FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (December 12, 2019) – After five consecutive home games, the Northern Arizona men's basketball team opens a five-game road stretch on Saturday versus Utah Valley in Orem, Utah at 7:30 p.m. MST. The Lumberjacks will play five straight away from home, including three straight to close non-conference play, before their Big Sky home opener versus Weber State on Jan. 4.
Saturday's meeting with the Wolverines will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network and can be heard on the Lumberjack Radio Network with the Voice of the Lumberjacks
Mitch Strohman on the call.
The Lumberjacks take a 4-2 overall record with them on the road following a 73-65 victory over Omaha in Prescott Valley in the Findlay Toyota Center on Dec. 8. NAU, led by sophomore
Cameron Shelton's career-high 20 points and junior
Bernie Andre's first double-double of the season (10 points, 13 rebounds), raced out to a 25-point halftime lead and held off the hard-charging Mavericks in the second half.
NAU was red-hot from the field, shooting 55.9 percent overall and 6-for-11 (54.5 percent) from behind the arc in building a 45-20 halftime lead. The Lumberjacks broke open a 10-10 tie midway through the first half by outscoring the Mavericks, 35-10, in the final 10 minutes heading into the locker room. Omaha strung together a furious rally in the second half and got as close as six points, but NAU hung on for its fourth win of the season.
Four 'Jacks – Shelton (20), senior
Ted McCree (17), Andre (10) and junior
Cameron Satterwhite (10) – scored in double-figures. NAU shot 47.5 percent for the game and outrebounded Omaha, 45-34. The game marked the first this season against a Division I opponent in which NAU held the rebounding advantage.
Amazingly enough, Saturday's tilt in Orem versus Utah Valley will be NAU's first game of the season outside the state of Arizona. After NAU opened up the 2019-20 season in Tucson versus Arizona, the Lumberjacks played four straight in Flagstaff before their game in Prescott Valley this past Sunday.
The 'Jacks will take on Utah Valley for the second consecutive season on Sunday. The Wolverines posted a 98-78 victory last season on Dec. 8, 2018 in the Rolle Activity Center. Although NAU drained 13 three-pointers, a season-best total that the 'Jacks matched in two other games later in the season, Utah Valley shot 59.0 percent from the field and made 15 threes of its own.
Utah Valley leads the all-time series 2-1. The two programs played a home-and-home during the 2008-09 season with Utah Valley defeating NAU, 68-62, in the only previous meeting in Orem.
The Lumberjacks' lone victory in the three previous all-time matchups was Dec. 6, 2008 in Flagstaff by a narrow 64-63 margin.
