FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 23, 2021) – Down to the final week of their regular season schedule, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (11-11, 9-9 Big Sky) have one last chance to improve their positioning before heading to Boise, Idaho for the Big Sky Conference tournament.
Granted a bye in the final week of the season, NAU will become the first Big Sky program to complete its 20-game schedule with its two games against Southern Utah (9-6, 4-3) this week. Just two other teams, the Idaho Vandals and Sacramento State Hornets, are in position to do the same should they wrap up their conference schedules without an issue across the next two weeks. The unbalanced schedule leaves seeding for Boise a little tougher than usual, with NAU poised to sit back and watch how it plays out during the final week.
However, a pair of wins against the Thunderbirds could slide the Lumberjacks, currently seventh in the conference, up as high as fourth by the time the regular season comes to a close.
"We're excited to get to go into this weekend. I think we've got some momentum from Weber, and you look at our last month minus our two really close losses to Portland State, I feel like we have been playing pretty well," said NAU head coach
Loree Payne. "We are excited to finish strong and definitely looking forward to the bye week heading into the tournament, I think our players definitely need it physically and mentally just to try to refresh and get ready to go on and hopefully contend for the Big Sky championships."
The matchup with Southern Utah provides an eventful finish to the schedule. With 11 games canceled this season, including nine within the Big Sky, Southern Utah needs to play at least three of its final four games in order to be seeded with the rest of the Big Sky. Sitting at just seven conference games completed, the Thunderbirds would automatically be seeded 11th in the Big Sky tournament if they finish under 10 conference games played.
"Southern Utah is really good, they just have so many games canceled, especially conference games, that is it hard to get a pulse on how they are as far as common opponents. It's tough to get a gauge of where they are at," Payne said.
Currently sitting in fifth at 4-3, the Thunderbirds missed facing off with three of the Big Sky's top four programs. Among their cancelations were a trip to Missoula for two games against Montana, as well as homestands against Montana State and Idaho State.
Southern Utah's best win came against Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo., the only meeting between the two after the second game was canceled. Winning 70-63, the Thunderbirds came away with a victory despite the Big Sky's leading scorer finishing with just six points in 16 minutes. A transfer from Weber State, Liz Graves enters the week averaging 17.9 points and 8.9 rebounds. Ranking first and second in the conference respectively, Graves' point and rebound totals have been supported by a fellow transfer into the Southern Utah program.
Sitting 11th in scoring (12.9), seventh in assists (3.1) and 20th in rebounding (5.6), Cherita Daugherty has combined with Graves to score 40 percent of the team's points per game and grab nearly 40 percent of the team's rebounds. While Daugherty didn't face the Lumberjacks last season, Graves did while playing in Ogden and averaged 5.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in her two games with the Wildcats against NAU. Southern Utah's three other starters this season, Darri Frandsen, Madelyn Eaton and Margarita Santini, played minor roles against NAU last season.
Frandsen averaged 4.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game against NAU, Eaton averaged 5.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in her two games, and Santini played just 13 minutes in the two contests. Much of Southern Utah's production came from Rebecca Cardenas, who averaged 22.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists, and Harley Hansen, who added 21.5 points per game, before the two graduated after last season.
"Their point guard, the JUCO transfer Daugherty, is really leading them and obviously Graves is putting up big numbers," Payne said. "And their post player is, in my opinion, one of the most improved players in the conference. It's definitely going to be a challenge, but I am excited to hopefully have some really good games to finish out regular season play."
For NAU,
Jacey Bailey and
Khiarica Rasheed each finished last season's split with strong performances, as Bailey averaged 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds against Southern Utah, hitting 6-of-12 from three point range in the two games, and Rasheed added 15.5 points and 7.0 rebounds, hitting 56.3 percent from the field and 13-of-16 from the free-throw line.
NAU has won three of six games against Southern Utah under Payne, with the programs splitting their season series across the last three years. The home team won each game last year after the road team had won four straight across the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
