FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 4, 2018) – Basketball season and it is starting early for the Northern Arizona women's basketball team as the 2018-19 season gets underway in the Rolle Activity Center on Tuesday versus Fresno State at 12:30 p.m. The game will be NAU's Sixth Annual FUSD Field Trip Day game and the first 300 fans will receive a free t-shirt.
NAU was picked 10th in both the Big Sky Coaches and Media Preseason Polls coming off a 7-23 overall season. The Lumberjacks placed 11th last season with a 4-14 conference record. The Lumberjacks are looking to snap an 11-year drought without a winning season. NAU last posted a winning record (20-12) during the 2006-07 season.
Fresno State is hoping to build off a season in which the Bulldogs went 17-15 and finished fourth in the Mountain West Conference with an 11-7 record. Picked third in the conference preseason poll, the Bulldogs advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women's Basketball Invitational last season.
"Fresno State is coming off a pretty good year and they have a lot of returners," said head coach Loree Payne. "We're excited to have a lot of fresh faces and we're ready to take it one game at a time. We're looking forward to putting together everything we've been practicing and putting it on display on Tuesday."
The 'Jacks return three starters who took to the court in NAU's season finale back in March. Senior
Kaleigh Paplow is back for her final season and headlines six returning letterwinners. Paplow is the team's returning statistical leader in four categories including points per game (11.0), rebounds per game (7.4), assists (95) and steals (39). She starts her final season just 225 points shy of becoming the 17th player in program history to score 1,000 career points.
Sophomore
Khiarica Rasheed and senior
Tate Tsingine also finished last season as starters. Rasheed averaged 7.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game during her freshman campaign, while Tsingine is the Lumberjacks' leading returner in three-point percentage (.357).
Junior
Peyton Carroll, redshirt sophomore
Brianna Lehew and sophomore
Lauren Orndoff also are back having played in all but a combined five games between them last season.
NAU also will have the services of seven new faces who did not see game action a year ago. Among them are two transfers who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules (redshirt sophomores
Jacey Bailey and
Caitlin Malvar), a player who missed last season due to injury (redshirt freshman
Alize' McCormick) and four newcomers (sophomore
Ajai Simmons and freshmen
Sentia Bryant,
Morgan Gary and
Regan Schenck).
Tuesday's early matinee season opener will be streamed live on Pluto TV Channel 239. Pluto TV is available
online and on their free mobile app.
About Fresno State:
2017-18 Record: 17-15, 11-7 Mountain West
2018-19 Preseason Mountain West Poll: Third
All-Time Series: Tied, 2-2
Last Meeting: FSU, 73-68 (Dec. 8, 2001)
