| GAME 24: Northern Arizona (7-16, 5-8 Big Sky) at Portland State (9-14, 4-8 Big Sky) |
| GAME 25: Northern Arizona (7-16, 5-8 Big Sky) at Sacramento State (10-11, 4-8 Big Sky) |
GAME NOTES (PDF)
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 13, 2019) – The Northern Arizona men's basketball team opens a two-game road trip on Thursday night as it takes on Portland State in an 8 p.m. (MST) tip from the brand-new Viking Pavilion. The Lumberjacks will conclude the road swing on Saturday in an 8 p.m. (MST) start at Sacramento State.
Each of the Lumberjacks' games this weekend will be streamed to a national audience on Pluto TV (Channel 232 at Portland State) (Channel 233 at Sacramento State) and aired on the Lumberjack Radio Network, beginning with the pregame show 30 minutes before tip.
In all, five of the Lumberjacks' final seven games will be on the road, beginning with Thursday night's clash at Portland State. NAU will be looking to snap a three-game skid when it faces the Vikings on Thursday.
NAU enters Thursday's game at Portland State trailing the Vikings 28-25 in the all-time series. The Lumberjacks defeated Portland State 82-75 in the first meetings between the programs this season on Jan. 19 in Flagstaff. NAU had lost three straight to Portland State prior to the victory.
The 'Jacks are 6-18 all-time vs. Portland State in road games and have lost the last two such contests.
The Vikings currently own an overall record of 9-14 and are 4-8 in Big Sky play. Portland State has lost each of its last three games overall entering Thursday's match up with NAU.
Sacramento State enters the week 10-11 overall (4-8 Big Sky) and will host the Lumberjacks after facing Southern Utah on Thursday at home.
NAU leads all-time series with the Hornets 34-13 and own a 13-10 mark against Sacramento State in games played on the road entering Saturday's clash.
The 'Jacks have lost three of their last four meetings with the Hornets overall and two straight at The Nest. The Lumberjacks last victory in Sacramento came during the 2014-15 campaign.
The Lumberjacks currently have a total of three players averaging double-figure points, led by sophomore
Bernie Andre's team-best 13.5 points per game. Junior
Ted McCree has tallied a 12.2 ppg average, while sophomore
Carlos Hines has chipped in 11.6.
Andre and McCree each enter Thursday's clash with Portland State having notched double-figure scoring efforts in each of the last five games overall. Andre has recorded double-digit points in 11 of the last 12 contests overall.
In addition, freshman
Luke Avdalovic continues to be a major weapon for the Lumberjacks from beyond the arc. He currently leads the Big Sky and ranks 10th nationally with a .495 (46-of-93) shooting percentage from three-point range.
NAU (7-16, 5-8 Big Sky) has already eclipsed its conference and overall win total from last season. The conference win total marks the earliest point in a season that the 'Jacks have secured three Big Sky victories since 2014-15.
The Lumberjacks will return home next week to host Idaho (Feb. 21) and Eastern Washington (Feb. 23).
About Portland State:
Record: 9-14, 4-8 Big Sky
2018-19 Preseason Big Sky Coaches/Media Polls: 5th/7th
All-Time Series: NAU trails 28-25
Last Meeting: NAU, 82-75 at Flagstaff (Jan. 19, 2019)
About Sacramento State:
Record: 10-11, 4-8 Big Sky
2018-19 Preseason Big Sky Coaches/Media Polls: 10th/10th
All-Time Series: NAU trails 34-13
Last Meeting: Sacramento State, 66-64 at Flagstaff (Jan. 17, 2019)
