NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – After shooting 51.6 percent in the first half, the Northern Arizona women's basketball team's field goal percentage dipped to 28.2 percent in the second as NAU fell to CSUN, 78-69, Monday night in the Matadome. The Lumberjacks will take a 3-8 record into the start of conference play on Dec. 28.
NAU dropped its fourth consecutive contest, but not before it outrebounded CSUN, who entered the game 10th in the country with a plus-12.5 margin on the glass. Sophomore
Peyton Carroll pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds and junior
Kaleigh Paplow collected 11 boards – with six on the offensive end – to pace the Lumberjacks' 47-44 rebounding edge.
CSUN shot 52.9 percent in the decisive third quarter and scored the first six points to break a 37-37 halftime tie and the Lumberjacks played from behind the rest of the way. NAU misfired on its first eight shots of the second half and despite a strong finish to the third quarter, the Lumberjacks went into halftime down five, 57-52.
Redshirt senior
Kenna McDavis, who finished with a team-high 17 points, knocked down a three with 6:45 on the fourth quarter clock to prompt a CSUN timeout. With the Matadors' lead trimmed to 58-57, CSUN connected on two triples to push its lead back out to seven and led by as many a dozen to keep NAU at a distance in the final period.
While the Lumberjacks' offense hit a snag in the second half, they were in sync prior to the intermission. Yet they went into halftime even on the scoreboard due to a Matador 12-2 run to close the game's first 20 minutes, which negated a 9-for-13 showing from the field by the 'Jacks in the second quarter.
Spurred by eight second quarter points from freshman
Lauren Orndoff, NAU led by as many as 10 minutes with three minutes left in the first half. Redshirt senior
Olivia Lucero turned a steal into a fast break layup to put NAU ahead 35-25, before CSUN's first half closing run.
The run was the second pivotal one by the Matadors, with the first coming in the opening period. After NAU hit six of its first nine shots, including a pair of three-point plays by McDavis and Paplow, to take a 15-7 lead, CSUN finished the quarter on a 9-2 run to close to 17-16 by the end of the period.
Withstanding NAU's offensive exploits in the first half, CSUN's momentum to end the first half carried over into the third quarter.
McDavis made four three-pointers for the second consecutive game to lead four 'Jacks in double-figures in the scoring column. Lucero and Orndoff scored 14 and 11 points respectively. Carroll added 10 points along with her career-best performance on the glass to record her second career double-double.
The Lumberjacks' 47 rebounds were their third-highest game total of the season, but they shot 38.6 percent to the Matadors' 42 percent clip.
The 'Jacks will open the Big Sky slate on Thursday, Dec. 28 in Missoula, Mont. versus Montana at 7 p.m. NAU will then wrap up the first weekend of conference play at Montana State on Saturday, Dec. 30.
