GAME NOTES (PDF)

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - After a tough finish to the 2017 calendar year, the Northern Arizona women's basketball team makes their Walkup Skydome debut on Thursday, hosting Weber State at 6:30 p.m. in their first game of 2018. The week concludes with the Lumberjacks welcoming Idaho State to the Dome for a 5 p.m. tip-off on Saturday.

The Lumberjacks hope a return home will be the remedy to snap their six-game losing streak after a pair of road losses to start conference play last week. NAU, now 3-10 overall and 0-2 in the Big Sky, fell to Montana in overtime, 70-62, and was routed 81-39 by Montana State. The first of two in the Treasure State was a heartbreaker with NAU losing a 21-point third quarter lead to the Lady Griz on Thursday before suffering its sixth single-digit point loss of the season. The Lumberjacks' loss to the Bobcats was tough for other reasons, as it was the program's worst loss since suffering a 49-point loss to UTEP on Nov. 22, 2013.

Redshirt senior Kenna McDavis ranks ninth in the conference with 15.9 points per game and second with 9.7 rebounds per game. She tallied her team-leading fifth double-double (18 points, career-high 15 rebounds) of the season against the Lady Griz last Thursday. Meanwhile, redshirt senior Olivia Lucero had her 15-game double-digit scoring streak snapped versus Montana State, but still ranks 10th in the Big Sky in scoring at 15.5 per game. She leads the conference in assists with 5.2 per game.

During its current six-game skid, NAU is averaging just 60.7 points per game while shooting 38.2 percent from the field. That has dropped the Lumberjacks to fourth in the conference in scoring offense at 71.6 per game for the season. The 'Jacks are 10th in scoring defense at 75.5 per game.

All fans will receive free NAU branded cups at Thursday's game and coasters at Saturday's game.

NAU-TV will televise both of this week's games and will be shown on locally on Suddenlink Channel 4 and 104. Saturday's game will also be available on CW6 in Phoenix. Fans can catch the broadcasts online on the Pluto TV app or pluto.tv for free as well as watchbigsky.com.

Scorin' and Dishin': Lucero has been a consistent scorer for the Lumberjacks since she first laced it up for the Blue & Gold, but this season she has also been a prolific passer. In addition to averaging 15.5 points per game and scoring in double-figures in every game thus far this season, Lucero leads the team with 5.2 assists per game. Lucero is 10th in the Big Sky in scoring and first in assists, making her the only player ranked in the top 10 of both categories. She is on pace to become just the second player in school history to average at least 5.0 assists per game, joining Sade Cunningham who accomplished the feat twice in 2007-08 and 2008-09.

McTriple': McDavis is on record pace to shatter NAU's single season three-point shooting records. Through 12 games played, McDavis has made 37 three-pointers at an average of 3.1 three-makes per game. Her three-point shooting average is tied for fifth in the Big Sky. No Lumberjack has ever averaged more than 3.0 three-pointers made per game with the current school record held by Amanda Frost at 2.52 during her All-American 2013-14 season. At her pace, McDavis would also break Kim Winkfield's school record of 76 three-pointers in 2006-07 with roughly three games to spare in the regular season. Not only is McDavis draining threes, but she is doing so at a clip of 37 percent.

One Fact to Know Versus Weber State and Idaho State: Junior Kaleigh Paplow scored an NAU freshman record 36 points against Weber State as a freshman. The Lumberjacks' 51 points versus Idaho State at home last season was their lowest scoring output during the Big Sky schedule.

NAU Quick Hits: NAU still ranks fifth in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.412) despite its recent slump...The Lumberjacks have the third-best field goal defense (.382) in the Big Sky...NAU is second as a team in the conference with 42.8 rebounds per game...NAU is one of two teams with two players in the top 10 of the conference individually in rebounding...Paplow ranks seventh with 7.5 rebounds per game overall and is third with 3.1 offensive rebounds per game.

About Weber State: Weber State defeated Idaho State on the road last Saturday, 76-70, in its only game of the opening week of Big Sky play. The Wildcats, picked ninth in the Big Sky Media Poll and 10th in the Coaches Poll, have won four of their last five games and are 9-3 overall. Larryn Brooks is the fourth-leading scorer in the conference with 19.4 points per game. She is third in the conference in three-pointers made per game (3.3) and is connecting on 37.4 percent of her attempts from behind the arc. Jaiamoni Welch-Coleman comes off the bench to rank second on the team in scoring with 10.6 points per game. She ranks second in the conference with a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Wildcats are the conference's second-highest scoring team with 73.8 points per game while holding their opponents to an average of 69.5 points per game. They are third with a 43.1 team field goal percentage and also rank third with 9.4 three-pointers made per game.

About Idaho State: Idaho State cruised by Westminster College, 83-45, last Thursday before falling to Weber State in its Big Sky opener. The Bengals are 8-4 overall and were voted seventh in the Big Sky Media Poll and eighth in the Coaches Poll. Brooke Blair averages a team-high 14.0 points per game and scores at an efficient rate ranking sixth in the Big Sky with a .492 field goal percentage. Blair also leads the conference by shooting 50 percent on three-pointers. Grace Kenyon ranks second on the Bengals with 10.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while leading the team with 42 assists. She has one triple-double this season. Idaho State leads the conference in scoring margin, outscoring its opponents by a margin of 10.3 points per game. The Bengals are averaging 71.1 points while ranking second in the Big Sky with 60.8 points allowed. They lead the conference in field percentage (.441), field goal defense (.360) and three-point percentage (.406).