HONOLULU, Hawaii – Everything was pointing to another loss. Boise State was overwhelming on the offensive glass and the Northern Arizona women's basketball team was uncharacteristically struggling at the line. However, the Lumberjacks (1-3 overall) still found a way to triumph in the end.
Redshirt senior
Olivia Lucero's layup through the twine with 1.4 seconds left completed a 15-point fourth quarter comeback and secured NAU's first win of the season, 62-60 over Boise State in its final game of the Bank of Hawai'i Classic.
"This feels awesome; Boise State was picked to win the Mountain West and they have a lot of talent," said head coach
Loree Payne, who picked up her first win at NAU. "They're tall and athletic. Rebounding wasn't one of our best areas of the game, and it's something we'll take a look at. We hit free throws down the stretch when it mattered. I'm proud of this team because this is a monumental win for them."
The Broncos, the defending Mountain West champions and a 2017 NCAA Tournament participant, hit the Lumberjacks hard out of halftime with a 12-0 run that snapped a 30-30 intermission stalemate. The lead grew to as much as 15 with 7:47 remaining in the game before the Lumberjacks charged back.
NAU's captains – Lucero, redshirt senior
Kenna McDavis and junior
Kaleigh Paplow – put the team on their shoulders in the final period by scoring 20 of the Lumberjacks' 23 fourth quarter points.
"(Boise State) kept giving us opportunities to get back in it, and we just had to take it," Payne said. "As a team, we turned it up a notch with their intensity, discipline on defense and execution on offense. They were dialed in the second half of the fourth quarter, which was critical in our comeback. Looking at the numbers (Olivia, Kenna and Kaleigh) put up, they made huge plays at the end. That's what great players do."
The spirited NAU rally started with a Paplow layup with six and a half minutes to go that cut NAU's deficit to 56-42. Lucero followed with a layup, which preceded a three-pointer by McDavis. Four possessions later, McDavis connected on her second trey to make it a one-point game at 56-55 with exactly three minutes on the clock.
By the time Lucero hit two free throws with 2:04 remaining to give NAU a 58-56 edge, the Lumberjacks had gone on a massive 16-0 run. The Broncos answered with four straight points to jump back in front, 62-60, just 60 seconds later. McDavis and Paplow both split a pair at the line to tie the game at 62-62 with 15.9 seconds left. Boise State missed a three on the next possession, which set up the game-winner.
Coming out of a timeout, Lucero got free off a screen from freshman
Khiarica Rasheed and was the recipient of a McDavis feed before laying the ball in with 1.4 seconds. A last second heave by the Broncos was off the mark, ending a whirlwind of a game.
"We've been in three very close games, and one of our challenges to our team was to execute down the stretch," Payne said. "We have a handful of game-winners in our pocket, picked one and they executed just as they were supposed to."
Up until the final eight minutes of the game, the Broncos appeared to be well on their way to handing the 'Jacks a fourth consecutive defeat. Tied up at 30-30 at halftime, Boise State scored the first 12 points of the second half and overall shot 47.1 percent (8-of-17) in the third quarter. Behind seven offensive boards leading to nine second chance points in the period alone – matching NAU's total third quarter output – Boise State was in full command until NAU's furious comeback.
The first half was a struggle with both teams combining to shoot 27.7 percent from the field. There were 23 combined turnovers, including 14 total in the first half, as neither team was able to find a rhythm.
The Lumberjacks' best stretch of the first half was spurred by freshman
Lauren Orndoff, who recorded a block and scored five points during a rapid 7-0 run that put NAU ahead 24-21 midway through the second quarter.
With the exception of Boise State pulling down 25 offensive rebounds and a plus-15 margin in second chance points, NAU's defensive performance was its best of the young season. The Broncos made just 19-of-76 field goals (25 percent) and were 4-of-25 from three-point range. In the fourth quarter, Boise State made just two baskets from the field.
Meanwhile, NAU shot 58.3 percent in the final period and turned the ball over just once after recording 15 turnovers through the first three quarters. That helped offset just 7-of-13 from the free throw line in the last 10 minutes and an overall 16-of-28 showing for the game. The 'Jacks shot 35 percent for the game and won despite being outrebounded 55-42.
Lucero led all players with 20 points and was an efficient 9-for-15 from the field. Paplow finished with 18 points and seven rebounds. McDavis struggled with her shot, but made two crucial threes in the fourth quarter to spearhead a nine-point effort to go with a team-high 12 boards.
The Lumberjacks' next game will be versus Antelope Valley on Monday, Nov. 27 at 6:30 p.m. The game will be played at Tuba City High School.
