GREELEY, Colo. (December 30, 2023) – Despite a fast start for NAU's offense, the Lumberjacks (6-7, 0-1) fell to the Northern Colorado Bears (6-6, 1-0) 92-77 in the Big Sky Conference opener this afternoon.
"We absolutely need to get better, and we all need to look in the mirror and look at how we can get better, it's eye opening," head coach
Shane Burcar said. "It's good that we're going to be together for the next four days to prepare for Omaha, we have some big opportunities coming up and we've got to really cherish it."
The Lumberjacks broke out with a fast start in the Bank of Colorado Arena, as
Trent McLaughlin wasted no time draining two three-pointers, alongside a
Diego Campisano steal and layup.
Liam Lloyd added a fastbreak three-pointer to put the Jacks 3-3 from beyond the arc ahead of the first media timeout, taking a 7-point lead with 16:13 remaining in the first half.
NAU found the early edge from three-point range as the Jacks maintained the lead while shooting 60.0 percent from the field, in comparison to the Bears 61.5 shooting percentage at the second media break, leading 28-21.
As the Jacks offense began to cool down from its hot start, Northern Colorado closed in on what was a 12-point lead for NAU, putting the game back within a three-point margin at the under-eight break.
With seven minutes to go through the first 20 minutes, the Bears tied the game up at 30 a piece at the line, as the Jacks found themselves in foul trouble with eight team fouls while Northern Colorado recorded three.
Oakland Fort put NAU back on top with his second three-pointer of the game.
At halftime, the Bears gained the five-point lead at 46-41 while shooting 72.0 percent from the field, led by Brock Wisne with ten points with a perfect 5-5 from the field, followed by Jaron Rillie's perfect 3-3 from the field and 2-4 at the line.
Campisano led the Jacks with 12 points and three boards, followed by McLaughlin with 11 points, highlighted by three shots from beyond the arc. NAU's three-point shooting of 50.0 percent, 9-18, kept them in the game with UNC's impressive shooting half, while the Lumberjacks were shooting 46.7 percent from the field after the first half. NAU found the edge in the turnover game, committing five while forcing six on the Bears offense.
A scoreless two minutes to start the second half for NAU led to a forced timeout as the Bears jumped out to a 55-41 lead, backed by a Zach Bloch three-pointer.
C.J. Ford stopped Northern Colorado's 16-0 run, dating back to the first half, with a driving layup to bring NAU back within 12.
The Lumberjacks battled to get back into the game, however the Bears shooting did not let up. Northern Colorado continued efficient shooting with 74.3 percent from the field for the 14-point lead at the under-12 media pause, with three players in double-digits as the Bears were winning the rebound game 24-13.
The 16-0 run to end the first half and begin the second half proved to be too much of a margin for the Jacks to close, as the Beards held on for the 92-77 victory to open conference matchups. The Bears capitalized offensively in the paint, outscoring the Jacks 42-30 inside. The Lumberjacks finished with a shooting percentage of 47.4 while Northern Colorado shot 69.4 percent, each team with 11 three-pointers.
McLaughlin finished with a 20-point campaign, shooting 40.0 percent from the field through 31 minutes on the court. All five starters for NAU finished with double-digit scoring, with Campisano following with 12, Fort with 11, and Lloyd and Jackson with 10 a piece.
The Lumberjacks will take on back-to-back Summit League opponents in the Big Sky/Summit League Challenge as NAU will head to Omaha on Jan. 3 before hosting North Dakota on Jan. 6 at Findlay Toyota Court. To stay up to date with NAU Basketball, follow the Jacks on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
