BOZEMAN, Mont. (March 2, 2019) – Freshman
Luke Avdalovic scored a career-high 24 points and sophomore
Bernie Andre pulled down a career-best 18 rebounds but it wasn't enough to offset 19 turnovers as the Northern Arizona University men's basketball team fell on the road by an 84-73 margin at Montana State on Saturday afternoon.
NAU committed 13 of its 19 turnovers in the first half, which along with some early foul issues for Lumberjacks
Cameron Shelton and
Carlos Hines, allowed the Bobcats to build a seven-point lead at intermission.
Montana State overcame a rough early shooting effort, which saw it miss 13 consecutive shots at one stretch in the first half.
"We were playing a lineup for a good portion of today's game that I am not sure how much we have played it all year long," NAU head coach
Jack Murphy said. "We had
Ted McCree out today, which we found out shortly before game time and then had
Cameron Shelton and
Carlos Hines pick up two quick fouls. There was a two-minute stretch from the two-minute to four-minute mark of the first half where we lost control of the game. When you are on the road, those things can really hurt you."
The Lumberjacks battled to keep things close for the majority of the second half, getting as close as four points to, but were unable to break through. NAU was within four points as late as 4:49 left in regulation before Montana State outscored the 'Jacks down the stretch 13-6 on the strength of four treys and a dunk in a span of just over three minutes.
"In the second half I thought we battled and scored enough, but we didn't get enough stops," Murphy said. "We made some big shots, but we couldn't get enough stops. You have to give Montana State credit for hitting big shots when it mattered most."
Avdalovic hit 6-of-10 from beyond the arc on the way to his 24-point scoring effort. Also in double-digit points for the 'Jacks was Shelton with 14 and Hines with 16.
Harald Frey paced the Bobcats in with win with 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field and a 6-of-14 clip from three-point range. Tyler Hall notched 18 and Devin Kirby tabbed 12.
The Bobcats attempted a total of 35 three pointers (13-of-35), which marked the second-most by an NAU opponent this season. The Lumberjacks 19 turnovers was the most they have committed against a Big Sky foe this season and matched their overall season high at UC Davis on Nov. 29.
The Lumberjacks will continue their current road trip at Big Sky leader Montana on Monday, March 4 in Missoula. Tip time is slated for 7 p.m. MST.
The 'Jacks-Grizzlies contest will be streamed on Pluto TV (Channel 237). It can also be heard on the Lumberjacks Radio Network beginning with the pregame show at 6:30 p.m. MST.
