Defensive Gem
| FINAL | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburg St. (15-2) | 19 | 29 | 48 |
| Northeastern St. (15-1) | 26 | 35 | 61 |
| Tahlequah, OK | |||
| Pittsburg St. | Northeastern St. |
|---|---|
| Pts: Roberts,Drew - 13 | Pts: 2 Players (#12, #20 - 12) |
| Reb: Jeronimus,Lizzy - 8 | Reb: Jasmine Wright - 6 |
| Ast: 2 Players (#04, #42 - 1) | Ast: Sarah Green - 3 |
| Team Statistics | Pittsburg St. | Northeastern St. |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 33.3% (17-51 ) | 45.7% (21-46 ) |
| Rebounds | 37 | 26 |
| Assists | 2 | 11 |
| Turnovers | 20 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 10 | 28 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 12 | 0 |
| Pts in the Paint | 16 | 20 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 4 |
| Bench Pts | 7 | 18 |
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. --- Dobbins Field House was packed to near-capacity on Wednesday night in a battle of Top 15 teams in NCAA Division II women's basketball.
In the end, Tosha Tyler came off the bench to score 10 of her 12 points in the second half, and Cristy Nitz also added a dozen as No. 8 Northeastern State posted a thrilling 61-48 victory over No. 15 Pittsburg State.
NSU won its ninth consecutive game to improve its season record to 15-1. PSU fell for the second time in a week and dropped to 15-2.
The RiverHawks used a stingy defense against the Gorillas, who entered the game averaging almost 76 points per outing. However, NSU held Pitt State to 28 points below its average, forced 20 turnovers and limited the Gorillas offense to just 33 percent shooting to claim the victory.
Northeastern State overcame a sluggish start and trailed 9-3 just four minutes into the contest before reeling off nine straight points for a 12-9 edge midway through the period. The first half featured four ties and two lead changes. Yet, it was Chelsey Stricklen's long-range trey and a pair of Sarah Green free throws that put the RiverHawks ahead 26-19 at halftime. NSU scored 17 points off 13 Pitt State turnovers in the frame.
After the Gorillas pulled with three, 26-23, to begin the final half, NSU built a double-digit cushion as Tyler ended a 12-4 flurry with a 3-pointer and another bucket for a 38-27 margin with 14:40 to play.
Over the next six minutes, PSU rallied again to cut its deficit to 42-39. Northeastern State answered back, though, with back-to-back treys from Cristy Nitz and a Jasmine Wright bucket from 10 feet to extend its advantage to 50-41 at the 6:48 mark.
PSU never seriously threatened again.
NSU was 8-for-16 from behind the arc with Megan Fraley hitting 2-of-3. Green, who was perfect on six tries at the charity stripe, scored all 10 of her points in the first period.
Drew Roberts paced Pitt State's offense with 13 points and Brooke Conley added 11.
Northeastern State will play at Lindenwood on Saturday before returning home to host St. Mary's on Monday in a 2 p.m. weekday matinee at Dobbins Field House.
