FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (December 27, 2022) – Following 13 games of non-conference play, sending the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks through Arizona, out to California and across the country to the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Big Sky Conference schedule begins at Findlay Toyota Court on Thursday.
Hosting the Idaho State Bengals (5-6, 0-0 Big Sky) on Thursday at 6 p.m. and the Weber State Wildcats (4-8, 0-0 Big Sky) on Saturday at 2 p.m., the Lumberjacks (6-7, 0-0 Big Sky) open the conference schedule with the pair of Big Sky charter members for the second consecutive season. Having swept the Bengals and Wildcats last season, the Lumberjacks are looking to win their conference opener for a third straight season, which was last done between the 2005-06 and 2007-08 seasons.
While Northern Arizona trails in the all-time series against both Idaho State, 29-47, and Weber State, 43-47, the Lumberjacks have won three of the past four against the Bengals and nine straight against the Wildcats.
Finishing with a 6-7 non-conference schedule, the Lumberjacks went 5-2 against fellow mid-majors while dropping five games to Power Five programs, including two from the Pac-12 as well as one apiece from the ACC, Big 12 and SEC.
IDAHO STATE
Opening up with the Bengals on Thursday, the Lumberjacks will run into a clash of styles. Sitting at 10th in the nation with 78.9 possessions per 40 minutes, Northern Arizona's pace has also led to a rank of 21st in three-pointers made at 8.7 and 46th in field-goal attempts in their game against Division I opponents.
Meanwhile, Idaho State is 313th with 67.7 possessions per 40 minutes, 325th in three-pointers made and 325th in field-goal attempts this season. While the Bengals slow their opponents down, with an opponent average pace of 69.5, 346th of 361 Division I schools, the Lumberjacks rank among the top third nationally at 96th of 361 schools at 72.4.
Ranked 328th at 53.8 points per game, the Bengals are led by longtime Bengal Callie Bourne. In her fifth year with the program, Bourne leads the team at 12.3 points per game while taking 21.3 percent of the team's shot attempts. Finley Garnett, now in her third year with Idaho State, is second on the team at 10.2 points per game and Laura Bello, a transfer from Newman University in Kansas, is third at 9.5 points per game. The trio are the only Bengals above 6.0 points per game. Bourne and Garnett have started all 11 games this season while Bello started the past two games for Idaho State at the UCF Christmas Classic.
Defensively, Idaho State has allowed just one opponent to break 70 points this season, with USC's 75 well ahead of UCF's 67. Idaho State's seven other Division I opponents have ranged from 48 points to 58 points this year, with UCF leading at 64 field-goal attempts. Northern Arizona has been held to 64 or fewer attempts six times this season, with a season-low of 54 coming against Fresno State.
The game will also be graduate student
Montana Oltrogge's first against her former school, having transferred from Idaho State to Northern Arizona this past summer.
Oltrogge is averaging career highs in points (11.3), rebounds (7.8) and minutes (30.4) but has struggled shooting from the field over the past three games as she has hit just 5-of-22 (22.7%) from three-point range and 11-of-38 (28.9%) overall since finishing 6-of-13 (46.2%) overall and 2-6 (33.3%) from outside against Fresno State.
WEBER STATE
Entering conference play with four consecutive losses to Tarleton State, North Dakota, Utah Tech and Utah since starting the season 4-4. The Wildcats are 0-5 on the road this season but won a pair of games against Bryant and Hartford on a neutral court at the Providence Tournament in Rhode Island.
Ranked 28th in the nation with 21.75 free-throw attempts per game and 19th with 16.2 free throws made per game, Weber State generates 26.4 percent of its scoring from the line to rank third among the 361 Division I teams. With the Lumberjacks fouling 22.7 times per game, 357th in the nation, the Wildcats duo of Daryn Hickok and Jadyn Matthews may look to work their way inside.
Hickok and Matthews, Weber State's top scorers, are primarily responsible for the aggressiveness at the rim. Hickok, averaging a team-high 17.4 points per game, scores 5.2 points per game from the line while Matthews scores 5.1 of her 14.1 points on free throws. The duo ranks 17th and 68th respectively in free-throw attempts this season and are 18th and 34th in free throws made.
Second in the Big Sky behind Northern Arizona with 38.9 rebounds per game, Weber State has done well at the defensive end as it holds opponents to just 26.2 percent from outside, ranking 41st in the nation. However, the Wildcats have been susceptible to the same offensive attack they use against opponents with their 22.3 fouls per game ranking 353rd leading to 280 free-throw attempts allowed, 357th in the nation.
Weber State's third-leading scorer this season, Laura Taylor, is the Wildcats' primary threat outside. Hitting 26-of-79 from outside, Taylor is the only Wildcat with double-digit three-pointers made this season and accounts for 50 percent of the team's 52 made three-pointers.
Thursday's game will be available to watch
here on ESPN+ while live stats can be followed
here. Saturday's game will be available
here with live stats
here.
Make sure to follow the NAU women's basketball team on
Twitter,
Instagram and
Facebook for updates throughout the season.
