points total and 10 first-place votes a year removed from winning the national championship. Northeastern State finished 16-13 last season and 9-10 in the MIAA. NSU also lost head coach Larry Gipson, who retired at the end of the season. Senior forward Landon DeMasters is the leading returning scorer at 8.1 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game last season.
 
GO RIVERHAWKS GEAR
Northeastern State University Athletics has partnered with Advanced-Online for the past two years with a one-of-a-kind online shopping site, goriverhawksgear.com. NSU fans have another avenue for acquiring Northeastern State apparel and accessories. The store is loaded with options for fans of all ages, ranging from T-shirts, polos and sweatshirts, to home office supplies, drinkware and kitchen essentials. Every item is branded with official Northeastern State athletics and university logos, and select RiverHawks gear and accessories are customizable. The new online store can be accessed by simply visiting www.goriverhawksgear.com. The shop can also be viewed by clicking on the shopping cart at the top right of www.goriverhawksgo.com, the static graphic underneath the main picture or the rotating horizontal carousel just above the video player.
 
TICKETS REQUIRED FOR ENTRY IN 2014-15
All fans wishing to attend an NSU home basketball contest this season will be required to show a ticket prior to entering the facilities. NSU students and faculty/staff will still be allowed free admittance, but NSU ID's will no longer be accepted as a form of entry. Tickets can be purchased at NSU's ticketing Web site, goriverhawkstickets.com. NSU students and faculty/staff can access goriverhawkstickets.com and secure their free tickets (either printable or downloaded to your smart phone) through their goNSU accounts. For questions regarding ticket options, please contact Brynn Hamner at 918.444.3901.
 
 
-GoRiverHawksGo.com-