Game Information:

Opponent: Loyola Marymount (Wednesday, Dec. 3/5:00 p.m.)

Location: Walkup Skydome - Flagstaff, Ariz.

GAME NOTES (PDF)

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - The Northern Arizona women's basketball team will open the month of December in the Walkup Skydome for the first time this season on Wednesday, in the first game of the NAU basketball doubleheader. The Lumberjacks will host Loyola Marymount at 5 p.m. and will be followed by the NAU men's team hosting UTSA at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday's doubleheader will serve as Military Appreciation with all military personnel receiving free admission with a valid I.D. One ticket will get fans into both the women's and men's games, and NAU students will receive free admission as usual.

Follow the Action:

• Wednesday's game versus Loyola Marymount will be televised live by NAU-TV and broadcasted live on Fox Sports Arizona, Fox Sports West and Fox College Sports Pacific. The game will also be available live locally in Flagstaff on Suddenlink Channels 4 and 104 and online at www.nau-tv.com. Jordan Byrd will handle play-by-play duties with former Lumberjack player Beth Hopper handling color commentary.
• Wednesday's game can also be heard locally on the Northern AZ Healthcare Lumberjack Radio Network on HITS 106.1 FM, KNOT 100.9 FM & 1450 AM and Money Radio 1510 AM & 99.3 FM. An audio stream will also be available on www.hits106.gcmaz.com. Anthony DeFazio will handle the play-by-play duties.
• Wednesday's game will also be available online at www.watchbigsky.com and the Watch Big Sky App.
• For all live stat and video/audio links all season long, visit the NAU Women's basketball schedule page.

Sue Darling's Thoughts: "Going there and losing last year, we're excited to get LMU on our home court, especially being in the Skydome for the first time this year. It's going to be a great night, we play first and our men play second and we're both play really quality teams. For us, it's about continuing to play great Lumberjack defense and boxing out. LMU is an offensive rebounding team and we want to get our transition offense a little more. When we put pressure on Fort Lewis, we were able to get them to turn the ball over and we got into transition a little better."

Previewing The 'Jacks: After playing six games in 15 days throughout the first month of the season, the Lumberjacks enter the week at 3-3 following a 61-43 victory against Fort Lewis College on Saturday. In the win, NAU held Fort Lewis to 29.3 percent shooting and was led offensively by senior Erikka Banks, who recorded her second double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Banks ranks second in the conference in rebounding at 9.8 boards per contest and is also averaging a team-best 12.3 points and two steals per game. Senior Raven Anderson is also averaging double-digit points at 11.0 per game and she is fifth in the Big Sky with a .553 field goal percentage. As a team, the Lumberjacks are third in the conference in scoring defense allowing 57.8 points per game and is third in rebounding at 43.3 per game. Banks, Anderson, sophomore Brittani Lusain and junior Mariah Willadsen are each averaging at least five rebounds per game.

Scouting Loyola Marymount: Loyola Marymount won its own Thanksgiving tournament last week, picking up its first two victories of the season in the progress to move to 2-3 this season. After three losses to begin the season, the Lions defeated UAB, 66-61, and Bowling Green, 51-48, in their first home contests. Sophomore Leslie Lopez-Wood was named the Tournament MVP, averaging 15.5 points per game in the two games and was joined on the all-tournament team by the team's leading scorer, junior Deanna Johnson. Johnson is tied for third in the West Coast Conference with 17.6 points per game as one of four Lions averaging double-figure points. Lopez-Wood is averaging three made three-pointers per game and senior Emily Ben-Jumbo is fourth in the conference in rebounding at 9.2 per game.

Series History: 

• NAU and Loyola Marymount will be meeting for the 10th time in school history. NAU leads the all-time series 7-2. Loyola Marymount won the last meeting, 79-58, on Dec. 7, 2013 in Los Angeles.

N-A-U Should Know: 

• The Lumberjacks were picked 10th in both the Big Sky Preseason Coaches and Media Polls.
• Through their first six games of the season, the Lumberjacks have held their opponents to under 50 points in three games, just one season after failing to do that once during the 2013-14 season. NAU is 3-0 in these games.
• Six different Lumberjacks have scored in double-figures this season through six games. Raven Anderson and Erikka Banks lead the team with three double-digit scoring games followed by Rene Coggins (2), Tori Lloyd (2), Brittani Lusain (1) and Mariah Willadsen (1).
• NAU has used the same starting lineup of Anderson, Banks, Coggins, Lusain and Willadsen in all six games.
• Banks ranks second in the Big Sky in rebounding at 9.8 per game. Coggins leads the Big Sky in free throw percentage at .952.
• The 2014-15 non-conference schedule is filled with familiar faces with six of the team's 11 opponents making an appearance on the Lumberjacks' slate for the second straight season. Returning opponents include UTEP (Nov. 19), UC Santa Barbara (Nov. 23), UT Arlington (Nov. 26), Loyola Marymount (Dec. 3), Pepperdine (Dec. 16) and CSUN (Dec. 18). Last season, NAU compiled a 2-4 record against these six opponents earning wins against UC Santa Barbara (road) and UT Arlington (home).

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