Box Score TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – A cold shooting night proved costly for Tarleton as the TexAnns dropped their first game of the season – 62-51 to Northeastern State - Tuesday night in their first game at the NSU Event Center.
 
Since the series started in 1998, Tarleton has not won in Tahlequah - moving to 0-7 all-time at Northeastern State.
 
Tarleton got the scoring started with a Brianna Bledsoe jumper to put the TexAnns on the board off the opening possession, but the next 13 minutes were a struggle.
 
The TexAnns were outscored 24-11 over that stretch to fall behind 24-13 before a 3-point play by Morgan Ashmore brought the TexAnns back within eight at 24-16. It started a 9-4 Tarleton run to cut the NSU lead to four with 1:46 left.
 
Tarleton turned the ball over twice in the final minute – including the final 10 seconds – and the RiverHawks scored five unanswered points to take a 31-22 lead into the break.
 
In the first half, the TexAnns committed 11 turnovers and were 9-22 shooting from the field – including 0-6 from beyond the arc. They trailed the Riverhawks in rebounds (16-15), assists (6-3), blocks (3-1) and steals (6-5). The TexAnns were also being outscored 16-14 in the paint in the first half.
 
The second half continued with more of the same as the TexAnns saw the deficit extend to as much as 46-30 over the first 10 minutes of the second half. Over the next five minutes, the RiverHawks extended their lead to as many as 21.
 
Tarleton cut the game to as close as 11 down the stretch but could not bring it to a single-digit game.
 
From the floor, the TexAnns hit just 32.1 percent of their shots on 17-53 shooting and were 1-18 from 3-point land. Meanwhile, the RiverHawks shot 49 percent from the floor on 23-47 shooting and were 5-15 from downtown.
 
Kiara Wright led the team with 17 points and eight rebounds while Karli Moore was the next highest scorer with nine off the bench. Shanae Lowrance added eight as well.
 
No other TexAnn scored more than five points, however, with Kathy Thomas (5), Brianna Bledsoe (5), Meagan O'Dell (4) and Morgan Ashmore (3) rounding out the Tarleton scoring.
 
Tarleton will be back in action on the road this weekend for a pair of weekend games against Central Oklahoma and Regis Saturday and Sunday at the Marriott Champions Circle Pioneer Premiere in Denton.