FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (December 26, 2019) – The Northern Arizona women's basketball team's final two games of the 2019 calendar year will be their first two games towards what they hope to be a championship run in March as the Lumberjacks open their Big Sky schedule this weekend at home. The 'Jacks will move into the Walkup Skydome for the first time this season and host Montana on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Montana State on Monday at 6:30 p.m. in their conference openers.
NAU, who will be playing their first game in Flagstaff since Nov. 16, will welcome Montana and Montana State to the Skydome after posting a 3-6 record in non-conference play. NAU split its two games at the Maui Jim Maui Classic prior to the holiday break. After a 91-57 loss to No. 4 Oregon State, NAU dug deep for a hard-fought 67-64 victory over San Jose State in its non-conference finale last Thursday.
Redshirt sophomore
Nina Radford was named to the Maui Jim Maui Classic All-Tournament Team following a 20-point performance against San Jose State. Her second 20-point scoring game of the season upped her season average to 13.1 points per game, putting her eighth in the league heading into conference play. Radford is third in the league in free throw percentage (.897) and seventh in three-point percentage (.412), both of which lead the team.
Redshirt junior
Jacey Bailey leads the Lumberjacks, and ranks fifth in the conference, in scoring at 13.9 points per game. Bailey and Radford are two of three 'Jacks averaging double-figure points along with junior
Khiarica Rasheed (12.1). Junior
Lauren Orndoff, coming off a 15-point effort versus San Jose State, is averaging 9.6 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the field. The four players are leading NAU's fifth-highest scoring offense in the league with 70.0 points per game.
When the 'Jacks last hosted the Lady Griz and Bobcats in March, they swept their homestand versus the two schools for the first time since Feb. 22 and 23, 2002. The two wins started the three-game winning streak that NAU took into the Big Sky Tournament where the Lumberjacks earned their first conference tournament win since 2007.
NAU's 82-65 victory over Montana on March 4 snapped a 12-game losing streak to Montana spanning seven years. Bailey netted a career-high 31 points in the victory.
Montana received first-place votes in both the Big Sky Preseason Coaches and Media Polls. The Lady Griz defeated MSU Billings, 70-53, for their third win in four games last Friday to conclude their non-conference slate. Montana is 5-4 overall.
All five starters, once again led by Bailey's 23 points, scored in double-figures in the Lumberjacks' 76-72 victory against Montana State on March 2 in the teams' last meeting.
Montana State was picked as the preseason favorite by both the league's coaches and media in the preseason polls. The Bobcats have dropped three straight, including their last two at the Puerto Rico Coqui Classic, to stand at 4-5 overall to begin league play, but two of their losses have come to No. 18 Gonzaga and No. 11 Texas A&M.
Both of this weekend's games will be streamed on Pluto TV Channel 539
online and on the Pluto TV app. Live stats will be available at this
link.
Fans can still purchase season tickets for the 2019-20 NAU women's basketball season. Fans can purchase season tickets, as well as single game tickets. online at
nauathletics.com/tickets or by calling the Lumberjack Ticket Office at 928-523-0639.
