Tahlequah, Okla. – The Truman State Bulldogs battled throughout but couldn't overcome hot shooting from Northeastern State, falling 90-81 on Saturday afternoon at the NSU Event Center. The loss drops the Bulldogs to 3-6 on the season, while the RiverHawks improved to 6-4.
Northeastern State came out strong, with Xavier Glenn hitting an early three-pointer off a Taven Washington assist to give the RiverHawks a 5-2 lead. Truman State responded with a run, capped by Emmanuel Byrd's fast break dunk following a steal, giving the Bulldogs the lead at 8-7. The lead was short-lived, however, as Ethan Blackmon and Glenn powered NSU's offense in the opening period.
The Bulldogs briefly held a 28-27 lead midway through the first half after Marquis Carver-Smith completed a three-point play at the 4:30 mark. But Northeastern State closed the half on a 14-5 run, with Glenn scoring six straight points during one stretch. AJ Reed Jr. hit a jumper and Dylan Tea drained a three-pointer in the final minute to send the RiverHawks into halftime with a 41-33 advantage. Glenn led all scorers at the break with 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
The second half saw the Bulldogs struggle to gain traction against NSU's balanced attack. Quientan McCafferty provided a spark off the bench with eight quick points, including a layup at 19:33 and back-to-back three-pointers in the first half, but Northeastern State answered every challenge. The RiverHawks extended their lead to 15 points at 58-43 with 12:45 remaining after a Washington layup.
Truman State mounted a late surge, cutting the deficit to six points multiple times in the final minutes. Jahki Parrinello's consecutive driving layups brought the Bulldogs within nine at 60-51, and later Justin Duff's energetic play off the bench helped trim the margin to 64-58 at the 7:47 mark. Julian Brown's three-pointer with 1:30 remaining made it 81-73, and Ja'Vion Byers' three-pointer cut it to 82-76 with under a minute left, but NSU sealed the victory from the free-throw line, making their final eight attempts down the stretch.
Team Statistics Comparison
| Category |
Truman State |
Northeastern State |
| Field Goals |
27-63 (42.9%) |
30-61 (49.2%) |
| Three-Pointers |
4-17 (23.5%) |
6-14 (42.9%) |
| Free Throws |
23-29 (79.3%) |
24-26 (92.3%) |
| Rebounds |
40 |
32 |
| Assists |
14 |
14 |
| Turnovers |
13 |
10 |
| Steals |
3 |
6 |
| Blocks |
3 |
3 |
| Points in Paint |
42 |
42 |
| Fast Break Points |
17 |
24 |
| Second Chance Points |
18 |
15 |
| Bench Points |
33 |
28 |
Truman State Statistical Leaders
Scoring:
Rebounding:
Assists:
Steals:
Blocks:
Up Next:
The Bulldogs travel to Quincy to face off against Hillsdale in the Hansen Spear Classic. Truman has played one game all time against the Chargers, dropping the matchup back in 2013 by a score of 66-49.
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