FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 20, 2019) – The Northern Arizona University had a total of five players finish with double-figure points as it won its second-straight home game with a 93-56 victory over Benedictine Mesa on Wednesday evening at the Rolle Activity Center.
The Lumberjacks (2-1) shot a solid 55.1 percent (38-of-69) from the field in the win over the Redhawks and connected on eight nine three-point shots. NAU won the battle in the paint 50-30 and converted 18 Benedictine Mesa turnovers into a 20 points.
NAU controlled the game for the majority of the contest as it only trailed for a total of 72 seconds. The Lumberjacks broke the game open with a 16-2 run to close out the first half to claim a 20-point advantage at 52-32 entering the break.
"I like how we shared the ball again, we had 20 assists and 11 turnovers," NAU head coach
Shane Burcar said. "The other thing I liked about our performance tonight is truthfully they were making shots early and we battled and we kept doing what we believed in and the guys adjusted really well as the game went on and we ended up holding them below a 39 percent clip from the field."
The 'Jacks went on to outscore the Redhawks 41-24 in the second half to close out the 37-point victory.
Sophomore
Luke Avdalovic paced the 'Jacks with a game-high 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Fellow sophomore
Cameron Shelton chipped in 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Junior
Bernie Andre tabbed 11 points and pulled down nine boards, while sophomore
Nik Mains added 10 points and four steals.
Benedictine Mesa was led in defeat by Tre Carolina and Austin Denham, who each finished with 12 points.
With the victory, the Lumberjacks posted back-to-back victories at home for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign.
The Lumberjacks will enjoy nine days off before continuing the current homestand on Saturday, Nov. 30 in a 12 p.m. MST tip vs. South Dakota at the Rolle Activity Center.
The tilt with the Coyotes can be seen on Pluto TV (channel 539) and also heard on the Lumberjack Radio Network.
