FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 15, 2022) – Looking to keep pace with the Montana Lady Griz and Sacramento State Hornets in their pursuit of a bye in next month's Big Sky Conference Tournament, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks have one final shot at a home victory before embarking on a crucial road stretch.
The Lumberjacks (11-11, 8-6 Big Sky) host the Portland State Vikings (5-15, 0-12) Thursday night at 6 p.m. in what will be the visitor's first game in more than a week. Idle for the past 10 days due to COVID-19 protocols, Portland State begins a run of eight games in 16 days at the Walkup Skydome.
Thursday night will also be Northern Arizona's Black Lives Matter Game, with pins and rally towels handed out to fans in attendance. Tickets can be purchased
here and the game will be available on ESPN+, as well as Hulu with the Disney Bundle.
Portland State enters the game with 10 consecutive losses and 11 straight to Division I opponents, including Northern Arizona's 79-68 victory on Jan. 29. The Vikings have won just three games against Division I opponents this season, with four of their past five losses by double digits but have given the Lumberjacks plenty of problems through the years.
Northern Arizona's victory in Portland last month snapped a 12-game losing streak to Portland State, dating back to 2015. The Lumberjacks fell behind early against the Vikings, trailing 22-11 in the first quarter with Portland State building a lead as large as 16 points early on in the second.
Taking its first lead of the game midway through the third quarter, Northern Arizona fell behind by 11 again with just eight minutes left on the clock before outscoring Portland State 27-5 down the final stretch. An 18-0 run in the game's last 3:39 proved to be the difference, with the Lumberjacks hitting 6-of-6 from three-point range in the final quarter. The comeback was Northern Arizona's largest since February 2020 against Northern Colorado.
Setting the program record for rebounds in the process,
Khiarica Rasheed led the Lumberjacks with 25 points and 12 rebounds in the victory.
Lauren Orndoff and
Nyah Moran also reached double figures with 15 and 10 points respectively, while
Regan Schenck finished with five points, nine rebounds and 12 assists.
Three Vikings also reached double digits, with Savannah Dhaliwal and Esmeralda Morales scoring 16 and 11 points while Alaya Fitzgerald led the team with a season-high 23 points. Fitzgerald, averaging 10.5 points while shooting 34.3 percent from the field and 24.2 percent from three-point range, produced the best game of her young career against Northern Arizona. Hitting 9-of-12 from the field and 3-of-4 from behind the arc, the freshman also added a career-best eight assists while averaging 1.7 this season.
For the Lumberjacks,
Nina Radford continues to stand as one of the nation's best outside shooters as she ranks seventh in D-I at 45.6 percent from three-point range. As a team, Northern Arizona's 37.2 percent from outside ranks 13th. Schenck's 5.8 assists per game is 13th in the nation this season and just 24 back of tying Kim Winkfield for second in program history.
Entering Thursday sixth in the Big Sky, the Lumberjacks are a half-game up of the Lady Griz following Montana's 63-57 loss against Eastern Washington Monday night in Cheney, Wash. Sacramento State sits in fourth, a game up on the Lumberjacks with six to play. Due to rescheduling, Montana has seven games remaining this season and is set to face Sacramento State on the final day of the regular season.
Stay connected with NAU Women's Basketball on
Twitter,
Instagram and
Facebook for updates on the Lumberjacks as they continue the 2021-22 season.
