FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (June 18, 2021) – The Northern Arizona women's basketball team finalized an 8-year series with the Arizona Wildcats this week, adding onto the two games already scheduled for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
Arizona will face Northern Arizona in Flagstaff this upcoming season, as well during the 2024-25, 2027-28 and 2030-21 seasons. The Lumberjacks will head to Tucson in the other six meetings set for the 10-year run, meaning the programs will play a total of 13 times in a 14-year stretch dating back to the 2017-18 season.
"We are incredibly excited about this 10-year agreement with the University of Arizona. Their women's basketball program has established themselves as a premier program nationwide," said NAU head coach
Loree Payne. "We couldn't be more thrilled for our program, our fans and the City of Flagstaff to watch basketball at its highest level."
The Lumberjacks defeated the Wildcats 84-66 in Flagstaff on Dec. 7, 2017, Payne's first year as head coach at Northern Arizona. The teams met in Tucson this past season, with the Wildcats winning 76-63 on Nov. 29, 2020 in their season opener.
Arizona went on to finish 21-6, reaching the NCAA Championship game against Pac-12 rival Stanford, and ranked inside the top 15 of both the AP and the Coaches' polls throughout the season. The program has won at least 20 games in its past three seasons under Adia Barnes, who took over as head coach in 2016.
The two athletic programs agreed to a 10-year scheduling agreement covering multiple sports in February to help strengthen the in-state partnership between the two institutions while providing increased scheduling consistency for both departments.
"The University of Arizona Department of Athletics in general and, Dave Heeke in particular, have been unbelievable resources for our program as we have navigated COVID-19," NAU Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics
Mike Marlow said in February. "This scheduling series is an offspring of conversations centered on the way Intercollegiate Athletics may look in our state and region for the immediate future. An emphasis on regionalized scheduling is certainly something that has become a priority. Our student-athletes, coaches and fans will very much look forward to competing more regularly with the Wildcats in both Tucson and at 7,000 feet in Flagstaff."
