Lumberjacks Topped by #4 Texas

EDINBURG, Texas (November 21, 2022) - The Northern Arizona University men's basketball team had a unique opportunity this evening, facing No. 4 Texas at neutral site in Edinburg, Texas, at the Bert Ogden Arena in game one of the Leon Black Classic. The Lumberjacks fell to the Longhorns, 73-48, in the first-ever meeting.
 
After the loss, NAU falls to 2-4 overall while Texas improves to 4-0.
 
The Longhorns shot 50 percent (28-56) from the field and held the Lumberjacks to 17-54 (31.5%). NAU won the rebounding battle, 37-to-35, and committed 21 turnovers while forcing 15. In the paint, Northern Arizona was outscored 40-to-14.
 
Xavier Fuller led the team with a career-high 15 points, making six of his 10 field goal attempts while adding a career-best six rebounds and two steals.
 
"I look at our players as a basketball family, and in the first half, I thought we got punked. I was honest, and we got after them at halftime. The score is irrelevant to us, but I think they got the message. In the locker room, we talked about how we have hope and confidence. That isn't just coach speak, we have a lot of hope with our 2022-23 team, and we have a lot of confidence. We need a few more players to step up and be a little bit more edgy. They all got the message," said head coach Shane Burcar. "You want to coach your players hard. We just played the No. 4 team in the country, and we can't lose tomorrow night because of tonight. We have to move forward, and we are treating this like a Big Sky Conference tournament game. We have to keep improving, and our hope and confidence is true."
 
Fuller got the Lumberjacks on the board first, but it didn't take long for the Longhorns to find an 8-0 run for the lead. Fuller would cut UT's lead in half 12-6, but Texas then hit back-to-back triples for a 6-0 run to pull ahead 20-8. The run would stretch to 10-0 in all. Keith Haymon, in his home state of Texas, checked in off the bench and ended the run with a three-pointer, cutting the lead to 24-11.
 
From there, the Longhorns cruised on a 17-0 run for a 41-11 advantage. The Lumberjacks tried to find some momentum as Haymon snapped the lead and Jalen Cone followed up with two free throws for a quick 4-0 run. At the half, Texas led 50-22.
 
Northern Arizona was held to 30.4 percent from the field compared to 65.6 percent for UT in the first half. The Longhorns also shot 50 percent from three-point range and only turned the ball over seven times while NAU had 14 turnovers.
 
After allowing Texas to score 50 points in the first half, the Lumberjacks limited them to 23 in the second. Northern Arizona scored 26 in the second half, continuing its streak of outscoring foes in the second half in every game this season. NAU also held the Longhorns to just 29.2 percent from the field in the second half, limiting UT to 7-of-24 from the field.
 
NAU hung with the Longhorns in the second half, going bucket-for-bucket and trailing 57-29 by the first media timeout. Nik Mains would drill a three, but the Longhorns continued their dominance, leading 64-36 at the midway point of the second half. With under two minutes left to play, the Lumberjacks strung together two quick buckets by Jack Wistrcill and Diego Campisano for a 4-0 run. Despite the fight, the Lumberjacks fell 73-48.
 
It's a quick turnaround for the Lumberjacks who face the hosts of the Leon Black Classic, UTRGV, tomorrow evening at 5:30 p.m. Mountain Standard time. The Vaqueros are 3-2 overall after topping Western Illinois on a last-second layup earlier this evening. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
To keep up with the Lumberjacks, follow the men's basketball team on Twitter and Instagram.