by By Ronan Khalsa, NSU communications
TAHLEQUAH – With its second nationally-ranked MIAA opponent in town of the week, Northeastern State (5-14 in MIAA) women’s basketball put together a strong effort in an eventual 70-58 setback to Fort Hays State (16-2 in MIAA) at the NSU Event Center Saturday afternoon. The RiverHawks were a combined 14-29 in the first and final quarters.
NSU was led by Cenia Hayes (Cherokee) with 21 points while Morgan Lee was a perfect 5-5 from the field and made a career-high four 3-pointers. Zaria Collins also reached double figure scoring with 10 points herself. Shae Sanchez finished with seven points and seven assists.
“The girls came out ready to play and obviously those shots fell for Cenia,” head coach Fala Bullock said. “It gave us confidence right off the bat. It’s been a really long week for them but I thought they got in there and battled.
Cenia Hayes scored the first nine points of the contest for Northeastern State on three 3-point baskets to open the game helping NSU to a 9-4 lead. FHSU stuck around, however, as they were within one 17-16 after the first quarter. The RiverHawks held a 13-7 rebound advantage on the glass.
The Tigers went on a 13-4 to open the quarter pushing out to an eight-point lead but Hayes and Morgan Lee responded with back-to-back 3-pointers. Lee wasn’t done with her first half scoring, banking in a jumper from the top of the key with under a minute to go. Fort Hays responded to hold a 34-29 advantage going to the locker room. Both teams had identical rebounding efforts, and NSU pulled down four offensive boards.
In the second half, the Tigers used their length to outrebound the RiverHawks by nine after halftime and outscored NSU 42-20 in the paint for the game.
“The second quarter and third quarter the starts weren’t what we needed, we had a few empty possessions,” Bullock said. “I think if we could have cleaned that up and kept it a little bit closer. The kids battled super hard and even to the finish.”
NSU was just 3-13 from the field in the third quarter and trailed by eight, 49-41. Lee made both of her 3-point attempts. The RiverHawks scored the final five points of the quarter and carried the momentum into the final stanza.
Lee, a junior, said that the post players were feeding the hot hand and that she was ready to shoot with confidence.
“What a great job she did tonight and she was always ready making big shots,” Bullock said. “Morgan can get lost in the shuffle sometimes with the other girls but tonight she made herself known.”
Shae Sanchez, turned up the heat in converting an and-1 and then picked off the pass and scored on a breakaway with 4:39 remaining to bring NSU within five points. That deficit was the closest the RiverHawks would get though, as FHSU scored the next seven points for a 12-point advantage. NSU’s Zaria Collins and Kiarra Brooks scored the final four points of the game for the RiverHawks.
Jaden Hobbs led the Tigers with 20 points and was joined in double figures by two others. NSU held the Tigers to 28.6 percent from 3-point land, FHSU typically converts at a 34.7 clip.
