MALIBU, Calif. (Dec. 18, 2023) – The Northern Arizona University women's basketball team returned to the court for the first time in nine days this afternoon, taking on Pepperdine at the Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif. The Lumberjacks picked up their third-straight victory and fourth over a West Coast Conference opponent this season with an 80-62 victory.
Northern Arizona improves to 7-3 on the season for the fifth time in NAU history, its best 10-game start since 2004-05. It marks the program's first-ever win in Malibu, as the Waves drop to 3-9 on the year.
The Lumberjacks have now won seven out of their last eight contests after starting the year 0-2 and have won five-straight away from Flagstaff. Additionally, with another 80 points today, NAU has scored over 80 points in its last three contests and improve to 41-3 since 2018-19 in 80-plus point performances.
An 18-2 run in the first half gave Northern Arizona a 49-34 lead at the break which was nearly erased in the third quarter as the Waves cut the lead down to five points. The Lumberjacks exploded for a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter to keep Pepperdine away as four players scored in double figures, led by
Grace Beasley with a career-high 21 points and
Sophie Glancey's second-straight double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds.
"I love our team's energy and their ability to respond to adversity today. Pepperdine made a big run in the third quarter, but we responded well and executed down the stretch on both ends," said head coach
Loree Payne. "It was great to see Sophie with another double-double and Grace to play with the confidence she did. We also collectively shot the three-ball very well today. I'm proud of our team."
Beasley also contributed with a career-high eight rebounds and a team-high five assists.
Leia Beattie made 7-of-9 from the field and 3-for-3 from three-point range to add 19 points, while
Emily Rodabaugh finished things out with 10.
Northern Arizona shot 44.3 percent (27-61) from the field and 47.1 percent (8-17) from three-point range. The Waves were just 23-for-55 (41.8%) from the field, made three three-pointers, and shot 65 percent from the free throw line. NAU won the rebounding battle, 39-to-29, with 12 offensive rebounds that were turned into 15 points, outscoring the Waves 15-to-3 in second chance opportunities.
After falling behind 4-0 early, the Lumberjacks exploded on a 9-0 run for a 9-4 lead. The run included four points from Beasley and five from Beattie, both of whom reached double-digits by the half. The Waves replied quickly with a 7-0 run of their own to lead 11-9 and the lead would go back-and-forth from there.
Down 13-12, Northern Arizona used an 11-0 run to end the first quarter, leading 25-13 after the first 10 minutes. The 'Jacks shot 56.3 (9-16) percent and forced six turnovers, while Beasley went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free throw line to lead all players with 11 points after the first quarter.
Another 7-0 run in the second quarter put NAU up 32-15, giving the Lumberjacks an 18-2 run overall since trailing 13-12.
Sophie Glancey started to heat up in the second quarter, scoring seven points and grabbing six rebounds. NAU shot 50 percent from the field in the second and were in full control of the game with a 49-34 lead at the half.
Beasley ended the first half with 17 points on 6-of-7 from the field while Beattie ended with 14 as NAU shot 53.1 percent from the field with eight three pointers in the first 20 minutes.
The Waves made halftime adjustments and used a 9-0 run to cut the lead down to 55-50, nearly erasing a 19-point deficit. The Lumberjacks didn't score for over five minutes during the quarter, going 0-for-7 from the field during that span. An old-fashioned three-point play by Rodabaugh snapped the drought and helped NAU pull back ahead 59-50. Despite being outscored 18-10 in the third quarter and shooting 25 percent from the field, Northern Arizona still led 59-52 heading into the fourth.
Northern Arizona flipped the script in the fourth and final quarter, making its first three field goal attempts to extend the lead back out to 65-55. In all, NAU used a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter to put the Waves away.
Olivia Moran made six-straight during the run, helping outscore Pepperdine 21-10 in the fourth en route to the 80-62 victory.
The Lumberjacks return to action this Thursday, Dec. 21, when they take on former Big Sky Conference foe Southern Utah in Cedar City, Utah, for a 2 p.m. Mountain Standard time tip. The Thunderbirds are 3-8 on the season.
