RiverHawks Play Cameron in LSC North Division Opener

 TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- Northeastern State women winners of eight of last their last 10 games opens their second season Wednesday night at Lawton against the Cameron Aggies for a 6 p.m. Lone Star Conference North Division clash.

The RiverHawks will return to full strength for the Cameron clash with the return of  Jessica White, who missed the last two NSU games with a stomach virus. Northeastern State head coach Randy Gipson said "Jessica is good to go and will be ready for Cameron. She has practiced and is feeling good."

Looking toward the North Division opener with Cameron, a club that has struggled this season with a 4-9 record. The Aggies have lost seven out of its last eight games, however, in their last outing the Aggies lost in overtime to Texas A&M-Kingsville 84-78 in overtime on Jan. 7^th.

Gipson doesn't expect the Cameron clash to be an easy win. "This is a team that will play hard and one that changes its defenses between zone and man. They have some good athletes and will come at us. It's always a challenge when we go down there," said Gipson.

Cameron enters the NSU clash with a 68.2 scoring average, led by Josie Stewart, 5-10 junior guard, a transfer from Casper (Wyoming) College, with an 18.8 scoring average. She is shooting 46.7 from the field including 40.9 from behind the arc. Stewart is the Aggies leading rebounder pulling down seven per game.

Luv Rattler a 5-4 junior guard is averaging 10.2 points a game and shooting 33.9 from the field. The Aggies are giving up 71.5 points to the opposition. Alexis Williams a 5-8 freshman guard is a "shooter" Gipson is concerned about. "She is good ball player, who can really shoot the ball.

"And, we'll have to work hard to keep their post player (Amber) Schroer (6-1 senior) off the boards. We have to be ready for a team that will put pressure on us defensively. They will be a hungry team. This game means as much for this as it does for us. It's the first game of a new season," said Gipson.

Gipson said he "feels good about his team" enter the "new season" Wednesday night. "We've got a few games under our belt since the Christmas break. I think our kids are excited about the division play getting under way. They know they are important and I think they are looking forward to going down there and playing." said Gipson.

White's return to the lineup will be a big boost to the RiverHawks defensive prowess, a club which is No. 2 in the LSC in scoring defense at 54.5 and 16th in the NCAA Division II national statistics.

Offensively the RiverHawks are led by Jasmine Webb with a 10.6 scoring average. The Owasso junior is shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from behind the arc. The 5-11 forward is NSU's top rebounder with 77 on the season for 5.1 boards a game.