GAME NOTES (PDF)
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (January 14, 2020) – The Northern Arizona men's basketball team's tough stretch of five of their first seven conference games on the road continues on Thursday at Southern Utah at 7 p.m. NAU will then head to Northern Colorado on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip-off.
Thursday's meeting with the Thunderbirds will be streamed on Pluto TV Channel 536 and can be heard on the Lumberjack Radio Network with the Voice of the Lumberjacks
Mitch Strohman on the call. Saturday's meeting with the Bears will be streamed on the Pluto TV Channel 541 and heard on the Lumberjack Radio Network.
NAU stands at 7-7 overall and 1-4 in Big Sky action following two more close losses last week at Sacramento State, 64-57, and at home versus Idaho State, 71-67. All four of NAU's conference losses have been my seven points or fewer. Going back to NAU's non-conference finale at Pepperdine on Dec. 21, the Lumberjacks' last five losses have been by a combined 22 points.
In fact, the Lumberjacks' last nine games have all been decided by eight points or less with NAU posting a 4-5 record in that span.
Senior
Brooks DeBisschop is coming off a double-double performance of 20 points and 10 rebounds versus Idaho State last Saturday. DeBisschop set a new career-high in scoring in two of the last three games. In conference play, the senior is averaging a team-high 15.3 points per game on 64.4 percent shooting, which is third-best in the Big Sky.
Despite only being 1-4 in league play, NAU is shooting 44.8 percent as a team in conference games. The Lumberjacks are third in field goal percentage, but are also allowing opponents to shoot 47.1 percent from the field. NAU is first in three-point percentage (.389), three-pointers per game (7.4) and steals (7.0) in conference action.
Overall this season, four players are averaging double-figure scoring led by sophomore
Cameron Shelton's 12.9 per game average.
NAU and Southern Utah will meet for the 36th time on Thursday. The Lumberjacks, led by 19 points from junior
Bernie Andre, defeated the Thunderbirds, 80-77 in overtime, on Jan. 28 last year in their most recent meeting.
NAU leads the all-time series 19-16, but prior to the Lumberjacks' overtime win last season, the Thunderbirds had won six consecutive meetings. Southern Utah's six straight wins came after NAU had won 10 of the previous 12 matchups before that.
The Lumberjacks have come up empty, including an 84-82 loss last season, in their last three visits to Cedar City.
NAU and Northern Colorado will meet for the 32nd time on Saturday. Andre led the Lumberjacks with a career-high 26 points in NAU and Northern Colorado's last meeting – an 89-78 overtime victory – on March 9 last season.
Northern Colorado leads the all-time series 19-12 and have won three of the last four matchups. Over the last five years, the Bears have won six of the last 10 meetings.
NAU's overtime win in Greeley last season was the Lumberjacks' first on the Bears' home court since 2005, snapping a 12-game skid at Northern Colorado.
