FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Trailing by 14 at halftime, the Northern Arizona women's basketball team cut their deficit to two in the fourth quarter, but 23.7 percent shooting proved to be the Lumberjacks' downfall on Sunday. NAU dropped its season opener 61-52 to Hawai'i in the Rolle Activity Center, but showed a strong will to compete and fight against a squad that reached the WNIT a year ago.

"Playing hard and playing together is always going to be one of our strengths," said head coach Sue Darling. "Credit to Hawai'i because that's a fantastic team coming off a 23-win season and they were picked to win their conference like they did last season. I'm proud of our team's effort. This is a starting point for us. Our defense was in the ballpark for where we want it to be, we just have to put the ball in the basket."

Freshman Alyssa Rader tallied a double-double in her first career game as a Lumberjack, tying for team-high honors with 12 points and adding a game-high 10 rebounds and two block. Rader was one of three Lumberjacks to hit double-figure points with senior Mariah Willadsen also chipping in 10 points and redshirt junior Shay Young adding a career-high 10 points off the bench.

Rader put in the first two buckets of the game for the 'Jacks as NAU led 4-0. However, NAU went on nearly a five-minute scoring drought before Willadsen connected on her first basket of the game with 44 seconds left in the first quarter.

NAU trailed 16-9 going into the second quarter after shooting just 3-of-19 in the opening period. Another jumper by Willadsen got the 'Jacks to 21-15 halfway through the second quarter, but a corresponding 10-2 run by the Rainbow Wahine was enough to give the visitors a commanding 35-21 lead heading into the break.

"I thought we came out playing really aggressive defense to start the game but we let up in the second quarter," Darling said. "We took a couple of ill-advised shots that led to fast breaks for them. I was really proud of our effort and intensity the entire game. We just had a little lapse at the end of the first half."

Behind the play of Rader, who scored six points in the first two and a half minutes of the third quarter with a pair of baskets off feeds by junior Brittani Lusain, NAU slowly started to chip away at the Rainbow Wahine's lead. The third quarter proved to be a critical one for the Lumberjacks, as they outscored Hawai'i by eight in large part due to six turnovers by the visitors. Young checked into the game and tallied a career-high six points alone in the third quarter, providing the 'Jacks with a huge spark.

Willadsen's floater with 6:24 remaining in the contest closed NAU to within 48-46, its smallest deficit since Hawai'i led 7-6, and Young hit a pair of free throws a minute later to pull the 'Jacks to 50-48. Unfortunately, NAU made just one field the rest of the way – a layup by freshman Passionate Amukamara with 26 seconds remaining – as the Rainbow Wahine held off the Lumberjacks' comeback effort.

"Hawai'i was a tough team and they had tall guards in addition to their posts," Willadsen said. "We had everyone step up. Everyone had to contribute defensively and offensively, and our team did a great job with our effort. Everything was there, we just needed to put the ball in the basket."

Despite a sizeable height disadvantage across all five spots on the court, NAU more than held its own. The rebounding edge was close until the final minutes with Hawai'i winding up with a plus-eight margin on the glass, 43-35. The Lumberjacks forced the Rainbow Wahine into 23 turnovers, with NAU holding a plus-seven advantage, and turning those miscues into 17 points.

NAU was a sparkling 24-for-30 from the free throw line, which kept the 'Jacks in the game until the end. Young was a perfect 8-for-8 from the line, while Rader and Willadsen both hit all four of their attempts. However, the Lumberjacks were shut out behind the arc, misfiring on all 10 of their three-point attempts.

Senior Monique Mulder and junior Rene Coggins each recorded four steals, combining for eight of NAU's 10 thefts. For Coggins, that tied a career-high.

The Lumberjacks turn around and head to El Paso, Texas for their first road game of the season at UTEP on Tuesday. Tip-off versus the Miners is 7 p.m.