STORRS, Connecticut (November 6, 2023) – NAU Basketball (0-1) fell to the No. 6 UConn Huskies Monday evening as the defending national champions held the Jacks to 22 second half points.
Head coach
Shane Burcar gave
Oakland Fort,
Carson Basham,
Diego Campisano,
Liam Lloyd, and
Trent McLaughlin the nod for the first starting five of the 2023-24 campaign.
The Jacks quickly hung with the Huskies as UConn looked to speed things up. McLaughlin picked up a quick four points for the Jacks, one coming on a driving layup as the junior took it all the way to the rim, and one on a pull-up jumper as the Connecticut defense left him with room.
NAU found themselves in foul trouble early on with three players committing two a piece while the team had seven total ahead of the second media timeout.
Just ahead of the under-eight media timeout, the Huskies went on an 8-0 run in a minute and a half, led by Samson Johnson who picked up seven points in just four minutes on the floor. The Jacks stopped the run with a Lloyd layup followed by a turnover down the court as Basham was credited with the steal.
Fort sank the Jacks first three-pointer of the night with just over four minutes on the clock in the first half.
Jayden Jackson took a charge on the other side of play to give the Jacks some momentum coming out of the final media timeout. NAU was able to apply some pressure defensively, holding the Huskies to a 36.4 three-point percentage in the first half.
At the half, Alex Karaban led UConn with 13 points, knocking down five of seven field goals and going 3-4 from behind the arc. The Huskies took the 17-point lead into the break while the Jacks were led by Lloyd's 13 point, three rebound, and three assist first half showcase.
At the point of the first media timeout of the second half, the Jacks were holding the Huskies to zero field goals for nearly three minutes. The Huskies went 9-10 at the line through the first eight minutes of second half play, as fouls proved trouble for the Jacks once more on the night.
With eight to go,
Rockwell Reynolds fouled out with five points, three rebounds, and one block in his Lumberjack debut. Lloyd finished the game with 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists as the junior took the floor for a team-high 35 minutes. In Basham's blue and gold debut, the Pepperdine transfer saw 26 minutes and recorded six rebounds and three blocks.
The Lumberjacks will be back in action in their home state this Sunday as NAU takes on Grand Canyon at 3:30 p.m. MST in Phoenix, Ariz. To stay up to date with all things NAU Basketball, follow the Jacks on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
