From NSU Sports Information
RiverHawks earn second win over ranked opponent, shoots 13-for-18 from downtown
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men’s basketball team upset No. 10 Washburn 85-78 Saturday evening inside Jack Dobbins Field House.
The RiverHawks (12-4, 5-3 MIAA) made a season-high 13 three-point field goals on just 18 attempts for a scorching 72 percent. The last time NSU hit at least 13 trey’s in a single game was against Harding on Nov. 20, 2010.
NSU also shot 58 percent from the field (22-for-38) and made 80 percent from the free-throw line (28-for-35). The team has now made a whopping 59 shots from the charity stripe in the last two games.
Junior guard Bryton Hobbs dropped 25 points and added seven assists in 39 minutes of work. He finished 14-for-17 from the free-throw line.
Senior forward Jermaine Bransford recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Senior guards Ethan Anderson and Jon Miller combined for 30 points and made 7-for-8 from downtown.
Washburn (10-4, 3-3 MIAA) gave up the second-most points all season after entering the contest allowing just 62.2 points a game. The team also recorded a season-low in rebounds after NSU won that battle, 25-20.
The Ichabods held the advantage for the opening few minutes of the contest, but NSU powered ahead 16-10 with 13:05 remaining in the opening half. The two teams jockeyed for position and exchanged leads 10 times in the first 20 minutes, and Washburn took a 32-31 lead into intermission.
Northeastern State used a 7-0 run early in the second half to take a four-point lead, and the team would not relinquish the advantage for the remainder of the game. A 13-3 run in the middle of the second half would be enough cushion to fend off the top-10 foe.
The Northeastern State women also upset the No. 9-ranked Lady Blues 52-43 earlier in the day. The last time Washburn was swept on the same day was to Emporia State on Feb. 23, 2011.
The RiverHawks will stay at home for a 7:30 p.m. matchup Jan. 23 with Pittsburg State.
Cedrique Flemming is the Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations at Northeastern State University.