FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – One week after losing a significant third quarter lead, the Northern Arizona women's basketball returned the favor in their Walkup Skydome opener Thursday night. Behind a game-winning shot by redshirt senior
Kenna McDavis with 18 seconds remaining and a defensive stop in the final seconds, the Lumberjacks successfully completed a 17-point comeback to come out victorious, 76-75, over Weber State.
NAU (4-10 overall, 1-2 Big Sky) snapped its six-game losing streak with its largest come-from-behind victory of the season – exactly a week after seeing a 21-point lead slip away in an overtime loss at Montana . NAU's previous largest deficit overcome in a victory was 15 points against Boise State.
"The resilience by our team tonight was a huge step in the right direction for us," said head coach
Loree Payne. "I reminded them that the tables turned from last week. We had an opportunity to make right what wasn't right last weekend. Even after (Larryn Brooks) hit two big threes, the team believed we'd win. Having a winning mindset is something we've been working on."
Off a baseline inbounds, McDavis' shot off the glass gave NAU the 76-75 edge, but the Lumberjacks still needed one final stop to secure their first Big Sky victory. The stop would come when McDavis cleared Kailie Quinn's three-point miss with 1.3 seconds on the clock. McDavis, who rebounded Weber State's previous miss prior to her game-winning bucket, finished with her sixth double-double of the season (20 points and 11 rebounds).
While McDavis scored 11 of her points in the fourth quarter, redshirt senior
Olivia Lucero totaled 10 of her team-high 21 points in the final period. Both players made 4-of-5 from the field in the final 10 minutes. Struggling offensively for most of the game, junior
Kaleigh Paplow also hit two big shots in the fourth quarter. As a team, NAU made 12-of-17 field goals and tied its second-best all-time field goal percentage (70.6 percent) in the last period. The 29 fourth quarter points also matched NAU's highest scoring quarter of the season.
"Kenna, Kaleigh and Liv hit some big shots in the second half," Payne said. "Great players come through in the end."
Freshmen
Khiarica Rasheed and
Kaprice Boston complemented NAU's three captains with solid performances as well. Rasheed notched her second career double-digit scoring game with 12 points to go with six rebounds, while Boston recorded a season-best nine points off the bench.
"Khi had a tremendous game; she was physical and grabbed tough rebounds," Payne said. "Kaprice came off the bench and was a defensive stopper in addition to making shots when she's open. That's exactly what we want from her and we've been pushing her. Overall, it was just a great team effort tonight."
"We were down and we fought back, and that wasn't present last weekend," Lucero added. "We were able to push through. Kenna and Kaleigh hit shots. Kaprice to Khiarica were huge tonight and they're just freshmen. Coach (
Kellee Barney) was in my ear the entire game, telling me if we control the boards and get stops on defense, (the game) was going to be ours."
A 9-0 Weber State run put NAU in a 16-6 hole six minutes into the game and the Wildcats held a 25-15 lead at the end of the first period after shooting 60 percent to open. The Weber State lead stood at 37-23 midway through the second quarter before Lucero scored all six points during a 6-0 NAU run to trim the Lumberjack deficit to eight points. However a Wildcat three-point as the first half buzzer sounded gave the visitors a 40-29 halftime lead.
NAU may have won the game in the fourth quarter, but the Lumberjacks' rally started by closing the third period strong. The Lumberjacks trailed by 17 on two occasions in the third – the last coming at the 4:29 mark at 52-35 – and were down 13 with two minutes left before finishing on a 6-0 run. Freshman
Lauren Orndoff was the sparkplug with a pair of baskets to help NAU climb within 54-47 heading into the fourth.
NAU methodically chopped away at the deficit before surging ahead, 63-62, with 5:28 left following back-to-back threes by McDavis and Lucero. After Weber State managed to tie it at 68-68, McDavis hit two free throws to put NAU back in front. The Wildcats responded with a three, only for McDavis to respond with a jumper, before they retook the lead with another triple.
Weber State split a trip to the line to extend its advantage out to 75-72 with a minute left, but Boston scored at the rim to get the 'Jacks within one. That set the stage for McDavis' late game heroics as NAU halted a three-game skid to Weber State over the last two years.
The Lumberjacks shot 57.6 percent in the second half, after shooting 29.7 percent in the first, to snag their first win in seven attempts when trailing at halftime this season. The 'Jacks reversed the tide after the intermission on the glass – recording a plus-five margin – to outrebound the Wildcats by a 43-39 total for the game.
NAU also turned the ball over 11 times to mark its lowest count since the season opener.
The 'Jacks will host Idaho State on Saturday in the Skydome at 5 p.m. The Bengals fell to Southern Utah by a 76-70 score Thursday night in Cedar City.
