FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 3, 2022) – Just 10 days after squaring off in Flagstaff, the Northern Arizona men's basketball team and Sacramento State will meet in The Nest on Thursday at 8 p.m. MST. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Northern Arizona Healthcare NAU Lumberjack Radio Network.
Thursday's second meeting between the two teams will officially mark the midway point of conference play for the Lumberjacks. Following a 78-66 loss to Southern Utah on Monday, NAU carries a 7-13 overall record and 3-6 record in Big Sky play into Sacramento.
The Lumberjacks defeated the Hornets, 70-65, in the Walkup Skydome on Jan. 24 behind a career-high 36 points from sophomore
Jalen Cone. Due to that being a rescheduled contest after the initial game date was postponed, NAU will play Sacramento State for the second time in a week and a half. Cone scored 22 of his 36 points after halftime in the win and ultimately shot 10-of-18 from the field, 5-for-10 from three-point range and 11-of-12 from the free throw line.
After 26 points on Monday versus Southern Utah, Cone is averaging 19.8 points per game overall and 21.0 points per game in conference play. It was his 10th double-digit scoring game this season, as he became the ninth Lumberjack to register to hit the mark in the last 26 seasons. With 68 three-point makes – which ranks 10th in the country – he is just 14 threes shy of breaking into NAU's single-season top 10 list.
The Lumberjacks hit 13 threes on Monday, registering their sixth double-digit three-point game in their last eight. During this stretch, NAU is shooting 40.8 percent as a team from deep, pushing it up to 26th nationally in season three-point percentage (.376). The Lumberjacks are also 54th in the country with 8.9 three-pointers made per game.
Redshirt sophomore
Keith Haymon complemented Cone's efforts with 18 points versus the Thunderbirds, shooting a career-best 6-for-8 from behind the arc. Redshirt junior
Nik Mains accounted for the final three Lumberjacks triples. Cone (3.4), Mains (2.4) and Haymon (2.1) rank first, sixth and 10th respectively in the conference in three-point average, while all shooting at least 37 percent from deep in league play.
Redshirt freshman
Carson Towt, who recorded six points, eight rebounds and six assists in last week's meeting with Sacramento State, added nine boards on Monday to his season total. With 188 rebounds this season, placing him 26th in the country, Towt is slowly creeping up to the single-season top 10 rebounding list sitting 77 rebounds outside. His 9.4 rebounds per game is second in the Big Sky and 22nd nationally.
NAU will be looking to complete the season sweep of Sacramento State for the first time since the 2012-13 season. The victory would also be the Lumberjacks' third straight over the Hornets dating back to last season, which would mark NAU's first three-game win streak in the all-time series in eight years.
Since playing NAU in Flagstaff last week, Sacramento State (6-11, 2-8 Big Sky) has split its last two games at home. After edging Idaho State, 61-60, Sacramento State fell to first-place Weber State last Saturday, 79-59. The Hornets are allowing only 69.2 points per game in conference play, which ranks third in the Big Sky. However, Sacramento State is 10th out of 11 teams in scoring offense (64.1) in league games while being outrebounded by nearly two per game on the glass.
The Hornets run through Bryce Fowler, who is averaging 16.2 points per game. The Big Sky's sixth-leading scorer also ranks 13th with 5.6 rebounds per game and fifth with 4.1 assists per game, making him the only player in the conference to rank in the top 15 in all three categories. Zach Chappell is Sacramento State's second-leading scorer at 12.9 points per game, including an average of 14.4 per game in conference play. In league games, Chappell is shooting 39.2 percent from behind the arc.
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