Second Half Surge Not Enough for Lumberjacks in Tempe

TEMPE, Ariz. (November 10, 2022) - Playing an in-state foe and its second Power Five opponent in four days, the Northern Arizona University men's basketball team was up for the challenge tonight at Arizona State.
 
Once down by 35 points, the Lumberjacks out scored the Sun Devils 46-37 in the second half and cut the deficit down to 11 points with 1:58 remaining in the game. However, the second half push wasn't enough as the Lumberjacks fell 84-68.
 
Following the loss, NAU falls to 0-2 on the young season while ASU improves to 2-0. The Lumberjacks had three score in double figures, led by Jalen Cone with 17 points, his second-straight game in double digits. Liam Lloyd and Ezekiel Richards each added 11 points. It was also Lloyd's second-straight game in double figures, and all of Richards' 11 points came in the second half.
 
On the night, the Lumberjacks were 24-for-57 (42.1%) from the field and were held to 7-of-28 from behind the arc. They were out-rebounded 40-to-23, as ASU shot 54.2 percent (26-48) from the field and drained nine triples. They also had nearly twice as many free throw attempts as the 'Jacks, making 23-of-35 compared to 13-of-18 for NAU. Northern Arizona won the turnover battle, 16-to-12, scoring 19 points from ASU's turnovers.
 
With less than four minutes to play in the first half, the Sun Devils had a 35-point lead thanks to a 20-run where they made nine-straight field goal attempts – including five triples. At the half, the Lumberjacks headed to the locker room down 47-22.
 
Northern Arizona continued to hang tough in the second half. Down 73-46 with 6:09 left to play, Lloyd hit a triple and from there the 'Jacks made it interesting. NAU went on a 12-0 run that included six points from Richards, and the run would extend to 16-2 overall to make it a 75-62 game with 2:46 left to play. During that frame, Northern Arizona made eight-straight field goal attempts.
 
In all down the stretch, the Lumberjacks outscored the Sun Devils 19-11 during the final 5:59 of the contest. But in the end, the deficit proved to be too much, and Arizona State scored six-straight points in the final 1:24 to take the win.
 
Cone scored 13 points in the second half, making three three-pointers. The Lumberjacks were able to shoot 53.6 (15-28) percent in the second frame and held ASU to 47.8 percent (11-23).
 
Overall, ASU had a 30-22 edge in the paint and scored 17 points off second chance shots compared to four for the Lumberjacks.
 
It's a quick turnaround for Northern Arizona, who now play at Utah Valley for its third-straight road contest on Saturday, Nov. 12. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. Mountain Standard time from Orem, Utah. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.