FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The Northern Arizona women's basketball team run and gunned Lamar from the opening tip and left the Cardinals gasping at 7,000 feet, as the Lumberjacks raced out to a commanding first quarter lead and held on for their first victory of the season on Sunday, 75-63. NAU, now 1-2 on the young season, put up 31 points in the first quarter with nearly half coming on the fast break to achieve the quick start the team was missing in their first two games.

"Everyone has been talking about our comebacks the first two games; we want to be a team that can come back if we need to, but not a team that needs to rely on a comeback," said head coach Sue Darling. "It was really important that we started strong. Our defense was good and our rebounding was excellent. We did a nice job sharing the ball; we had 22 assists on 33 field goals and that's incredible team work offensively."

Junior Rene Coggins registered a game-high 19 points and lit the Rolle Activity Center on fire early with 12 first quarter points. She knocked down her first of three triples to break the scoring seal 30 seconds into the game, and NAU was literally off and running. Facing a Lamar press, the Lumberjacks broke the pressure easily, resulting in layup after layup. NAU tallied 14 fast break points in the first quarter alone, with junior Brittani Lusain recording five of the team's 10 assists in the first 10 minutes against just one turnover.

"Our main focus was to come out with high intensity and high energy, and jump on them from the beginning," Coggins said. "We knew they were going to press, but the name of the game was getting the ball to our posts because they were going to finish down there against the trap."

Shooting 68.4 percent from the field, the Lumberjacks took a 31-19 lead into the second quarter where they extended their advantage to 20 points at halftime, 49-29. The Cardinals struggled from the floor making just 4-of-19 in the second period, while freshman Alyssa Rader led a late push by the 'Jacks with six points during an 8-2 run to close the half.

The Lumberjacks were plagued by 16 turnovers in the final 20 minutes after committing just five in the first half, but their halftime lead was insurmountable. Lamar had another tough quarter, shooting 22.2 percent in the third, and was unable to significantly cut into NAU's lead. The Cardinals outscored the Lumberjacks in the final period by eight, but the damage had already been done allowing NAU to come away with win number one of the campaign.

NAU was a force on the glass, holding a dominating rebounding advantage of 49-29. More importantly, the Lumberjacks kept the Cardinals off the offensive glass, limiting Lamar to just 10 offensive rebounds – half of its season average. Rader and Lusain each led the way with 10 rebounds apiece, while Coggins tied her career-high with six boards.

Coggins finished the game shooting 50 percent from the field, 7-of-14, and was three points shy of her career-high. Joining her in double-figures was Rader who was an efficient 7-of-9 during her 16 point outing, and Lusain who finished with 12. Rader and Lusain both posted double-doubles, with Rader now recording a double-double in three straight games to start her NAU career. Senior Mariah Willadsen and junior Bradlee Cotton chipped in eight points each, with Cotton equaling her career-best.

The Lumberjacks finished with 22 fast break points and 42 points in the paint, outscoring the Cardinals in both categories. Lusain had seven assists and junior Taylor Leyva matched her career-high with five in an all-around display of ball movement which led NAU to shoot 51.6 percent for the game. Lamar on the other hand shot only 36.4 percent.

"I was proud of how every player played today," Darling said. "The starters started us off well and the players off the bench kept it going. We had monster games from a number of players. We knew after two games that we were a good team, we just didn't get the result we wanted. When players work hard, you know a breakthrough is coming and good things happened against a team picked to win their conference."

The Lumberjacks will hit the road to Las Cruces, N.M. this weekend for the Aggie Thanksgiving Tournament hosted by New Mexico State. NAU will play Long Beach State on Friday (3 p.m.) and the host New Mexico State on Saturday (7 p.m.) during the two-day holiday tourney.