NAU Men’s Basketball Hampered by Slow Start in 74-50 Loss to UC Riverside

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (December 10, 2020) – For the second straight game, a scoreless start proved to be a hole too big for the Northern Arizona men's basketball team to climb out of as the Lumberjacks fell to 0-2 following a 74-50 loss to UC Riverside.
 
"Tonight is a very important night for NAU Basketball this season," said head coach Shane Burcar. "We played terrible and quite frankly, I'm shocked with the results of the first two games. At the beginning of the games we've been chasing. We don't have our team chemistry where it needs to be right now and we will get that figured out. I believe in our locker room and I believe in our guys."
 
Thursday night's home opener in the Rolle Activity Center followed a similar script to the Lumberjacks' season opener three nights ago. NAU immediately faced a 13-0 deficit to UC Riverside after the Lumberjacks fell behind 15-0 to Arizona on Monday.
 
The Lumberjacks misfired on their first three attempts from the field and turned the ball over on three occasions before redshirt junior Luke Avdalovic put in NAU's first points at the 15:15 mark. The Highlanders' advantage grew to 26-3 through the first eight and a half minutes and they led by as much as 30 before taking a 43-16 lead into halftime.
 
NAU shot just 17.4 percent (4-for-23) in the first half while UC Riverside sat at a blistering 59.3 percent (16-for-27). The Highlanders also connected on eight triples in the first 20 minutes, doubling the Lumberjacks' field goal total prior to the half.
 
Trailing 54-22 five minutes into the second half, junior Cameron Shelton powered a 9-0 Lumberjack run that cut NAU's deficit to 54-31 with 12:17 to play. After sophomore Isaiah Lewis got the run started with a layup at the rim, Shelton followed with an and-1 before knocking down four more free throws to cap the surge.
 
Shelton, who finished the game with a team-high 13 points, did most of his damage at the charity stripe on Thursday making nine of his 13 attempts. As a team, NAU was 18-for-24 at the line while UC Riverside attempted just four free throws in all.
 
With momentum squarely on NAU's side, UC Riverside immediately answered with consecutive threes – part of 13 total for the evening – to push its lead back out to 60-31. Redshirt junior Jay Green scored five points during a late 10-0 NAU spurt that once again got the 'Jacks within 23 at 67-44 with 4:22 on the clock, but the damage had been done in the first half.
 
The Lumberjacks' offense bounced back in the second half, shooting 37 percent after halftime, but the improvement only lifted NAU's final field goal percentage to 28 percent (14-of-50). NAU was just 4-of-20 from long distance with Avdalovic and redshirt junior Nik Mains each making a pair of treys.
 
UC Riverside (3-1) finished the game at 52.7 percent (29-of-55). In addition to 13 three-pointers at a 46.4 percent clip, the Highlanders also outrebounded the Lumberjacks by a 39-27 margin.
 
Shelton posted team-highs of 13 points, three assists and three steals and Avdalovic joined him in double-figure scoring with 12 points. Redshirt freshman Carson Towt paced the Lumberjacks with five rebounds off the bench to go along with two assists and a block.
 
"We're not a team that is going to make excuses," Burcar said. "Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday we have to figure out a way to get better for Monday. I believe in our team 100 percent; we just have to figure some things out and that's on me 100 percent."
 
Next up, NAU will make its way to Fort Collins, Colo. for a Monday night contest versus Colorado State at 6 p.m.
 
To stay up to date with the NAU men's basketball team, follow the Lumberjacks on Twitter and Instagram.