FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (January 14, 2023) – Looking to hand the Sacramento State Hornets their first loss in Big Sky Conference play, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks produced one of their most impressive performances of the season.
Leading for the final 30 minutes, the Lumberjacks (10-9, 4-2 Big Sky) halted the Hornets' (13-3, 4-1 Big Sky) seven-game winning streak with a 77-67 victory Saturday afternoon at Findlay Toyota Court. The loss, Sacramento State's first when scoring at least 60 points this season after entering the game at 13-0, leaves the Big Sky with no undefeated team remaining in conference play.
"I thought the team really dialed into the game plan. We had a lot of conversations just about executing the game plan on certain players," Lumberjacks head coach
Loree Payne said. "I love that the team dialed into the game plan and definitely bounced back from Thursday."
After each side put together its own first-quarter run, with Northern Arizona scoring eight straight and Sacramento State seven,
Regan Schenck closed out the period with a buzzer-beating layup. Giving the Lumberjacks a 15-14 lead, Schenck's basket began Northern Arizona's 30-minute stretch with the lead as
Olivia Moran opened the second quarter with a three-point play.
While Kahlaijah Dean and Isnelle Natabou each scored six points apiece in the second quarter, Sacramento State's duo was no match for Northern Arizona's shooting. Scoring 27 points in the quarter, the Lumberjacks connected on five three-pointers during a five-minute stretch of play to help break the game open. Schenck started the onslaught with a three-pointer before finding
Fatoumata Jaiteh open for another 40 seconds later.
Dean answered with a jumper, but Schenck hit another unassisted three before
Montana Oltrogge put an end to a small 4-0 run by the Hornets with the fourth of the quarter. Schenck connected on her third of the quarter with 4:05 left before halftime and Oltrogge made it six as she gave the Lumberjacks their first double-digit lead of the game at 40-30.
Shooting 56.3 percent from the field in the quarter, including 6-of-9 from outside, the Lumberjacks led by as much as 12 in the second and entered the break with a 10-point advantage.
"We went with a little bit of a different strategy this game and subbed a little more than we usually do. I think it kept our legs fresh and we were able to run and get them a little tired," Schenck said. "It definitely helped me get open shots."
With their win streak and perfect conference record on the line, the Hornets made their run at the game right out of halftime. As the Lumberjacks scored just five points in a span of nearly five minutes, the Hornets went on a 12-5 run. Aided by seven points from Dean, a three-pointer by Katie Peneueta and a layup by Natabou, Sacramento State came within three points of Northern Arizona.
Hitting a layup to end a two-minute stretch without a field goal,
Olivia Moran pushed the lead back to two possessions and a quick steal by
Mary McMorris helped send
Fatoumata Jaiteh to the free-throw line where she converted both. After Dean converted just 1-of-2 from the line, McMorris started an 11-4 run to close out the final 3:11 of the third with a layup.
Baskets by Oltrogge,
Sophie Glancey and Schenck brought the Lumberjacks back to the 12-point lead and
Taylor Feldman's three-point play to close out the third made it 13.
Having never trailed by more than four points during their winning streak, the Hornets wound up facing their largest deficit of the season in the fourth quarter. Oltrogge made it 64-49 with the first shot of the fourth quarter and despite a 9-0 run for the Hornets,
Olivia Moran made it 15 once again on a three-pointer to cap off an 11-2 run to put the game away. Entering the day, Sacramento State had trailed by 14 against San Diego State.
Dean finished with 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting with Natabou at 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting, but the Lumberjacks forced the pair into three and eight turnovers, respectively. While the two combined to shoot 62.1 percent from the field, the remainder of Sacramento State's roster hit 8-of-25 from the field to land at 32.0 percent. Dean finished 4-of-6 from three-point range, with the rest of the Hornets just 3-of-13.
"Our game plan was to come in and double (Natabou) because she's a great player and if she catches it on the block, it's pretty much an automatic two or a miss and a rebound," Payne said. "To keep her to seven rebounds and to cause eight turnovers from her, I think that was a huge shoutout to our doublers and just making her think about if a double was coming or not."
Schenck led the Lumberjacks with 21 points and added eight assists, followed by Oltrogge's 18 points and
Olivia Moran's 12.
The Lumberjacks will head up to Moscow, Idaho and Cheney, Wash. next week to face the Idaho Vandals (6-10, 2-3 Big Sky) and the Eastern Washington Eagles (9-6, 2-3 Big Sky). The Eagles defeated the Vandals 74-59 on Saturday with both teams set for a Monday game before the Lumberjacks arrive. Eastern Washington heads to Montana on Monday with Idaho going to Montana State. Thursday's tip against the Vandals is scheduled for 7 p.m. MST and Saturday's game against the Eagles will start at 3 p.m. MST.
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