JERRY COLANGELO CLASSIC TICKETS
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (December 16, 2021) – On Saturday, the Northern Arizona men's basketball team makes a rare trip down to the Phoenix Valley to start a two-game stretch against a pair of West Coast Conference opponents. Taking part in the Jerry Colangelo Classic, a Basketball Hall of Fame event, the Lumberjacks will face San Diego at 8 p.m. in the Footprint Center before making their way to the Pacific Northwest for a 7 p.m. MST Monday night showcase versus No. 5/4 Gonzaga.
Saturday's Jerry Colangelo Classic game – NAU's first game in the Valley since 2017 – will be streamed by FloHoops. Monday's game in Spokane, Wash. will be available on ROOT Sports and online
here. The radio call can be heard on the Lumberjack Radio Network.
"Anytime you're associated with Mr. Colangelo, it's an honor," said head coach
Shane Burcar. "We sure are excited to represent our program down in the Phoenix area with a great alumni base and we hope to see a lot of blue out there in the crowd."
Saturday will also be the Lumberjacks' first game in a week since a 76-71 overtime loss last Saturday at South Dakota. Sophomore
Jalen Cone, who hit a game-tying three with 2.5 seconds remaining in regulation, led the 'Jacks with 33 points in a career-high performance. The 33 points tied the second-highest total by a Big Sky player this season.
Cone upped his season average to 17.4 points per game, which ranks fifth in the league, in addition to ranking second on the team with 3.2 assists per game. In his last six games, Cone has four outings with at least 24 points.
Redshirt freshman
Carson Towt also had a big individual performance last Saturday in Vermillion, pulling down a career-high 18 rebounds, easily the highest single-game individual total in the Big Sky so far this season. Heading into the weekend, Towt is among the nation's leaders in rebounds per game (10.0; 16th), defensive rebounds per game (7.0; 20th) and total rebounds (100; 23rd).
Redshirt junior
Nik Mains has scored in double-figures in each of the last two games after combining for just 11 in the two contests prior to that. After knocking down three treys versus South Dakota in a 13-point effort, Mains is averaging 11.7 points per game, second-best on the team. Mains is shooting a team-high 38.9 percent behind the arc and is second on the team with 5.6 rebounds per game.
Over the next two games, NAU will have a pair of opportunities to end a nine-game skid to West Coast Conference opponents dating back to a 73-71 victory at Saint Mary's College on Dec. 16, 2014. That season, NAU actually defeated consecutive WCC foes as the game prior to Saint Mary's, the Lumberjacks bested Loyola Marymount at home, 71-69.
The Lumberjacks will also look to end lengthy losing streaks to both San Diego and Gonzaga. The 'Jacks have dropped three straight to the Toreros going back to their last victory on Dec. 20, 2003. San Diego leads the all-time series, 11-7, and bested NAU, 79-51, in the most recent meeting in 2017.
Although NAU and Gonzaga, former Big Sky Conference rivals, have only met twice since the Bulldogs left the league, Gonzaga has claimed both meetings, including last season by an 88-58 margin. Gonzaga, last year's national runner-up, owns a 15-6 all-time advantage and NAU last defeated Gonzaga in 1979.
San Diego has won two straight, most recently last Saturday at home versus Cal Lutheran, 84-55, to improve to 6-5 this season. The Toreros have already doubled their win total from a season ago in which they battled to a 3-11 record during the COVID-19 challenging campaign.
Marcellus Earlington paces the Toreros in scoring with 12.8 points per game, while shooting 46.2 percent overall and 41.9 percent behind the arc. He also leads the team in total rebounds with 69, averaging 6.3 per game. Jase Townsend is second on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game. He is shooting a team-best 46.7 percent from three-point range.
Gonzaga, who will also be competing in the Jerry Colangelo Classic on Saturday, was the preseason consensus No. 1 team in the country and held the top spot until a three-point loss to then No. 5/6 Duke on Nov. 26. The Bulldogs rebounded from a second loss to No. 16/16 Alabama with an 80-55 victory over Merrimack last Thursday to move their season mark to 8-2.
Returning All-American Drew Timme is one of four Bulldogs averaging double-figure scoring with a team-leading 18.4 points per game. Timme is shooting 63.3 percent from the field and averaging 6.2 rebounds per game. Chet Holmgren is one of the country's premier shot blockers with 39 this season to go with 13.5 points and a team-high 8.2 rebounds per game.
"It's going to be a great opportunity for our guys. We recruit to that to play on the big stage to play San Diego in Phoenix and then to go to Spokane to play Gonzaga in the Kennel with a full house this year," Burcar said. "You know where you are after that before we go into league versus Idaho on December 30."
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