NSU Drops Heart-Breaker to MSSU
| FINAL | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mo. Southern St. (13-3) | 39 | 31 | 70 |
| Northeastern St. (3-13) | 36 | 31 | 67 |
| Tahlequah, OK | |||
| Mo. Southern St. | Northeastern St. |
|---|---|
| Pts: Addison,Marquis - 20 | Pts: John Schneider - 14 |
| Reb: Addison,Marquis - 10 | Reb: 2 Players (#15, #33 - 6) |
| Ast: Adams,Jason - 7 | Ast: John Schneider - 6 |
| Team Statistics | Mo. Southern St. | Northeastern St. |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 50.0% (23-46 ) | 47.1% (24-51 ) |
| Rebounds | 33 | 22 |
| Assists | 19 | 20 |
| Turnovers | 13 | 13 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 11 | 21 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 3 | 6 |
| Pts in the Paint | 28 | 26 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 2 | 4 |
| Bench Pts | 6 | 20 |
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. --- Northeastern State took No. 23-ranked Missouri Southern to the wire -- again -- only to drop a heart-breaking 70-67 decision at Dobbins Field House Saturday afternoon.
The RiverHawks fell to 3-14 overall, while MSSU improved to 14-3.
It was the second time this season NSU had a chance to upset the Lions. On Nov. 22, 2011, Missouri Southern scored the final five points of the game to escape with a 68-66 win in Kansas City.
Saturday's game was just as thrilling in a matchup of contrasting styles.
NSU connected on eight-of-17 treys in the first half with Terance Reaves knocking down three and Christian Mack and Jon Miller connecting on two each. However, the Lions muscled their way inside with 6-9 center Keane Thomann scoring 18 of his 19 points in the opening stanza.
Missouri Southern led, 39-36, at halftime.
In the second half, MSSU made a living at the free throw line by hitting 17-of-23 charity tosses. Marquis Addison was 14-of-16 in the final 20 minutes at the line, while the RiverHawks were 9-of-13 as a team for the game.
The game was tied seven times and saw 11 lead changes. Addison, who took game-high scoring honors with 20 points, knocked down a 3-point field goal with 4:40 left to break a 59-all deadlock and give Missouri Southern the lead for good.
Christian Salecich made a pair of free throws for a 64-59 advantage before NSU's John Schneider and Ethan Anderson converted four straight charity tosses to bring the RiverHawks with 64-63 with 2:22 left.
That's as close as NSU could get as the Lions continued to score at the line to keep the lead and preserve the victory.
Schneider had 14 and Reaves added a dozen for the RiverHawks, who have dropped eight games this season by five points or less.
Northeastern State will continue its homestand on Wednesday when it hosts Pittsburg State at 8 p.m. in Dobbins Field House.
