NSU can't hang with Wonder Boys

Press staff reports

TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS November 18, 2008 11:00 am

— Marlon Burnett led the Northeastern State men’s basketball team with 13 points, but the offense for the most part couldn’t find any rhythm in a 60-37 loss to Arkansas Tech on Saturday night in Russellville, Ark.
The RiverHawks (0-1) only shot 19 percent from the field in the second half and 28 percent for the game.
The RiverHawks started out slow, getting outscored 17-2 in the first eight minutes of the first half, but cut the lead down to 20-11 and only trailed by 10 at halftime, 34-24.
But, that was the closest the RiverHawks could get as a drought of more than five minutes to start the first half allowed the Wonder Boys (1-0) to jump out to a 41-24 lead.
Ben Rovenstine, who finished the game with eight points, scored the first points of the half for the RiverHawks with 14:06 left to make the score 41-26, but those points came few and far between.
The Wonder Boys eventually stretched its lead out to 56-28 before a free throw by Aaron Arango stopped another scoring drought for the RiverHawks.
The Wonder Boys shot 47 percent from the field for the game. Thiago Cordeiro had 11 points for the Wonder Boys followed by eight from Laithe Massey and seven each from Irvin Humphrey and Dusan Radivojevic.
Also scoring for the RiverHawks were Arango with seven points followed by two points each from Ja’Mal Stewart, Ricky Branham, Ralph Monday and Tarod Sanders. Jessie Scroggins rounded out the scoring with one point.
The RiverHawks will open the home slate of their schedule on Wednesday when Rogers State comes to town at Jack Dobbins Fieldhouse. Game time is set for 8 p.m.
Rogers State is 1-0 this season after beating Tabor College, 65-49, on Nov. 8. The Hillcats also recently lost an exhibition game on Nov. 11 at NCAA Division I Oral Roberts, 74-67.