FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 21, 2022) – The Northern Arizona men's basketball team scored just 14 points – a season-low for a half – in the first half and fell to Southern Utah, 79-48, on Monday in the Walkup Skydome.
The Lumberjacks shot just 25 percent (7-of-28) from the field in the first half, misfired on all eight of their three-point attempts and did not shoot a free throw as they trailed 31-14 at halftime. The 14 points was NAU's lowest total in a half since a 16-point first half against UC Riverside on Dec. 10, 2020.
NAU dropped to 9-18 overall and 5-11 in the Big Sky. Southern Utah, the reigning regular season league champion, improved to 17-9 overall and 11-5 in the conference.
"It was a tough night at the office," said head coach
Shane Burcar. "I really liked our defensive effort in the first half. We gave ourselves a chance and had a couple of opportunities to get within six at the start of the second half, but the shots weren't falling. It was an avalanche that came at us when we couldn't score the ball and the scoreboard reflects that."
Redshirt junior
Nik Mains and redshirt freshman
Carson Towt got the 'Jacks out to a fast start with the first two buckets of the game. However, after Towt's dunk, NAU missed its next 10 shots and endured an eight-minute scoring drought during which Southern Utah scored 15 straight points and never looked back.
Although Southern Utah made just two more field goals than NAU in the first half, the Thunderbirds made the most of their baskets. Six of Southern Utah's nine field goals were threes, and the Thunderbirds knocked down seven free throws while the Lumberjacks did not attempt one.
NAU's offense picked up in the second half – shooting 44.4 percent and knocking down 8-of-9 freebies – but so did Southern Utah's. The Thunderbirds shot 57.6 percent after halftime and added seven treys to their total as they finished at 13-of-31 (41.9 percent) behind the arc. Meanwhile, NAU only hit a season-low two threes – both coming off the hands of redshirt sophomore
Keith Haymon – at a 14.3 percent clip, also a season-low.
The Lumberjacks actually struck quick out of the locker room, instantly chopping their deficit in half courtesy of a 9-0 run in the first two minutes. A dunk by redshirt sophomore
Ezekiel Richards punctuated the run that cut Southern Utah's lead to 31-23.
An ensuing 11-1 Southern Utah run over the next five and a half minutes put an end to NAU's fast start – and effectively a comeback effort – as the Thunderbirds' advantage grew to 42-24 with 14:38 to play.
Towt was the lone Lumberjack to score in double-figures with 11 points, while also adding five rebounds and a game-high six assists. Richards – who led the team with seven rebounds – and Mains were next in line with eight points apiece.
Maizen Fausett and Tevian Jones each led Southern Utah with 12 points in an extremely balanced scoring effort with four players in double-digits and eight players with at least eight points.
Southern Utah outrebounded NAU, 43-31, and used that advantage to get out in transition often leading to 20 fast break points.
NAU returns to the Walkup Skydome on Thursday hosting Idaho State at 6 p.m. The Lumberjacks' home finale will follow on Saturday versus Weber State at 2 p.m.
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