From NSU Sports Information
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men’s basketball team defeated Pittsburg State 64-62 Wednesday night inside Jack Dobbins Field House.
The RiverHawks (13-4, 6-3 MIAA) picked up their third-straight win, while the Gorillas (12-5, 5-4 MIAA) have now lost three of their last four.
NSU was led by junior guard Bryton Hobbs, who scored 23 points and tied his career high with four steals in 38 minutes. He also hit the game-winning jumper with 6.6 seconds remaining in the contest.
Senior forward Jermaine Bransford recorded 19 points and 11 rebounds, and senior guard Ethan Anderson added 13 points.
The RiverHawks shot 41 percent (24-for-58) from the field, 25 percent (4-for-16) from downtown and 92 percent (12-for-13) from the free-throw line.
Pittsburg State was led by Kaleb Porter, who scored 17 points off the bench. JaVon McGee recorded 14 points and 11 boards, while Marky Nolen contributed 10 points.
The visitors shot 43 percent (24-for-56) from the field, 31 percent (5-for-16) from distance and 82 percent (9-for-11) at the line. PSU’s bench outscored NSU 29-2, and the Gorillas outrebounded the home team 37-31.
Northeastern State was the first team to take a sizeable lead, as the green and white led 21-14 at the 9:37 mark of the opening half. Pittsburg State quickly tied the game at 23-23, but NSU finished the first half on an 11-1 run to take a 34-26 advantage into the break.
The RiverHawks led by as many as 12 points in the second half, and they looked to be in total control with a 52-41 lead at 13:13. The Gorillas had other plans, however, and they began to chip away.
They came all the way back to take a 62-60 lead, but a layup from sophomore forward Landon DeMasters with 56 seconds remaining and Hobbs’ running layup with 6.6 seconds left allowed the home team to avoid the loss.
PSU’s Courtney Ingram was able to get a clean look at a game-winning three from the corner at the buzzer, but his shot went long and NSU captured the victory.
Northeastern State will now head out on the road for a three-game set away from Jack Dobbins Field House. The first game will be at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 26 against Missouri Southern State.
Cedrique Flemming is the Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations at Northeastern State University.