RiverHawks to Battle No. 5 Team in Nation - Arkansas Tech
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - Northeastern State University men return to the basketball court on Jan. 4 (Monday) when the RiverHawks play host to one of the top NCAA Division II basketball teams in the country.
The fifth-ranked Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys invade Jack Dobbins Field House for a 7 p.m. clash.
The Gulf South Conference members enter the RiverHawks clash with an unbeaten 11-0 record. Northeastern State is coming off the Christmas break with a 6-4 mark and an impressive 73-69 win over Lone Star Conference South Division member Abilene Christian University, 73-69.
The two clubs have played one common opponent this season - Ecclesia College. The Wonder Boys defeated Ecclesia 80-68, while the RiverHawks rolled to a 69-34 victory in their season opener.
The RiverHawks will have to stop the three-guard offensive attack of Brandon Friedel, 6-3 senior; Renard Allen, 6-1 senior and Jeremy Dunbar, 6-5 junior.
Arkansas Tech averages 83.9 points, led by Friedel, a 3-year letterman, is averaging 17.9 points a game. Friedel is a 50 percent shooter from the field, connecting on 68-of-136 field goal attempts. He is also a deadly 3-point shooter, draining 40-of-74 attempts for .541 percentage mark.
Allen a 2-year letterman transfer from the University of New Orleans, brings a 12.6 scoring average to Dobbins Field House. Allen is connecting on .585 from the field (48-of-82) and .417 from behind the arc (5-of-12).
Dunbar, a transfer from Southeastern Louisana University, is averaging 11.6 points, connecting on .443 percent from the field (43-of-97) and .482 from behind the arc (27-of-56).
Irvin Humphrey, 6-6 senior, is the Wonder Boys leading rebounder averaging 5.6 caroms a game. Humphrey is averaging 6.1 points a game.
Defensively the Wonder Boys are allowing 58.5 points a game.
Despite an 83.9 scoring average, the Wonder Boys will have to contend with one of the top defensive clubs in the nation in Northeastern State University.
Northeastern State is the Lone Star Conference's top defensive team allowing the opposition just 57.5 points a game and is No. 4 in the nation defensively, according to the latest NCAA Division II statistics.
Offensively the RiverHawks are averaging 68.2 points led by leading scorer Jason Jones, 6-6 center, who is averaging 17.2 point, fourth in the Lone Star Conference.
Jones, a pre-season Division II All-American candidate, is the Lone Star Conference's leading rebounder pulling down 9.1 rebounds a contest. He has a total of 91 caroms in 10 games, 16 offensive boards and 75 on defense.
The addition of guard Dominic Gaines, who became eligible on Dec. 19th, has played two games and has added some much needed offensive punch. The junior college transfer from Northeastern A&M, enters the second semester with a 15.0 scoring average.
Marlon Burnett follows with a 13.6 average, 17th in the LSC and Antoine Branch is scoring 11.8 points a game.
Following the Arkansas Tech game, Northeastern State returns to Lone Star Conference play on Thursday (Jan. 7th) playing host to West Texas A&M at Jack Dobbins Field House. Tip-off is 8 p.m.
