Lumberjacks Cruise by Ottawa

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 29, 2022) - The Northern Arizona University men's basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak tonight at home against Ottawa University (AZ) by a score of 82-51. Four players scored in double figures, led by Nik Mains with 19 points as the Lumberjacks improve to 3-6 overall.
 
In the win, NAU made a season-high 14 three-pointers and shot 43.8 percent behind the arc. Mains had three triples, moving up to a tie for seventh all-time on NAU's career three-point list with 155, and Xavier Fuller added four. Fuller was 4-for-7 behind the arc with seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Keith Haymon (10) and Trenton McLaughlin (10) also scored in double figures while Carson Towt led the way with 12 rebounds and five assists.
 
"There are a couple of things I take away from this, and we'll start with the personnel. Seeing Trent McLaughlin play how he did by scoring 10 points with limited minutes and only shooting the ball five times, he is somebody who we want to get going. Keith Haymon played for 18 minutes, and he was plus-16. We all know he can score, but I thought his effort on defense was great, but more importantly, so was his execution. Nik Mains had a great game offensively and defensively," said head coach Shane Burcar. "Even though Carson Towt and Jalen Cone didn't score the ball the particularly well tonight, with our team, they don't care. It's about winning the basketball game. We came in and we did what we wanted to do. We took care of business. They (Ottawa) were averaging about 80 points per game, and we held them to about 50. I really liked our effort in the last 48 hours. We got better at what NAU basketball is about."
 
The Lumberjacks opened play on a 9-0 run and kept the Spirit off the scoreboard until the 16:27 mark. Runs of 8-0 and 16-0 helped NAU lead 39-13 with five minutes left to play in the first half. Seven points during the 16-0 run came from Mains. The Lumberjacks shot a blistering 51.4 percent from the field in the first half with eight three-pointers, holding the Spirit to just 8-of-28 overall for 28.6 percent. At the half, Northern Arizona held a comfortable 48-24 lead.
 
Ottawa came out of the half and strung together its biggest run of the night, 8-0, to trim NAU's lead down to 51-34. A quick 8-0 run that included consecutive triples from McLaughlin and Haymon plus a layup from Jack Wistrcill put the Lumberjacks back ahead handedly, 68-39, with 10 minutes left to play. With 6:38 left on the clock, NAU held its largest lead of 32 points after a three-pointer from Jalen Cone. From that point, the Spirit was able to outscore the Lumberjacks 8-5 during the final moments, but Northern Arizona still cruised to the 82-51 victory.
 
The Spirit was steady at the free throw line, making 14-of-16. NAU crashed the boards and won the rebounding battle, 52-to-35. The Lumberjacks scored 11 points off 14 turnovers and turned the ball over 11 times but had 10 steals. On the night, NAU shot 42.3 percent (30-71) from the field with 19 assists, holding the Spirit to 29.8 percent overall (17-57).
 
Northern Arizona heads back out onto to the road for a pair of games against West Coast Conference opponents. First up is Pepperdine on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. Mountain Standard time. The Lumberjacks wrap up play at Pacific on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. MST. NAU returns home for its second stint against Utah Valley on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. for the final home non-conference contest.
 
To stay up to date with Lumberjack men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter and Instagram.