KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northeastern State and Rogers State both advanced through the opening round of the 2022 MIAA Basketball Championships presented by Citizens Bank & Trust.
 
Ninth-seeded Northeastern State kicked off No.8 seed Central Missouri and No.10 seed Rogers State upset the seventh-seed Missouri Western. Below are game recaps from Wednesday’s men’s session.

For the complete bracket of the 2022 Men's Basketball Championship, click here and for more information on the Championship, click here.
 
No.9 Northeastern State 60, No.9 Central Missouri 49 – Box Score
The No.9 seeded-Northeastern State RiverHawks defeated the No. 8 seeded-Central Missouri Mules in the first round matchup of the 2022 MIAA Men's Basketball Championship presented by Citizens Bank & Trust, 60-49.
 
The RiverHawks shot 38.8 percent (19-49) from the field, 25.0 percent (5-20) from the three-point range and 73.9 percent (17-23) from the free-throw line. The Mules finished with 34.1 percent (15-44) shooting overall, 13.6 percent (3-22) from behind the arc and 59.3 percent (16-27) from the foul line.
 
Rashad Perkins led NSU with 13 points and seven rebounds while Christian Cook and Dillon Bailey each added nine apiece. The Mules offense was led by Matt Todd with 15 points on 6-11 shooting from the field, 2-4 from the three and 1-2 at the line. The 2022 MIAA Defensive Player of the Year Ja’Cor Nelson posted a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
 
The RiverHawks will take on top-seeded Central Oklahoma in a quarterfinal match up on Thursday, March 3 at 6 p.m. in Municipal Auditorium.
 
No.10 Rogers State 52, No.7 Missouri Southern 49 – Box Score
The No.10 seeded-Rogers State Hillcats upset No.7 seeded-Missouri Western Griffons in the closest game of the first round of the MIAA Tournament, 52-49.
 
The Hillcats shot 34.7 percent (17-49) from the floor, 26.7 percent (4-15) from the three-point range and 82.4 percent (14-17) from the free-throw line while the Griffons finished with 33.3 percent (17-51) shooting from the field, 23.3 percent (7-30) from outside the arc and 57.1 percent (8-14) from the line.
 
All-MIAA selection Devin Pullum led the RSU offense with 20 points hitting 7-19 from the floor, 2-6 from deep and 4-4 at the free-throw line. Joey Saracco added nine points and had two big-time blocks. Gerren Jackson led the Hillcat defense with nine boards.
 
Justin Bubak led the Griffons offense with 13 points while Taye Fields posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 boards. All-MIAA honoree JaQuaylon “G” Mays finished with a game-high six assists and tied the game-high two steals.
 
Rogers State will face defending Division II National Champions and No.2 seeded Northwest Missouri in a quarterfinal match up on Thursday, March 3 at 8:15 p.m. in Municipal Auditorium.