FULL 2019-20 SCHEDULE
TICKET INFORMATION
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (July 30, 2019) – As the Northern Arizona women's basketball team continues to ascend under head coach
Loree Payne, the Lumberjacks' schedule only gets tougher. In an announcement made by Payne on Tuesday, NAU's 2019-20 slate lines up to be the most challenging in recent memory with eight of nine non-conference games away from Flagstaff and up to seven postseason teams on deck before Big Sky play begins in late December.
"It's not ideal to have the majority of our games on the road, but our mentality is the same," Payne said. "We want to play a challenging schedule that will prepare us for the Big Sky Conference. Similar to last year, we know every night is going to be a battle and we're playing a lot of very good teams with postseason experience."
NAU could face up to five teams – Oregon State (No. 24), BYU (No. 26), Rice (No. 31), New Mexico (No. 55) and UC Davis (No. 72) – who finished in the NCAA RPI top 75, four of whom made the NCAA Tournament. Both Rice (Conference USA) and UC Davis (Big West) swept their respective regular season and tournament championships.
The Lumberjacks' first four games to open up the 2019-20 season will be rematches from a year ago starting with NAU's season opener versus New Mexico in Albuquerque, N.M. on Nov. 8. The Lobos defeated the 'Jacks, 84-55, last season in the Skydome and proceeded to finish second in the Mountain West. New Mexico compiled a 24-7 record and is one of three WNIT qualifiers on NAU's schedule this season.
For the first time in program history, the Lumberjacks will play a single non-conference home game in Flagstaff. After tipping off the season on the road, the 'Jacks will make their only appearance at 7,000 feet until their conference opener after Christmas versus Seattle on Nov. 16.
The Lumberjacks will have one more "home" game on Dec. 8 in Prescott at the Findlay Toyota Center as part of a doubleheader with the NAU men's team. NAU will host UC Davis, the Big West Champions coming off a 25-7 season, in Prescott following four straight on the road.
After their pit stop in Flagstaff versus Seattle, whom NAU defeated 65-58 last season on the road, the Lumberjacks will look to complete the home-and-home sweep versus California Baptist and Fresno State on Nov. 21 and 24 respectively. NAU knocked off both California Baptist, 91-88, and Fresno State, 86-73, last season during both teams' WNIT campaigns.
NAU's two-game road trip to California will precede two games in Houston, Texas against Rice on Nov. 30 and Houston Baptist on Dec. 1. Rice was unbeaten in Conference USA action last year and punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament concluding the year with a 28-4 mark.
Following their game in Prescott, the 'Jacks will wrap up the non-conference slate across the Pacific Ocean at the Maui Jim Maui Classic hosted by Oregon State on Dec. 18 and 19. NAU and Oregon State will be joined by BYU and San Jose State in the four-team tournament with matchups yet to be determined.
Both Oregon State and BYU were 26-game winners last season with top three conference finishes in the Pac-12 and West Coast Conference respectively. Oregon State's season ended in the Sweet 16, while BYU bowed out in the second round.
"We're equipped to take on a schedule like this with a lot more experience than we've had the last two years," Payne said. "We'll still be a 'young' team with the majority of our experience coming with our junior and sophomore classes. That serves well for this year and moving into next year in terms of getting wins under our belt and contending for the Big Sky Championship."
NAU's run towards a Big Sky title will begin at home for the first time in five years with dates against Montana and Montana State on Dec. 28 and 30 respectively. In fact, NAU will play five of its first seven conference games at home in a front-loaded schedule before going on the road for six of its next eight.
The Lumberjacks will conclude the regular season with three of five games in Flagstaff including their Senior Day on March 5 versus Portland State, the defending Big Sky tournament champions.
NAU will play a 20-game balanced conference schedule for the second consecutive year. All 11 teams will then make their way to Boise, Idaho for the conference tournament during the week of March 9-14.
Payne's Lumberjacks return 12 players including six of their top seven scorers and five players who averaged more than 28 minutes per game last season. NAU posted a 13-18 record last season, equaling its most wins since 2014-15, and won its first conference tournament game in 12 years.
Home game times will be released at a later date. Season tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased at this
link. For additional ticket questions, please contact the Lumberjack Ticket Office at
LumberjackTicketOffice@nau.edu or 928-523-0639.
