| Northern Arizona Women's Basketball |
| GAME 1 |
Northern Arizona at Oregon (Monday, Nov. 6 | 7 p.m. MST) |
| FOLLOW |
Video | Live Stats |
| LOCATION |
Eugene, Ore. | Matthew Knight Arena |
| GAME NOTES |
Northern Arizona |
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Nov. 3, 2023) – A brand new season full of potential with lofty goals kicks off this week for the Northern Arizona University women's basketball team. The Lumberjacks take to the court and face off against Oregon to officially begin the 2023-24 season this Monday, Nov. 6, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Mountain Standard time and will be broadcast on the Oregon Live Stream.
Northern Arizona is coming off a historical season that saw the squad advance to its second-straight Big Sky Conference title game and advance to the program's first WNIT. Additionally, the Lumberjacks earned a share of the 2022-23 regular season title with Montana State and Sacramento State, their first since 1997-98. Head coach Loree Payne was named Big Sky Coach of the Year in a three-way tie with MSU's Tricia Binford and SAC's Mark Campbell. It was the first nod of Payne's career and just the second in program history behind Meg Sanders' 1998 nod.
The Lumberjacks earned the No. 1 seed at the conference tournament by virtue of sweeping both the Bobcats and the Hornets during the regular season. NAU cruised to its second-straight championship game by beating Northern Colorado, 64-48, and Eastern Washington, 74-57. However, NAU fell short and and lost to the Hornets by a score of 76-63 in the championship game – the program's second-straight runner-up tournament finish. The season was not over, as NAU then advanced to the program's first-ever WNIT appearance, falling to New
Mexico in the first round.
The Lumberjacks will also begin 2023-24 where they left off, at the top, as NAU was picked to finish first by the media and second by the coaches in the conference's preseason polls. Northern Arizona finished 21-14 (13-5 Big Sky) last year for the program's first 20-win season since 2006-07.
The Ducks also had a 20-win season that saw them advance to the WNIT, ending their season in the quarterfinals at 20-15 plus 7-11 in Pac-12 play. Oregon was picked to finish eighth by both the media and the coaches in the Pac-12 preseason polls. It returns three starters and four letterwinners from last year's squad, while welcoming the 18th-best recruiting class in the nation with three four-star prospects in espnW's top-100. Sophomore Grace Vanslooten was selected to the All-Pac-12 preseason team after earning an honorable mention nod last season.
Oregon played in one lone exhibition game, defeating Southern Oregon 76-55.
This is the second all-time meeting between the Ducks and the Lumberjacks. Oregon won 59-47 on Dec. 13, 2014 in Eugene. It is Payne's first-ever contest against the Ducks as head coach.
The 2022-23 squad set seven single-season school records in points scored (2,615), field goals made (952) and attempted (2,332), three-pointers made (279) and attempted (872), three-point field goals per game (8.0) and total rebounds (1,427).
Although the Lumberjacks said goodbye to the program's all-time leader in assists and games played, first-team selection Regan Schenck, and third-team All-Big Sky selection, Montana Oltrogge, NAU brings back seven players from last season, including returning starters Nyah Moran (30 games) and Emily Rodabaugh (35 games).
Rodabaugh decided to come back for a fifth year and has played in 116 games with 80 starts, logging 2,797 minutes in a Lumberjack uniform. Should she make an appearance in at least all 31 regular season games, she'll end her career second all-time in games played behind her former teammate, Regan Schenck who played in 156 games. Rodabaugh is also just 441 minutes away from cracking NAU's all-time minutes played list.
In fact, her first point this year whether it comes from the free throw line or the field will cement her in NAU's record book as she enters her senior year with 999 career points and looks to become the 21st member of Northern Arizona's 1,000 career point club.
At the minimum, Rodabaugh will leave Northern Arizona as one of the program's most prolific three-point shooter, already ranking in the top-ten all-time in four different categories. With 175 made threes in her career, Rodabaugh is already third on NAU's all-time career three-pointers list, needing just 19 more to break the all-time record. And with four games in her career with six three-pointers made, the record could come sooner rather than later. Additionally, she is fifth in three-point field goal attempts with 487, eighth in three-pointers per game with 1.51 and ninth in three-point percentage – draining 35.9 percent of her career shots from deep.
Nyah Moran earned a spot on the Big Sky All-Tournament team and averaged 10.1 points per game last year with 46 made three-pointers.
While they weren't considered to be starters, the Lumberjacks will also rely on a veteran presence in junior Olivia Moran who started 15 games last season and sophomore Sophie Glancey who started 16.
Olivia Moran averaged 8.8 points per game and drained 44.1 percent of her shots from the field. Glancey battled injuries during her debut campaign, but contributed with 7.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest.
The Lumberjacks are led by seventh-year head coach, Loree Payne, the reigning Big Sky Coach of the Year. In six full seasons, Payne has an overall record of 84-98 plus an even 57-57 in Big Sky play. She has guided NAU to a winning record in conference play for the last four seasons after winning just four league contests in her first season.
Payne is supported by assistant coaches Kellee Barney, TJ Harris, Ryan Freeman and Director of Operations, Tabitha Kangas. Both Harris, Freeman and Kangas enter their second years on staff, while Barney has been by Payne's side all six seasons.
Looking to step up into leadership roles is a trio of sophomores in returning letterwinners Taylor Feldman, Audrey Taylor and Saniyah Neverson.
In all, the Lumberjacks return 57% of the squad's points from a year ago.
After losing five players total, Northern Arizona had to hit the recruiting trail and welcomes four true freshmen and two Montana State transfers in Leia Beattie and Grace Beasley.
In three seasons with the Bobcats, Beattie joins the Lumberjacks as a senior with two years of eligibility remaining. The Midland, Texas, native earned All-Big Sky honorable mention honors and was named the league's Top Reserve as a junior. She helped guide the Bobcats to a 20-11 overall record and a share of the regular season title along with Northern Arizona and Sacramento State after averaging a career-high 9.4 points per game which was third on the team. As a sophomore, Beattie poured on 9.2 points per game and led MSU to an NCAA Tournament appearance along with a regular season championship.
Beasley played in 30 games with one start for the Bobcats last season, averaging 7.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. She scored in double figures in 10 contests, including a career-high 17 points against Providence (MT) where she was 7-of-9 from the field with five assists. Against eventual National Champions LSU, Beasley poured on 15 points to go with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. She averaged 18.2 minutes per game with 215 total points and 102 total rebounds.
Joining NAU as true freshmen are Allie Cummins (Concord, Calif.), Ceren Oturakci (Ankara, Turkey), Ava Schmidt (Sammamish, Wash.), and Reilly Clark (Tucson, Ariz.).
The Lumberjacks play in 31 regular season games leading up to the conference championships from March 9-13 in Boise, Idaho. The non-conference schedule includes 13 contests, four of which are at home, and the 'Jacks will play each Big Sky opponent twice, swapping between home and away. Northern Arizona will also host 13 home games, with the first set for Nov. 15 against Benedictine Mesa at the Rolle Activity Center.
The 2023-24 schedule is loaded with talented competition, as five opponents advanced to the NCAA Tournament a season ago and three made WNIT appearances.
Following Monday's opener, Northern Arizona stays in state and heads down to Tucson to play its second-straight Pac-12 opponent in Arizona. The Lumberjacks were topped by the Wildcats 113-56 last season as Arizona went on to finish 22-10 overall and 11-7 in Pac-12 play and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. MST.
