SAN ANTONIO, Texas (December 9, 2023) – The Jacks are heading back to Flagstaff on a three-game win streak after another exciting finish with a one-point victory at Incarnate Word, 76-75.
The Lumberjacks took a 7-4 lead into the first media break of the game, with
Diego Campisano leading the way for NAU with a quick three-pointer, adding another from the field. The Jacks forced two turnovers on travel calls within the first six minutes of the game, adding another two with a
Liam Lloyd steal and a lost ball.
The Jacks shooting went cold for nearly four minutes as NAU was unable to find a basket off the line until
Jayden Jackson sunk a step-back jumper just outside the key, followed by an
Oakland Fort driving layup to put NAU back up by one, 19-18, with seven minutes to play in the first half.
With just over five minutes on the clock, the Cardinals took a five-point lead with Sky Wicks knocking down a three-pointer and one at the line. UIW's lead was quickly cut back to two as
Trent McLaughlin hit his first three of the game.
NAU's defense kept the Jacks in the game, as the offense battled back on a 7-0 run to close out the Cardinals largest lead of the half and end the half with a 36-36 tie. Campisano hit his career-high of 15 points with a strong dunk as
Rockwell Reynolds made an impressive pass from the floor.
NAU committed six turnovers in the first half for six points to the Cardinals, while capitalizing on eight points off of 10 UIW turnovers. In a close first half, the lead changed nine times while NAU shot 44.8 percent from the field in comparison to the Cardinals 46.2 percent. The Jacks were outrebounded 17-13 in the first half as Jackson and Campisano led the team with three rebounds a piece.
Coming out of the break, Jackson dropped a fast five points in the first minute of the game as the Lumberjacks began to look like themselves offensively again. As the Jacks started the first half on a 16-6 run, Lloyd picked up a steal and an assist on a Fort layup, forcing the Cardinals to take a timeout as the Jacks took the ten-point lead.
C.J. Ford quickly made his name known to the UIW bench as he tabbed his second three-pointer of the game, adding a driving layup just ahead of the under-12 media timeout.
The Cardinals came back within two points of the Jacks with just over 10 minutes on the clock after a 6-0 run led by Dylan Hayman and Shon Robinson back-to-back jumpers. With seven minutes remaining, UIW regained the lead off a Hayman lead just before
Carson Basham picked up a layup and one at the line for the Jacks two-point lead.
Looking to regain the lead, McLaughlin took matters into his own hands with back-to-back scoring possessions, flying in the paint with a dunk following with the quick pull-up jumper as the Cardinals left him with room just outside the arc for three. As Robinson put the Crads back up by two at the free throw line, McLaughlin sunk a contested three-pointer down with 2.7 seconds on the clock to give NAU the lead by one while the defense held off UIW to secure the Jacks third-straight victory before heading back home.
McLaughlin finished as the high scorer for NAU with 20 points, followed by Campisano's career-high 17, Jackson's 14, Fort's nine, and Ford's career-high of eight in his home state. The Jacks as a team closed out the game shooting 47.5 from the field while being outrebounded 34-25. NAU capitalized on 17 points off the fast break, and scored 30 points in the paint.
NAU will host Southern Utah next Saturday, Dec. 16 at Rolle Activity Center for a 2 p.m. tipoff. To stay up to date with NAU Basketball, follow the Jacks on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
