HONOLULU, Hawaii (November 21, 2023) – Despite taking the advantage in shooting percentage going 41.8 percent from the field, NAU fell 70-61 at the University of Hawaii.
Hawaii quickly jumped out to a 14-6 lead backed by an 8-2 advantage in fouls for the 'Bows. Six of Hawaii's first 16 points came at the line.
Trent McLaughlin and
Liam Lloyd kept the Jacks within five with back-to-back three-pointers ahead of the under-eight media.
With 5:41 remaining in the first half, the Jacks took their first lead of the game, sparked by a
C.J. Ford steal to a
Diego Campisano layup. Campisano went to the line, missing his free throw, however
Jayden Jackson picked up the rebound to send it out to McLaughlin for the three-shot, putting the Jacks up 25-21.
McLaughlin led the Jacks with ten points through the first twenty minutes of play, shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 66.0 percent from beyond the arc. Jackson, the Jacks next highest scorer with six points had brought NAU back within three off a McLaughlin steal for the fastbreak dunk.
Jovon McClanahan put the Jacks up by six heading into the break, 36-29 with a buzzer-beating three-point shot as the 'Bows finished the half going 4-4 on their last four shots from the field. NAU was able to hold all of Hawaii's roster under double-digits in the first half, but the 'Bows took the shooting advantage into halftime, shooting 42.9 percent from the floor while the Lumberjacks shot 39.4 percent. McLaughlin and Lloyd's combined three-pointers gave the Jacks the advantage in three-point shooting with 33.3 percent as Hawaii went 2-12 from behind the line.
As NAU has been outrebounded by all five opponents so far this season, Hawaii only took a +1 margin into the second half, with a 19-18 edge. Harry Rouhliadeff and Bernardo Da Silva each picked up five boards in ten minutes and nine minutes on the court, respectively.
The second half was yet again plagued by NAU fouls, as the Jacks were charged with six in the first nine minutes of play while Hawaii took three. Despite the Jacks taking the edge in shooting, NAU found themselves in a 45-41 hole ahead of the first media timeout of the half. Basham, Lloyd, and
Rockwell Reynolds all were limited with four fouls a piece.
Hawaii jumped to a 6-0 run for a 10-point lead with eight minutes on the clock led by back-to-back three-pointers from Matthue Cotton. Before Cotton's shots, the 'Bows were just 3-21 from beyond the arc. Lloyd responded for NAU and put a stop to Hawaii's run with a three-pointer himself coming out of the under-eight media, his second of the night. Basham followed with a dunk as Jackson picked up the steal for the coast-to-coast ball, along with two free throws sunk to bring the Jacks back within three.
The Lumberjacks fell into a five-minute field goal drought as the 'Bows went 4-5 from the field in that same amount of time to put Hawaii up 70-57 with just under two minutes to play. The 'Bows held on the nine-point victory.
Jackson and McLaughlin both finished with double-digits for the Jacks, with 13 and 14, respectively. Four Lumberjacks picked up five boards in Jackson, Fort, McLaughlin, and Basham. The Jacks were outrebounded by one, 34-35. The Jacks committed 17 turnovers while only forcing 14.
The Lumberjacks will return to action next week at UCSB on Wednesday, Nov. 29 to take on the Gauchos on the road before heading home for NAU's home opener on Dec. 2 against Pacific. To stay up to date with NAU Basketball, follow the Jacks on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
