FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (January 16, 2020) – Sparked by a big performance by their reserves, the Northern Arizona women's basketball team collected their fourth straight win on Thursday, 84-76, over Southern Utah in the Walkup Skydome. NAU's fourth consecutive victory improved the Lumberjacks' record to 7-8 overall and 4-2 in conference play.
Led by season-high scoring performances by sophomore
Regan Schenck (12) and sophomore
Morgan Gary (9), NAU's bench outscored Southern Utah's by a 26-13 margin, while all five reserves posted positive plus-minus counts.
They complemented three Lumberjack starters in double-figures led by a team-high 19 points from redshirt sophomore
Nina Radford. Redshirt junior
Jacey Bailey posted 18 points, and a team-high eight rebounds, and junior
Khiarica Rasheed chipped in 10 points.
"Players stepped up big time tonight," said head coach
Loree Payne. "Everyone who came in played solid defense. We had a lot of production. Looking at the stat sheet we had four in double-digits and one with nine and that's a tough team to beat when you have that much balanced scoring and production."
Both teams shot the ball extremely well with NAU shooting a season-high 51.8 percent overall and 47.6 percent behind the arc. Meanwhile, Southern Utah also shot 50 percent from the deck. However, NAU's bench advantage and the Lumberjacks' advantage in points off turnovers (18-8) despite only committing one fewer turnover than the Thunderbirds were pivotal.
The 'Jacks also outrebounded the Thunderbirds, 36-28, and recorded 21 assists on 29 made field goals with redshirt junior
Caitlin Malvar posting a team-high five helpers. Six total players recorded multiple assists and every player recorded at least one assist in the game.
Southern Utah scored the first two points of the game, but never led again as NAU locked down Southern Utah in the first quarter defensively. The Thunderbirds made only 3-of-13 in the opening period and the 'Jacks closed the quarter with a 9-0 run to take an 18-6 lead into the second.
With Radford having the hot hand early, scoring seven points in the first quarter, Bailey scored 11 of her 18 points in the second quarter. The Lumberjacks needed all of Bailey's scoring as the Thunderbirds recovered to shoot 70.6 percent (12-of-17) in the quarter. NAU led by as much as 16 early in the second quarter, but only managed to take a five-point lead, 43-38, into halftime.
The Lumberjacks once again opened up a double-digit lead, 60-48, with two and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter following a 9-2 run. All nine points – four coming by Gary – were scored by NAU's reserves in the run. However, the Thunderbirds hung around well into the fourth quarter.
Southern Utah got within four at 80-76 with 1:23 remaining in the game, but NAU converted all four of its free throws – two each by Bailey and Schenck – in the final minute. The Thunderbirds came up empty on their final three possessions, missing their last three shots and committing their 19th and final turnover, as the Lumberjacks snapped a brief two-game home losing streak to their Grand Canyon rival.
"There were some ups and downs in the game and we made it a little too exciting in the end, but I'm proud of the team's energy and effort," Payne said. "Our mindset has changed as a team; understanding that we have a lot of talent and when we play well, we're right up there towards the top of the Big Sky. Every night we have to be our best and if we do that, the results will come."
The Lumberjacks go for their fifth straight win – which would mark their first five-game winning streak in 14 years – on Saturday versus Northern Colorado in the Skydome at 1 p.m.
