LAHAINA, Hawaii (December 19, 2019) – After a blistering start Thursday night, the Northern Arizona women's basketball team held on for a 67-64 victory over San Jose State in their final game at the Maui Jim Maui Classic. The Lumberjacks' dramatic win upped NAU's record to 3-6 to close out the non-conference portion of the schedule.
"Getting a win heading into conference gives us momentum," said head coach
Loree Payne. "I'm proud of our team and San Jose State is a really good team. They sped us up, but we had composure down the stretch and that was huge."
Redshirt sophomore
Nina Radford was named to the All-Tournament Team after posting a game-high 20 points on 5-for-7 shooting. She was 2-of-3 from behind the arc and made all eight of her free throws in netting her second 20-point game of the season.
"We needed it tonight because we were on a bit of a losing streak," Radford said. "The win gets you hyped up; it gets you excited. It shows what we can do as a team when we play together and fight through adversity."
Radford was one of three Lumberjacks in double-figures with junior
Lauren Orndoff recording 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting and redshirt junior
Jacey Bailey chipping in 12 points. Senior
Peyton Carroll also added eight points off the bench.
NAU limited San Jose State to only 29.9 percent shooting, including under 30 percent in three of four quarters, in its lowest opponent field goal percentage of the season. The Lumberjacks shot 41.8 percent from the floor themselves and pounded the Spartans on the glass by posting their largest rebounding margin of the season, 50-36. Redshirt junior
Caitlin Malvar hauled in a season-high 10 boards to pace the 'Jacks.
NAU blitzed San Jose State out of the gates, racing out to a 15-3 lead. After the Spartans drained a three on the game's first possession, the Lumberjacks went on a 15-0 run – their longest of the season – and hit on six of their first seven shots from the field. Orndoff scored six of her 10 first quarter points in the run, fueling a 26-10 Lumberjack lead at the end of the period.
San Jose State cut the NAU advantage in half midway through the second quarter courtesy of a 7-0 run that got the Spartans within 32-24. Bailey helped NAU regain a double-digit lead at 38-27 with a jumper, but the 'Jacks went scoreless in the final two minutes of the half.
Still, the Lumberjacks managed to take a 38-31 lead into the locker room after shooting 53.1 percent in the first 20 minutes. The Lumberjacks found success in the paint, outscoring the Spartans by 16 inside prior to halftime.
Following a Radford layup, NAU led 47-35 less than four minutes into second half before San Jose State used a 10-1 run to close to 48-45 with 2:33 remaining in the period. During the stretch, NAU missed its next five attempts from the field. The Lumberjacks regained their footing and posted an 8-2 third quarter concluding run with Orndoff accounting for half of those points.
Even with a 56-47 advantage going into the final period, NAU needed to hold off a spirited San Jose State team that erased a 61-51 deficit with seven and a half minutes to play. The Spartans got within two at 63-61 with 5:51 to play and trailed by just three, 66-63, with 2:35 left.
However, San Jose State went without a field goal the rest of the way, misfiring on its final five attempts from the field. Although NAU also missed its final five shots, sophomore
Regan Schenck made it a three-point game at 67-64 by splitting a pair of free throws with 7.2 seconds remaining.
San Jose State called a timeout, but its game-tying three-pointer did not draw iron at the buzzer.
The Lumberjacks overcame 21 turnovers with sizeable advantages in points in the paint (36-24) and second chance points (17-8). The 'Jacks also made eight more free throws than the Spartans.
In addition to allowing NAU to go into conference play, which begins at home on Dec. 28 in the Walkup Skydome versus Montana at 2 p.m., with a victory, the win also sends the Lumberjacks into the holiday break with momentum following a memorable trip to the islands.
"This was such a great experience in Maui," Payne said. "Thank you to Oregon State for hosting a first-class tournament and having us here. It was definitely a memorable experience for our players and our staff."
