FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (March 4, 2019) – Before Montana could even get settled in, the Northern Arizona women's basketball team was all over the Lady Griz. The Lumberjacks bombed away from deep, rushing out to a 13-0 lead and never trailed in a wire-to-wire 82-65 victory to up their record to 11-17 overall. The win also evens NAU and Montana in the Big Sky standings for seventh place with seven league wins each.
"Jacey (Bailey) started us off really well and I felt like we played really well offensively tonight," said head coach
Loree Payne. "We found people when they were open and we were really aggressive to the rim. Offensively we're finding our groove. To have 18 assists and only nine turnovers, that's a huge piece for us as well."
Redshirt sophomore
Jacey Bailey shot the Lady Griz out of the Walkup Skydome, netting a career-high 31 points. She did so with incredible efficiency, shooting 12-for-15 overall and 7-of-9 from behind the arc. Her .800 field goal percentage is tied for the second-highest single game percentage in program history – minimum 15 attempts – while she also became only the second Lumberjack ever to have two games of at least seven three-pointers made.
"I'm in a good groove and it's good timing as well because we're going into the conference tournament," Bailey said. "We're feeling really confident after two big wins and we're excited to play Northern Colorado (on Saturday)."
Bailey's offensive exploits headlined a lights-out offensive performance by the Lumberjacks. NAU shot 53.2 percent overall and 50 percent from long distance as a team. The 'Jacks had four players score in double-figures with senior
Kaleigh Paplow (15), freshman
Regan Schenck (12) and junior
Peyton Carroll (12) backing Bailey's torrid performance.
The Lumberjacks put an end to a seven-year skid to the Lady Griz with not only an impressive offensive performance, but a solid defensive effort as well. Montana shot just 34.4 percent and saw its 12-game winning streak against NAU come to an end. NAU last defeated Montana nearly seven years to the day on March 3, 2012.
Coupled with NAU's victory against Montana State on Saturday, the Lumberjacks knocked off the Bobcats and Lady Griz in the same homestand for the first time since Feb. 22 and 23, 2002.
"We're playing the basketball we've played probably all year," Paplow said. "Beating both Montanas at home was big for us. We're playing together as a team right now, so we feel good."
Paplow, Schenck and Bailey opened with three straight treys as NAU was off and running from the tip-off. The Lumberjacks used their 13-0 game-starting run to snag a 29-10 advantage by the end of the first quarter as they drilled five of their 10 threes. As for Bailey, she had the hot hand from the get-go, scoring 15 points – the most by a Lumberjack in a quarter this season – in the first 10 minutes.
NAU withstood a strong second quarter by Montana with the Lady Griz outscoring the 'Jacks by nine to cut the Lumberjacks' lead in half. A Carroll layup right before the horn sounded did give NAU a double-digit 44-34 halftime lead though, although the Lumberjacks had to withstand one last run by the Lady Griz.
With six minutes left in third quarter, NAU's lead was down to just five, 49-44. However, NAU proceeded to go on a 13-2 run over the next three and a half minutes to regain a 62-46 lead and the 'Jacks were never threatened again.
NAU maintained a double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter and made eight of its 11 shots in the final period.
"One of the things we talked about before the game is making NAU women's basketball relevant in the Big Sky," Payne said. "We're trying to make our mark, finish strong and make some noise. We're young, but we're getting better and building the foundation for a very successful program."
Both teams played a clean game with only 15 combined turnovers and two total missed free throws.
Not to be lost in Bailey's scoring night, Paplow made history herself as she became the first player in program history to own a spot in NAU's top 10 all-time in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Paplow accomplished the feat with six assists, without a turnover. Paplow also tied with redshirt sophomore
Caitlin Malvar for team-high honors of seven boards on the evening.
NAU takes a 7-12 conference record into its regular season finale against Northern Colorado on Saturday afternoon. The Senior Day tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. as Paplow and
Tate Tsingine will play their final home games of their respective careers.
