Men’s Basketball Drops Conference Opener, 80-64, to Eastern Washington

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (December 19, 2020) – Junior Cameron Shelton totaled season-highs of 23 points and six rebounds in the Northern Arizona men's basketball team's 80-64 Big Sky opening loss to Eastern Washington Saturday night in the Rolle Activity Center. The Lumberjacks' ledger dropped to 0-4 overall and 0-1 in conference play, while the Eagles sit at 2-4 overall and 1-0 in Big Sky action.
 
"I think we can battle with the preseason No. 1," said head coach Shane Burcar. "We're not taking anything away from Eastern Washington; they're good, very skilled and seasoned. A couple of things that are frustrating is we get going and then we give up wide open layups and wide open shots. There's a concern to get beat the way we're getting beat, but our locker room is still healthy and we just need guys to step up."
 
The Lumberjacks jumped on the Big Sky preseason favorite from the jump with redshirt junior Luke Avdalovic pouring in two of his team-best three triples during an 8-0 start to the game.
 
NAU maintained its advantage throughout the first 10 minutes of the game by hitting on six of its first 13 attempts before Eastern Washington knotted the game up at 15-15. A three by sophomore Ajang Aguek put the 'Jacks ahead, 18-17, with nine minutes to play in the first half before the Eagles moved in front with an extended 15-4 run over the next seven minutes.
 
With Eastern Washington's lead up to a first half high of 10 at 32-22, NAU closed strong with Shelton scoring the final six points heading into halftime to cut the Lumberjacks' deficit to 32-28.
 
The Eagles, who dominated the paint outscoring the Lumberjacks by a 24-10 margin in the first half, turned to the perimeter in the second half to gradually pull away. Eastern Washington made 6-of-11 from deep after halftime and finished the game at 47.1 percent (8-for-17) behind the arc and 58.8 percent (30-51) overall.
 
Despite a 10-2 second-half opening Eagle run, which extended the visitors' lead back out to 10, the Lumberjacks remained in striking distance following a triple by Shelton with 14:23 remaining to keep NAU within 46-38. However, Eastern Washington's Kim Aiken Jr. drilled threes on three consecutive possessions to spark a 13-3 game-changing run to give the defending conference champions their largest lead, 59-41, with 11:34 to play. The Lumberjacks trailed by as much as 15 the rest of the way.
 
Although NAU shot just 37.3 percent (22-of-59) from the field, it serves as the Lumberjacks' season-best and a stark improvement from NAU's home opener a week ago when they shot only 28 percent in a loss to UC Riverside. The Lumberjacks also connected on a season-high seven three-pointers.
 
"It comes down to making shots and right now, today, we're not able to do that," Burcar said. "They shot 58 percent and we shot 37 percent. We'll have games where we shoot 37 percent, but we still have to figure out a way to win those games because of our defense."
 
The Lumberjacks also turned the ball over a season-low six times and were +8 in the turnover column.
 
Behind Shelton's 23 points, Avdalovic finished with nine. Off the bench, Aguek and freshman Carter Mahaney tallied their best performances of the season with seven points apiece. Redshirt freshman Carson Towt led the team with four assists and two blocks in addition to hauling in five rebounds.
 
The Lumberjacks will waste no time at all getting back on the court with a pair of games in Denver, Colo. on Monday and Tuesday. NAU will face Texas State on a neutral court on Monday followed by Denver on Tuesday with both games set for a 1 p.m. start.
 
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