POCATELLO, Idaho – Northern Arizona women's basketball dropped its second straight Big Sky Conference game with a 67-60 loss to Idaho State at Reed Gym on Friday. Amy Patton totaled her fifth double-double of the season with a career-high 30 points and team-high 11 rebounds.

After trailing by as much as 18 points in the second half, NAU (2-13, 0-2 BSC) cut Idaho State's lead to five with just under three minutes to play. The Lumberjacks went on a 21-6 run to put them in a position to win, but Idaho State (7-9, 2-1 BSC) prevented NAU from getting any closer with timely free-throw shooting down the stretch.

“We have to play for 40 minutes,” said head coach Laurie Kelly. “We need to have that urgency before we are down 18 points. It is hard to come back down by that many especially on the road.”

Patton shot 11-of-22 from the field and 3-of-7 from three-point range. Patton also converted 5-of-6 free point attempts. The freshman guard from Tempe, Ariz., became just the fifth player in the Big Sky Conference to score 30 points in a game this season.

The Lumberjacks held a four point lead over Idaho State with 8:09 left in the first half, but the Bengals put together a 14-0 run over the next seven minutes stretching its lead to 10 with 1:41 remaining in the half.

NAU (2-13, 0-2 BSC) was unable to find its offensive rhythm in the first half and trailed 28-18 at the break. Idaho State opened the second half with a 10-2 run and held an 18-point edge on two separate occasions before NAU was able to pull within two possessions.

“We played poorly in the first half and you just can't win with one player,” said Kelly of the team's performance despite Patton's efforts. “In the second half we started making shots, but for every time we scored we let them score. We got it down to five, but made some mental mistakes down the stretch. I am proud they battled back but we should not have been in that situation.”

NAU reached the 40-percent mark shooting 40.4-percent for the game after a strong second half in which the Lumberjacks shot a season-high 56.7-percent. Idaho State converted 42.9-percent of its field-goal attempts

Idaho State produced three players in double figures with Ashleigh Vella coming off the bench for a team-high 14 points. Andrea Videbeck totaled 13 points and Chelsea Pickering added 12 points.

Patton finished as the only Lumberjack in double figures. Lauren Hoisington and Caty Huntington chipped in eight points apiece combining for 6-of-18 shooting.

NAU will look for its first Big Sky win on Saturday, January 9 in Ogden, Utah, when the Lumberjacks take on Weber State at 7:05 p.m. at the Dee Events Center.