SACRAMENTO, Calif. (January 17, 2019) – With her team trailing all game, senior
Kaleigh Paplow led the Northern Arizona women's basketball team on a second half charge, although the Lumberjacks would ultimately suffer a 65-61 loss to Sacramento State on Thursday. Paplow led the 'Jacks with 19 points and eclipsed 1,000 career points as NAU fell to 5-10 overall and 1-5 in conference play.
Paplow became the 17th player in program history to join the 1,000 point club. She reached the milestone in the third quarter with a bucket that capped a personal 7-0 run that brought NAU within 44-42 on the scoreboard with 3:56 on the clock. Paplow shot 6-for-8 from the field and 6-for-9 at the line. She scored 13 of her 19 points in the second half, while also adding seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.
"I'm super proud of KP," said head coach
Loree Payne. "She is the heart and soul of our team. She put the team on her back in the second half. I'm disappointed that we couldn't come through for her as a collective unit."
NAU trailed by a game-high 11 points at the end of the first quarter, but fought back to take a brief lead in the final minute of the third quarter. NAU led 49-48 with 26 seconds remaining in the third quarter after sophomore
Khiarica Rasheed split two free throws. However, Sacramento State beat the buzzer to snag a 50-49 lead into the fourth.
The Hornets' run continued into the fourth before Paplow snapped a four-minute NAU drought with two free throws. Paplow's free throws halted Sacramento State's 10-0 run and in turn ignited a 9-0 NAU run that once again tied the game at 58-58. Paplow and freshman
Morgan Gary combined for all nine points in the run.
NAU found itself behind 62-61 with 37 seconds left, but turned the ball over. Needing a strong defensive stand, the Lumberjacks unfortunately fouled the Hornets as the shot clock winded down. Sacramento State converted the three-point play to make it a two-possession game with 8.1 seconds remaining, providing the final margin.
"I don't think we had composure down the stretch," Payne said. "This has been a few games now where we haven't made great decisions in critical times. Players need to step up and make better decisions, and we also need to shoot the ball better. We got open shots and at some point to win games, we need to make open shots."
Sacramento State broke the game open early, drilling a set of treys during an 11-2 run with the game tied at 6-6. The Hornets held a 23-12 advantage at the end of the first period, connecting on six three-pointers in the first 10 minutes.
Rasheed, who posted nine points and nine rebounds before the break, converted on a three-point play to bring NAU within six, 27-21, with 5:41 left in the first half. A layup by redshirt sophomore
Jacey Bailey cut the Sacramento State gap to 30-26 with three minutes left to play in the half, but the Hornets' lead stood at 36-28 advantage at halftime.
Sacramento State's three-point shooting proved to be a huge difference in the first half as the Hornets made eight treys while NAU misfired on all of its 11 attempts behind the arc. Although the Hornets only made one three in the second half, they finished plus-21 behind the arc as the Lumberjacks only shot 2-for-19 on threes for the game.
Sacramento State's three-point advantage helped offset NAU's 17-12 points off turnover and 19-6 second chance points edges. The Lumberjacks shot 34.3 percent to the Hornets' 39.1 percent, but they did outrebound the Hornets, 47-41. Sacramento State entered the game averaging a Big Sky best 43.3 rebounds per game.
Rasheed paced NAU on the glass, tying her career-high of 13 rebounds. Along with her 12 points, Rasheed collected her second straight double-double.
Down by as much as 10 early in the third quarter, Paplow carried the Lumberjacks back. She scored on three-straight possessions, the last in which she scored her 1,000th point, and then junior
Peyton Carroll tied the game at 44-44 with 3:24 on the third quarter clock. Bailey, who finished with 11 points, tied the game once more at 48-48 immediately before Rasheed gave NAU its last lead of the game one possession later.
The Lumberjacks will try to snap their three-game losing streak on Saturday against Portland State. Saturday's game in the Viking Pavilion will start at 3 p.m. MST.
