FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (December 27, 2018) – In what is becoming an annual tradition, the Northern Arizona women's basketball team opens league play with their road trip through the Treasure State as the calendar closes on 2018. The Lumberjacks face Montana in Missoula in their Big Sky opener on Saturday at 2 p.m. before continuing on to Bozeman to take on Montana State on Monday at 4 p.m.
NAU will begin its Big Sky slate with Montana and Montana State for the fifth time in seven seasons with four of those coming on the road. This season will mark the second straight year and third time in four years that the Lumberjacks will start conference play in Missoula. The 'Jacks will try to snap a four-game skid and in the process open league play with a victory for just the third time in the last decade. NAU started the season with a 4-1 record, but have since dropped four straight to enter the conference slate with a 4-5 mark.
The Lumberjacks fell to Arizona, 71-47, in their final non-conference game on Dec. 21. Although the loss was NAU's fourth consecutive, the 'Jacks were not shy on competition with SMU, Colorado State, New Mexico and Arizona combining for a 31-13 record heading into the weekend. Unfortunately, the Lumberjacks' offensive slump continued versus the Wildcats last Friday as NAU shot just 31.7 percent. Over the last four games, NAU is averaging just 51.0 points per game and shooting 29.1 percent overall and 27.4 percent behind the arc.
Senior
Kaleigh Paplow begins conference play as the Big Sky's seventh-leading scorer with 15.9 points per game. Paplow has been outstanding in multiple facets of the game as she is the only player in the league currently ranked in the top 10 of the conference in points, rebounds and assists. Paplow ranks ninth with 6.7 rebounds per game and 10th with 3.7 assists per game. She has scored in double-figures in all nine games, leads the team with two double-doubles while playing more than 37 minutes per game – second-most in the conference.
Sophomore
Khiarica Rasheed (12.2) and sophomore
Lauren Orndoff (8.6) are NAU's next two leading scorers.
Redshirt sophomore
Caitlin Malvar is fourth in the Big Sky with a 40.5 three-point percentage while also ranking fifth with a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio and eighth in defensive rebounds at 4.8 per game. All marks lead the Lumberjacks.
Montana posted a 5-4 record during non-conference play, most recently defeating Montana Tech, 81-49, at home in an exhibition contest on Dec. 20. The Lady Griz edged Saint Francis, 79-77, in their previous game on Dec. 16. NAU has dropped 11 straight overall to Montana and 10 straight in Missoula. The Lumberjacks' last road win over the Lady Griz was on March 9, 2007.
Meanwhile, Montana State dropped three of four to close its non-conference schedule and sits at an even 5-5 going into its conference opener versus Southern Utah on Saturday. Like the Lady Griz, the Bobcats are 3-1 at home including a 59-56 win over Omaha on Dec. 16. The Lumberjacks have dropped five straight to the Bobcats and seven straight in Bozeman dating back to Jan. 28, 2010.
All games the rest of the season will be streamed for free on Pluto TV
online and on the free mobile app, as well as
watchbigsky.com. Saturday's game at Montana will be available on Channel 237 with Monday's New Year's Eve contest at Montana State on Channel 238.
About Montana:
Record: 5-4, 0-0 Big Sky
2018-19 Preseason Big Sky Coaches/Media Polls: Tied for Fifth/Seventh
All-Time Series: UM, 56-11
Last Meeting: UM, 69-52 (Jan. 27, 2018)
About Montana State:
Record: 5-5, 0-0 Big Sky
2018-19 Preseason Big Sky Coaches/Media Polls: Tied for Fifth/Sixth
All-Time Series: MSU, 44-22
Last Meeting: MSU, 78-56 (Jan. 25, 2018)
