Javelinas "White" Washed

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. --- Northeastern State blitzed Texas A&M-Kingsville from the perimeter, converting 11-of-29 3-point shots, en route to an impressive 72-51 victory in a Lone Star Conference crossover game at Jack Dobbins Field House Thursday night.

The RiverHawks improved to 7-3 for the season while the Javelinas fell to 7-2. Northeastern State will now look ahead to a Saturday afternoon contest with Drury University at 2 p.m. at Dobbins Field House.

Jenks senior Jessica White led the NSU 3-point attack as she connected on 5-of-7 from behind the arc for a game high 17 points. White was followed in the scoring by Megan Fraley with 9, while Cristy Nitz and Sarah Green added 8 each.

"We had some individuals that were really ready to play tonight," said NSU head coach Randy Gipson. "Jessica (White) had a really good night and took advantage of her opportunities. Megan (Fraley) also had a good shooting night.

"I think the main key was we defended well and were able to get some shots off our defensive play.  We felt like we could guard them and contain their dribble. They like to dribble penetrate a lot and kick it to shooters. We did a good job of staying in front of the ball.

"They have good 3-point shooters and our kids did a good job of guarding them," said Gipson.

Northeastern State took command in the second half, surging to a 32-point lead 67-35 with 6:59 remaining.

Texas A&M-Kingsville's scoring was led by Kayla Naylor with 14 points. No other Javelina scored in double figures.

The RiverHawks held a 34-25 advantage at the half on the strength of a 16-8 run over the final 9-minutes of the half.

White led the attack in the opening 20 minutes with 9 points, as all her points came on treys.  The RiverHawks were 6-of-15 from behind the 3-point line in the half and 13-of-34 from the field.

"I was in a zone, but I was really confident with my shot," said White. "I've been coming in the gym a lot and shooting. It's just all about confidence. But it was great to get back home and play. It really didn't seem like we were at home until we started playing. It was a great feeling," said White.

The Javelinas never led in the first half, managing only a tie at 13-all at the 12:13 mark. Kingsville's Naylor kept the Javelinas within striking distance with a 10-point production. Kingsville shot 37 percent in the first half on 10-of-27 from the field and finished 20-of-54 for 37 percent. They were just 6-of-19 from behind the arc.

Northeastern State controlled the boards the first half out rebounding the Javelinas 23-16, which included 9 offensive rebounds. Northeastern finished with a 50-31 rebounding advantage for the game.

NSU took the lead on the opening shot of the game when White hit her first trey from the right wing with 19:04 on the clock. Perkins then made it 6-0 on a 3-pointer after the RiverHawks defense forced Kingsville to miss two shots and commit two turnovers.

The largest lead of the first half was 11 points, 32-21 with 2:10 remaining on another 3-point basket by White.