Exhibition Preps RiverHawks for Season Opener

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. --- Northeastern State's upset bid of the University of Arkansas fell short Wednesday night at Bud Walton Arena. But, head coach Randy Gipson was more than pleased with the performance of his club in the exhibition opener.

The Razorbacks took a 55-48 win over the RiverHawks by using a late rally to escape with the win.

"Arkansas was a real challenge for us, but our kids played really solid and held their own on the boards," said Gipson. "We didn't shoot the ball really well, but they had something to do with that. We are just trying to be competitive and become a solid team."

Northeastern State shot 30.9 percent for the game, connecting on 17-of-55 from the field and 10-of-17 from the line. The RiverHawks actually out-rebounded the much taller Razorbacks by three, 37-34.

Sarah Green led Northeastern State with 10 points off the bench. The freshman was five-of-seven from the floor.

Trailing 42-33, Green brought the RiverHawks back to within three points when she made a steal, scored on three consecutive layups and the deficit was whittled to 42-39 with 5:48 remaining.

That was, however, the closest Northeastern State got the rest of the night.

The RiverHawks played superb defensively during the opening 10 minutes of the second half holding Arkansas to just a field goal and two free throws.

"Overall, our defense played solid most of the night," said Gipson. "We had a few let ups and let people get in front of us and drive by us. But, for the most part, we were very solid. We missed a few blockouts on the boards, but when you give up a few inches like we did, it was still a good effort."

Arkansas was led in scoring by Charity Ford's 17 points, while Dominique Robinson added 10. The Razorbacks converted 15-of-19 free throws and shot 38 percent from the field, 18-of-47.

Northeastern State will leave Thursday to participate in the Disney East Coast Classic in Orlando, Fla., Friday through Sunday. The RiverHawks meet Gannon University, the No. 21-ranked team in NCAA Division II, at 9 a.m. (CST) Friday, before facing North Alabama on Saturday and Shippensburg on Sunday.

For the boxscore of Northeastern State's exhibition at the University of Arkansas, click here.