FULL 2018-19 SCHEDULE
OGDEN, Utah (July 24, 2018) – Following the release of the Northern Arizona women's basketball's non-conference schedule
last week, the Lumberjacks' 2018-19 slate was completed with the conference office's Big Sky announcement on Tuesday.
NAU, along with its 10 conference members, will play a 20-game Big Sky schedule for just the third time in league history this upcoming season with all 11 teams playing a home and away contest against each other. The league had been on an 18-game unbalanced conference schedule the previous four seasons, but the change coincides with the departure of North Dakota to the Summit League.
Also unlike in previous seasons, Big Sky games will play on Thursday, Saturday and Monday. NAU has two Monday games and will twice play four games over an eight-day span.
The 'Jacks will open the conference slate on the road for the fourth consecutive season with a trip to Missoula to face Montana on Dec. 29. NAU will then play at Montana State on Dec. 31 before a run of three straight home games. It is the third time in the last four seasons that NAU will take on the Montana-Montana State road trip in the opening weekend of league play.
Home games versus Weber State (Jan. 3), Idaho State (Jan. 5) and Southern Utah (Jan. 12) greet NAU as the calendar turns to 2019. After their longest stretch of games away from Flagstaff at Sacramento State (Jan. 17), Portland State (Jan. 19), Northern Colorado (Jan. 26) and Southern Utah (Jan. 28), the 'Jacks will play seven of their last 11 games of the regular season at home.
NAU will alternate weeks at home and on the road over the next four weeks starting with Idaho and Eastern Washington in Flagstaff on Jan. 31 and Feb. 2 respectively. The month of February closes with road contests at both schools on Feb. 21 and Feb. 23. In between, NAU also has a weekend road trip to Idaho State (Feb. 7) and Weber State (Feb. 9) and home games against Portland State and Sacramento State on Feb. 14 and 16 respectively.
The Lumberjacks wraps up the season with three consecutive home games versus Montana State (March 2), Montana (March 4) and defending Big Sky champions Northern Colorado (March 9).
The Big Sky Championship Tournament will move to Boise, Idaho following three years in Reno, Nev. The 2019 tournament, to played at the CenturyLink Arena in downtown Boise, will be held from March 11-16.
All told, the Lumberjacks will play 13 home games in their 29-game schedule during the 2018-19 season.
Head coach
Loree Payne, entering her second season at the helm, returns six letterwinners led by seniors
Kaleigh Paplow and
Tate Tsingine who played at least 26 games last season.
