GAME NOTES (PDF)

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - The Northern Arizona women's basketball team, having just completed a three-game homestand, heads back out on the road this week for a pair of games at Eastern Washington on Thursday and Idaho on Saturday. NAU's Thursday tilt at Eastern Washington will tip-off at 7 p.m. MST. The Lumberjacks will face Idaho at 3 p.m. MST on Saturday.

This past Saturday, NAU dropped a close 60-57 contest to Southern Utah in its lone game of the week. The loss was the Lumberjacks' seventh by single digits this season as they are now 4-12 overall and 1-4 in conference play. The Lumberjacks stormed back from a 12-point deficit in the third quarter to take a brief lead with two and a half minutes left in the game. The Thunderbirds would hold the Lumberjacks scoreless the rest of the way while closing on a 6-0 run.

Junior Kaleigh Paplow recorded her fourth double-double of the season versus the Thunderbirds, netting 11 points along with pulling down a season-high 12 rebounds. She is averaging 8.8 rebounds per game in conference play, tied with redshirt senior Kenna McDavis for fourth in the Big Sky.

McDavis leads the 'Jacks with 16.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. She is ninth in the league in scoring and first in rebounding, while shooting 36.6 percent from three-point range. Redshirt senior Olivia Lucero was an efficient 7-for-11 from the field against Southern Utah, scoring a team-high 17 points, and ranks 11th in the Big Sky overall in scoring at 15.4 points per game. She leads the Big Sky with 4.8 assists per game and her 87.3 free throw percentage is third-best.

The Lumberjacks are averaging 69.9 points per game and are allowing 74.5 points per game overall. NAU is second in field goal defense at .387 and rebounding with 42.1 per game. 

Thursday's game will be available on Channel 234 on the Pluto TV app or pluto.tv while Saturday's game will be on Channel 242. Fans can also catch the games on watchbigsky.com.

Wanted - Faster Starts: Corresponding with their offensive struggles in conference play, NAU has been slowed by first quarter starts in its five league games. The 'Jacks are shooting just 29.3 percent (24-82) from the field and 18.2 percent (4-22) from three during the first quarter in Big Sky games. Compared to non-conference play, the Lumberjacks shot 44.2 percent overall and 38.2 percent from three in the first quarter. NAU has been outscored in the first quarter in four of five conference games, including twice by double-digits, after being outscored just six times in 11 non-conference games. Overall, NAU is 2-8 this season when trailing after the first quarter and 1-3 in Big Sky play.

McTriple Count: Through 15 games played, McDavis is still on pace to break the school record for three-pointers made in a season. She has made 45 three-pointers at an average of 3.0 three-makes per game. Her three-point shooting average is tied for fourth in the Big Sky. At her pace, McDavis would break Kim Winkfield's school record of 76 three-pointers in 2006-07 with roughly three games to spare in the regular season.

One Fact to Know Versus Eastern Washington and Idaho: NAU has won two of its last three versus Eastern Washington at home, but has lost four straight in Cheney. The Lumberjacks' 76-61 victory at Idaho last March 1 is their most recent road win and they have dropped seven straight since.

NAU Quick Hits: Freshman Kaprice Boston made her first career start versus Southern Utah...Boston is averaging 8.7 points and 2.3 rebounds per game over the last three games...The Lumberjacks are shooting 40.5 percent from the field overall this season...NAU's field goal percentage is just .352 in league play though...The Lumberjacks have shot 80 percent from the free throw line in conference play...Paplow is 10-for-11 from the line in conference play...Lucero is third overall in the league with a .873 free throw percentage.

About Eastern Washington: Eastern Washington picked up a 71-64 home win over Idaho last Friday in its only game of the week to improve to 3-2 in conference play. The Eagles were voted sixth in the Big Sky Preseason Media Poll and seventh in the Coaches Poll and are 8-9 overall this season. Delaney Hodgins is the Eagles' leading scorer (19.8) and rebounder (8.0), ranking third and sixth respectively in the conference overall. In conference play, Hodgins is averaging 21.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game on nearly 50 percent shooting. Violet Kapri Morrow is second behind Hodgins in both scoring (11.9) and rebounding (4.7) and like Hodgins, she has seen an uptick in conference play. Morrow is averaging 14.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in league play. Eastern Washington is averaging 62.7 points per game and allowing 66.6 points per game overall this season. The Eagles force 17.8 turnovers per game largely due to 10.9 steals per game, both of which are second in the Big Sky.

About Idaho: Idaho was on the short end of a 71-64 loss at Eastern Washington last Friday and fell to 6-10 this season with a 2-3 mark in conference play. The Vandals were picked fourth by the Big Sky media in the preseason and fifth by the league coaches. Mikayla Ferenz paces the entire league in scoring at 22.9 points per game, including 28.4 per game in league play. She ranks second in three-point shooting with 61 makes on the Big Sky's fifth-best three-point percentage at .407. In conference play, she is shooting 44.9 percent from behind the arc. Taylor Pierce is the only player in the conference with more three-pointers made than Ferenz with 66 on 40.5 percent shooting. She ranks second on the team overall with 15.3 points per game. Idaho has the third-highest scoring offense in the league at 71.1 points per game aided by a Big Sky leading 10.1 three-pointers made. However, the Vandals are 11th in the league in scoring defense with 76.9 points per game allowed and .439 field goal defense.