'NOT AN UPSET': Ferguson reflects on upset win, first season at NSU
Dec. 8—Throughout the early part of the season Northeastern State women's basketball Head Coach Keith Ferguson has been looking for his team to step up the level of consistency.
Through seven games, the RiverHawks hold a 4-3 record. After back-to-back losses, the RiverHawks bounced back to give Nebraska-Kearney its first loss of the season. Not only did NSU give NKU its first loss of the season, but they were able to take down the defending Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association Champions.
"What we have been focusing on, is that it is not an upset, that is what we do. We have to practice at a high level to win those games. We cannot be happy with one good game we need to start building on those," Ferguson said.
In NSU's three losses, there has been one common factor; a bad quarter that sunk the RiverHawks' chances. In those quarters where they blow up in losses, they are being outscored by 35 points.
"I think we are really trying to get better and our kids are playing with more consistency effort-wise," Ferguson said. "We have to get better at end-of-game situations. We are just trying to figure out what combination we need out there to win."
During NSU's upset win over NKU, Hallie Jones stepped up to continue the hot start to her season. Jones led the way for NSU with 25 points while shooting at a nearly 70% clip. That marked a career-high for the fifth-year transfer. So far this season, Jones is averaging 15 points a game to lead NSU while shooting at 42% rate.
"She has brought a great energy everyday, she plays really hard and has done a great job of taking what is given to her," Ferguson said. "We are excited about everything that she brings to the table. She is energetic, a great teammate and really competitive, those characteristics are something that go well with our team."
Ferguson took over the NSU program in the summer and while the transition has mostly been smooth, Ferguson does run into some struggles. For now, one of Ferguson's main goals off the court is tackling the recruiting process.
"Recruiting is always a challenge, but we are excited about the future with some of the kids that we have gotten signed. I think we can continue to make us better," Ferguson said.
So far Ferguson and the RiverHawks have signed Tahlequah senior Jadyn Buttery to the roster for next season. While Buttery is a good start, Ferguson is going to continue to tackle the area.
"It is the most important thing, we have to win our area, we have to win Oklahoma," Ferguson said. "Our region is loaded with talent we need to make it cool and get those kids to stick around. There are a lot of good kids in the area and we need to keep them home."
NSU is back in action again at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9 at Emporia State. While the Hornets started the season losing three out of four, they have been playing better as of late. Coming into the game ESU is on a three-game winning streak.
Ferguson knows that they will have to halt the Hornets' momentum if they want to build a winning streak.
"They are really going to rebound the ball hard on offense and they get to the free throw line a lot," Ferguson said. "If we can cut those two things out and not let them score that way we have a really good chance to win that game."
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