MISSOULA, Mont. (December 28, 2019) – A blistering start staked the Northern Arizona men's basketball team to a halftime lead, but the Lumberjacks could not close out their conference opener as Montana staved off NAU, 79-72, Saturday night in Dahlberg Arena. The 'Jacks led the Grizzlies for more than 22 minutes before the two-time defending Big Sky champions took the lead for good with 9:21 to play.
"If we would've made our layups in the first half, maybe we're up a little more," said interim head coach
Shane Burcar. "We did better in the second half with our layups, but we have to get stops too. It's a tough loss and we have to figure out how to play better defense for 40 minutes."
NAU (6-4, 0-1 Big Sky) had five players score in double-figures led by sophomore
Cameron Shelton's 17 points. Shelton also posted a team-high nine boards, coming up a rebound shy of his second double-double of the season.
The Lumberjacks appeared poised to snap a nine-game skid to the Grizzlies, and capture their first win in Missoula since 2014, after shooting 7-of-14 from behind the arc in the first half. Sophomore
Luke Avdalovic and senior
Ted McCree connected on two triples each on their way to eight points apiece to guide NAU to a 34-28 halftime advantage.
However, NAU made just one of five attempts from long distance after the intermission while Montana shot 58.1 percent during a 51-point second half showing. Montana shot 50 percent overall – compared to 42.4 percent by NAU – and outscored NAU in the paint, 46-24, to offset a plus-15 point margin for the Lumberjacks behind the arc.
Both teams struggled to find their shots early with NAU missing its first seven attempts and Montana its first four. The teams went nearly four minutes before the game's first points, but NAU built an 18-10 advantage on a 11-0 run, including threes by senior
Chris Bowling, McCree and Avdalovic with 9:24 left in the first half.
Sophomore
Nik Mains gave the 'Jacks their largest lead of the opening half, 26-16, with less than five minutes before the intermission and the Lumberjacks settled for a six-point halftime edge despite only shooting 35.7 percent from the field. NAU was aided by a 14-2 points off turnovers margin in the first half despite the teams turning it over nine teams each.
Montana came out strong in the second half, taking its first lead, 39-38, of the half at the 16:05 mark. NAU quickly responded with a 12-4 run capped by an Avdalovic trey to push the Lumberjacks' lead out to 50-42 with 13:38 remaining. The Grizzlies had the answer though, surging ahead 56-55 with 9:21 on the clock.
The Grizzlies wound up going on a 20-5 run after the Avdalovic three and led by as much as nine, 71-62, with four minutes to play. Junior
Cameron Satterwhite split a pair at the line – one possession after completing an and-1 – to bring NAU within 71-68 at the 2:10 mark, but the Lumberjacks never got closer.
Behind Shelton's 17 points, McCree notched 15 in his fifth consecutive double-digit scoring game. Avdalovic scored 13 points off the bench and Mains chipped in 11. Satterwhite, in his first career start as a Lumberjack, rounded out NAU's double-figure scorers with 10.
"We are so close and we've had a couple of games like (tonight)," Burcar said. "Bottom line is we have to get better for Monday."
The 'Jacks take on Montana State on Monday in Bozeman, Mont. at 7 p.m. The game will be the last in NAU's stretch of five consecutive road games, in which NAU has gone 2-2 so far.
