| Northern Arizona at New Mexico |
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 23, 2020) – Finally returning to the court after more than eight months away, the Northern Arizona University women's basketball team will make a quick trip to Las Vegas as it faces the UNLV Lady Rebels on Wednesday at Thomas & Mack Center.
Set for an opening tip of 2:30 p.m. MST, the Lumberjacks will meet the Lady Rebels for the first time since December 2009, a close 60-58 victory for the Lady Rebels in Las Vegas. The two programs have faced off just five times since 2000, with NAU winning an 85-76 overtime game in Flagstaff during the 2002-03 season.
NAU begins its season against a Mountain West Conference foe for the third consecutive season, following an 83-76 loss to New Mexico last season and an 86-73 victory in Flagstaff to begin the 2018-19 season.
The Lumberjacks were picked third in both of the Big Sky Conference's preseason polls following their appearance in the conference tournament's semifinals a year ago.
Six letterwinners return for Payne's fourth year with NAU, including the Big Sky Conference Preseason MVP
Khiarica Rasheed. While Rasheed was named to the All-Big Sky First Team following last season,
Jacey Bailey landed on the second team and
Nina Radford was voted Newcomer of the Year in the Big Sky.
Rasheed led the Lumberjacks with 16.5 points and 7.2 points per game last season while hitting 48.9% from the field and 76.8% from the free-throw line. Rasheed ranked inside the top 50 nationally in free-throws made and attempted, with 136 and 177 respectively.
Bailey's 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds trailed only Rasheed and she hit 70 three-pointers during her junior season as 49% of her attempts from the field came from behind the arc. Radford made it three Lumberjacks averaging double-digits, with 12.2 points per game in addition to 3.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds.
The trio combined to reach 20 points in a game on 20 occasions last season, with all three reaching the mark at Sacramento State as they combined for 77 points in the 19-point victory.
Meanwhile, UNLV was voted to finish ninth in the Mountain West's preseason poll as it begins its first season under first-year head coach Lindy La Rocque. Senior Bailey Thomas is the leading returner for the Lady Rebels after averaging 4.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game last season. A two-time member of the Mountain West All-Defensive Team, Thomas won the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year award in 2019-20.
"It's a new coach, a new system and new players," NAU head coach
Loree Payne said about UNLV. "There's a lot of times you prepare and they do something different. You just have to be able to adjust in that way. Everyone in the country is in the same situation, so it is mostly about your own team and your own system."
Wednesday's season opener will be streamed online for free at this
link and live stats will be available
here.
