by TAHLEQUAH — The RiverHawks rallied in the closing minutes but were unable to pull an upset against Central Missouri on Saturday afternoon as they fell 73-64.
“I was really proud of our effort,” head coach Fala Bullock said. “I thought the ladies never gave in. We had our moments where we went on great runs and really cut the lead, giving us the confidence to move forward.”
Cenia Hayes (Cherokee) was one of four RiverHawks to score in double digits, leading all scorers with 19 points while also pulling eight rebounds. Shae Sanchez finished with 12 points, with Cielo McClain scoring 11 and Maegan Lee finishing with 10. NSU hit 26 free throws, which is the most they’ve hit in a game during Coach Bullock’s tenure.
The RiverHawks started on a good note, as Hayes drilled a three within the first minute of the game. Lee would hit a pair of free throws at the 4:14 mark, with Sanchez hitting a three one minute later to bring the RiverHawks to within eight. The Jennies would hit three jumpers in the closing minutes to take an 11-point lead at the end of the quarter.
The RiverHawks started to close the gap midway through the second quarter, as McClain hit a short jumper and hit the ensuing free throw to make it a 10-point Jennies lead. They would cut further into the lead at the 5:12 mark when McClain hit another jumper from just outside the paint, but the Jennies responded with a trey one minute later to put the lead back in double-digits.
After Cenia Hayes drew a foul and hit a pair of free throws, she picked up a rebound off a Jennies miss and hit a three at the other end to make the score 37-31. The Jennies hit a pair of free throws with 1:21 left in the half, but Hayes would find McClain for a layup with just under one minute remaining. They would add a free throw right at the end of the half to give them a nine-point lead.
The RiverHawks came out of the locker room hot, as Maegan Lee hit a pair of free throws just seven seconds into the quarter. She would draw another foul 90 seconds later and hit another free throw to bring NSU to within six. After that, the Jennies went on a short run that stretched their lead back into double digits. The RiverHawks started cutting into it when Morgan Hellyer hit a pair of free throws before Hayes drilled a three to make it a 10-point game. After the Jennies hit a pair of jumpers, the teams would trade baskets for the remainder of the quarter and Central Missouri would take a 14-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Central Missouri extended their lead to as much as 17 in the fourth, but the Riverhawks started chipping away as Sanchez went to the line and hit a pair of free throws, then off a Jennies turnover Zaria Collins made a jumper in the paint. The Jennies responded with a bucket of their own, followed by a pair of free throws.
Hayes took a pass from Mae. Lee at the 2:45 mark and hit a bucket, which kicked off an 8-0 run that saw Hayes hit four consecutive free throws while Collins hit a jumper to bring NSU to within nine, but were unable to close the gap any further.
