FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Dec. 8, 2018) – The Northern Arizona men's basketball team ran into a hot shooting Utah Valley squad that connected on a total of 15 three pointers in a 98-78 loss at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome on Saturday evening.
The two teams combined for a total of 28 treys, but Utah Valley hit for a resounding 62.5 percent clip from beyond the arc as it connected on 15-of-24 attempts. NAU kept pace for the majority of the first half as it trailed 47-44 at the break, but the Wolverines outscored the Lumberjacks 51-34 over the final 20 minutes.
The 15 connections from long distance by Utah Valley were the most by an NAU opponent since Eastern Washington hit 15-of-23 (65.2 percent) against the Lumberjacks on Jan. 18, 2018.
The loss marks the Lumberjacks fourth straight and sends their record to 2-5, while Utah Valley improves to 7-4 overall.
NAU started the game out strong as it led by as many as seven points in the opening half on the strength of nine three pointers and 14 points by sophomore
Carlos Hines, who finished with a game-high 21 points to lead a total of four Lumberjacks who finished with double-figure scoring totals.
Utah Valley started to pull away in the opening moments of the second half as it reeled off seven straight points over the first 2:21 after the break and outscored the Lumberjacks 43-22 over 13-plus minutes to build its largest lead at 25 points.
The Lumberjacks finished the game with 13 makes from beyond the arc on 26 attempts (50.0 percent), which marked their most made treys since dropping 14 vs. Idaho on Jan. 20, 2018. NAU was outscored 42-12 in the paint in the loss.
Hines led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including a 5-of-9 clip from long distance.
Davon Bolton added 14 points, while
Bernie Andre tabbed 15 and
Ted McCree added 13. Freshman
Cameron Shelton paced the 'Jacks on the glass with nine rebounds.
Five players finished with double-figure scoring efforts in the win for Utah Valley including Isaiah White, who registered a team-high 19. Conner Toolson added 16, while Connor MacDougall and Wyatt Lowell notched 12 each. Lowell made 4-of-5 three-point shots to lead the Wolverines long-distance shooting attack. TJ Washington scored 10 to round out Utah Valley's double-digit scorers.
The Lumberjacks return to the road on Saturday, Dec. 15 when they take on San Jose State in an 8 p.m. MST tip that will mark the first contest of a three-game road trip.
The 'Jacks-Spartans contest will be televised live on the
Mountain West Digital Network. It can also be heard on the Lumberjacks Radio Network beginning with the pregame show at 7:30 p.m. MST.
