FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (December 17, 2019) – The Northern Arizona men's basketball team will close out the non-conference schedule in the Golden State starting with UC Riverside in Riverside, Calif. on Thursday at 8 p.m. MST. The Lumberjacks' Thursday night tilt with the Highlanders will be the first of two games in the Golden State followed by Saturday's afternoon 2 p.m. tip-off versus Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif.
Thursday's meeting with the Highlanders will be streamed on Big West TV and can be heard on the Lumberjack Radio Network with the Voice of the Lumberjacks
Mitch Strohman on the call. Strohman will be joined by NAU Hall of Famer Ross Land on the broadcast. Saturday's meeting with the Waves will be streamed on the WCC Network with Strohman providing the play-by-play on the Lumberjack Radio Network.
NAU snapped a seven-game non-conference losing streak with a 79-73 victory over Utah Valley on Dec. 14, pushing the Lumberjacks' record to 5-2 overall. The 5-2 start is NAU's best since the 2010-11 team opened the season with an 8-2 mark. All five of NAU's starters scored in double-figures in the road win at Utah Valley last Saturday with senior
Chris Bowling tallying a season-high 16 points.
The 'Jacks are in the midst of a stretch of five consecutive road games before their Big Sky home opener on Jan. 4.
Sophomore
Cameron Shelton leads the team with 13.9 points and 3.4 assists per game, which places him 12th and fifth respectively in the league. Senior
Brooks DeBisschop ranks second with 9.0 rebounds per game and is ninth with 3.1 assists per game.
NAU will face UC Riverside for the first time in a decade on Thursday with the 'Jacks claiming a 68-56 win at home in their most recent meeting on Dec. 13, 2009.
NAU leads the all-time series 4-3. The teams have traded wins every step of the way in the all-time series since NAU won the first head-to-head meeting in 1961. All three of the Lumberjacks' losses have come in Riverside though, but their last two matchups in 2003 (72-69 in overtime) and 2008 (59-52) have come by less than 10 points.
NAU's average margin of victory in its four all-time wins over UC Riverside is 14.8.
NAU will face Pepperdine for the first time since Dec. 7, 2011 on Saturday. The Lumberjacks fell to the Waves, 49-40, the last time they met .
Pepperdine leads the all-time series 13-3. The 'Jacks have won in Malibu once before, and coincidentally it was in their most recent visit, on Nov. 28, 2010. NAU defeated Pepperdine, 88-74.
