FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 16, 2019) – Redshirt sophomore
Nina Radford scored 10 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter to help the Northern Arizona women's basketball team hold off Seattle for an 88-80 victory in the Rolle Activity Center on Saturday. Radford spurred a game-changing 15-4 Lumberjack run midway through the fourth quarter as the 'Jacks picked up their first victory of the season, evening their record to 1-1.
"We start games well and we get a little complacent," Radford said. "We fall back into being comfortable. We want to get a lead, keep a lead and win the game. We made it tough on ourselves, but I'm proud of the team for coming through."
NAU took a 65-58 lead into the final 10 minutes before Seattle opened with a 10-0 run to take a three-point lead. With the Redhawks leading 70-69 with six and a half minutes remaining, Radford imposed her will on the game beginning with a drive to the rim to put the 'Jacks ahead for good, 71-70.
Radford, who also finished with seven rebounds and five assists, scored nine straight points for NAU and redshirt juniors
Brianna Lehew and
Jacey Bailey followed with consecutive threes to put the Lumberjacks up, 84-74, with 2:14 left at the end of their 15-4 run. Seattle never got closer than six the rest of the way as the Lumberjacks knocked off the Redhawks for the second time in as many seasons.
"What I love about the team was they were excited in the locker room, but they were frustrated because we had some breakdowns," said head coach
Loree Payne. "We missed some easy shots, but the team executed towards the end. They never thought they were going to lose this game and we're ready to get back to work."
The Lumberjacks shot 42 percent from the field and made 10 threes spread amongst eight different players. While the Redhawks were effective offensively at times themselves shooting at a 40.8 percent clip overall, the Lumberjacks outrebounded the Redhawks, 50-38, led by Bailey, who had a team-high 10 boards.
Junior
Lauren Orndoff paced the Lumberjacks with a career-high 20 points on an efficient 7-for-8 showing from the field. She was also 5-for-7 at the line. Junior
Khiarica Rasheed scored 16 points and tied her career-highs with three steals and two blocks, while redshirt junior
Caitlin Malvar tallied a career-high seven assists.
For the second straight game, NAU came out scorching with an 11-3 lead less than three minutes into the game. Rasheed was dominant, netting 10 points in the opening quarter, guiding the 'Jacks to a 26-19 advantage at the end of one period.
Seattle managed to tie the score at 35-35 midway through the second quarter, but went 0-for-8 from the floor in the final five minutes with its only two points coming at the line. During that stretch, freshman
Emily Rodabaugh and redshirt senior
Molly Rohrer aided NAU's 11-2 run to close the half with a pair of triples as the Lumberjacks took a 46-37 lead into the locker room.
The Lumberjacks maintained their advantage throughout the third quarter with the Redhawks unable to make a significant dent in their deficit. However, Seattle connected on a triple right before the third quarter buzzer, which coupled with its 10-0 run to open the fourth, erased what was a 65-55 advantage following a three-point play by Orndoff.
Sophomore
Regan Schenck scored consecutive baskets to halt Seattle's run allowing NAU to retake a brief 69-68 lead with 6:54 remaining on the clock before the Redhawks knocked down a pair of free throws to take their final lead of the game, 70-69, on the next possession. From there, Radford scored the next six points and the Lumberjacks never trailed again.
"We could've put this game away early in the fourth quarter, but we let (Seattle) hang around," Payne said. "But we have an expectation to win and I'm proud of this team."
After being outscored by 44 in bench points in its season opener at New Mexico, NAU's bench outscored Seattle's by a 22-15 margin on Saturday. Schenck led the Lumberjacks' reserves with seven points to go along with seven rebounds and two steals. Every player who appeared for NAU made a shot from the field.
The Lumberjacks will head out on a road trip next week that will take them through California Baptist next Thursday, Nov. 21 and Fresno State on Sunday, Nov. 24.
