Lumberjacks Fall to San Diego, 69-59, in Jerry Colangelo Classic

PHOENIX, Ariz. (December 18, 2021) – The Northern Arizona men's basketball team nearly overcame a second half double-digit deficit, but San Diego pulled away for a 69-59 victory in the Jerry Colangelo Classic in Footprint Center on Saturday.
 
"Credit where credit is due. San Diego did a great job," said head coach Shane Burcar. "We got on them early and they did a great job of battling back. We're up at halftime and get a couple of bad breaks (in the second half) that we didn't overcome. For someone to beat you by (19) rebounds tells you everything you need to know."
 
NAU (4-7) came into Saturday's Basketball Hall of Fame event outrebounding its opponents by nearly four per game on the season, but San Diego held a decisive margin on the glass. The Toreros (7-5) outrebounded the 'Jacks, 44-25, with 11 of their rebounds on the offensive end. That led to a crucial 19-6 advantage on second chance opportunities.
 
San Diego also erased a slow offensive start to shoot 50.9 percent from the floor compared to just 39 percent by NAU. The Lumberjacks were +10 in points off turnovers and capitalized off of 17 Torero miscues, but it did not prove to be enough.
 
"Anytime you get to be associated with Mr. Colangelo, you say yes before they finish the sentence," Burcar said. "It was first-class all the way through. That's the frustrating part. I thought we could've performed better, but it was an honor for our university to play in this game."
 
The Lumberjacks led for all but 44 seconds of the first half after redshirt junior Carson Towt and junior Mason Stark was at the forefront of a blistering 12-3 start. Both scored two buckets apiece during the game-opening run through the first four minutes of the contest.
 
However, after Stark put in a layup to put NAU's lead at 27-20, the 'Jacks managed just one more field goal in the final five and a half minutes prior to the intermission. In that span, the Toreros trimmed the Lumberjacks' advantage down to 29-28 going into halftime, which proved to be a sign of things to come.
 
San Diego opened the second half with an 11-2 run and extended its lead out to as much as 11 at 46-35 with 11:48 to play before NAU closed the gap. Sophomore Jalen Cone, who led NAU with 20 points, converted a three-point play and then drilled a corner triple to cap an 8-0 surge that sliced San Diego's lead down to 46-43 at the 10:20 mark, only for the Toreros to reopen their advantage to 12 over the next four minutes.
 
After pulling within three, NAU never got closer than eight in the final six minutes of the game.
 
Behind Cone's 20 points – 18 of which came in the second half – Towt finished the evening with a career-high 17 points on an efficient 8-for-11 showing from the field. Stark chipped in 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting and collected three of NAU's six steals.
 
Although the Lumberjacks trailed on the glass, redshirt junior Nik Mains had his fifth game with eight rebounds this season, with redshirt sophomore Ezekiel Richards matching Mains' efforts with a season-high eight boards.
 
The Lumberjacks will next travel to Spokane, Wash. for a Monday night tilt versus No. 5/4 Gonzaga at 7 p.m. MST.
 
To stay up to date with the NAU men's basketball team, follow the Lumberjacks on Twitter and Instagram.