FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 14, 2023) - Northern Arizona Women's Basketball (15-12, 9-5) is back at home this week for two Big Sky Conference matchups as the Jacks will take on the Eastern Washington Eagles (14-9, 7-6) on Thursday night and the Idaho Vandals (10-14, 6-7) on Saturday afternoon.
Both games will be available to stream through ESPN+, while live stats for Thursday's 6 p.m. MST tipoff will be here, and Saturday's 1 p.m. MST tipoff will be available through live stats here.
The Lumberjacks are coming off a split week on the road, picking up two wins at Idaho State and Sacramento State, and dropping their latest to Portland State. The five point loss to PSU gave the Vikings the season series edge, as NAU was unable to avoid the sweep. Portland State opened up the second half with a 12-5 run, taking the first lead for the Viks all game, holding on through defensive efforts to take the victory.
With just four conference games ahead of the Big Sky tournament in Boise, the Jacks sit in second place, just behind Montana State who has gone 11-3 in conference play, with two losses coming to NAU.
NAU's Emily Rodabuagh has seen back-to-back APS Electric Player of the Game honors, putting up huge offensive games at Sacramento State and Portland State. Rodabuagh's 26 points tied her season high in scoring, where the junior led the Jacks to their fourth overtime victory this season. Rodabuagh put up a season-high 2 blocks against PSU, while also leading the Jacks in scoring with 17.
Regan Schenck has continued to extend NAU's program record for all-time assists, as the senior has 188 total through the season to lead both the Jacks and the Big Sky. Schenck is second on the NAU squad in rebounds, averaging 4.8 per game just ahead of Rodabaugh who is averaging 4.6 per game.
Eastern Washington, sitting in fifth in the conference standings, will enter Thursday night's match with eyes set on forcing a season sweep to the Jacks. The Eagles and the Lumberjacks last met on Jan. 21, where NAU suffered its first overtime loss of the season. The Jacks battled their way back from a 15-point deficit to tie the Eagles and force overtime, but NAU fell short of the comeback victory on the road.
EWU is coming off a back-to-back losses with a 24-point loss to the Idaho Vandals and a 9-point loss to Portland State. The Eagles loss to Idaho marks the team's largest deficit in Big Sky play this season.
The Eagles are led offensively Jaydia Martin, who has 322 points through the season, highlighted with a 42.2 field goal percentage for the sophomore. Graduate student Jamie Loera leads Eastern Washington with 135 rebounds, and 54 steals on the defensive side of the ball.
The Vandals will face Northern Colorado on Thursday night before heading to Flagstaff for the Saturday afternoon matchup, coming off a big win to EWU. The Vandals dropped the first matchup to the Jacks with a 23-point deficit in Moscow. Idaho will look to even out the series while the Jacks have their eyes set on a season series sweep ahead of the final week of regular season play.
The Vandals are led by Beyonce Bea, who has started in all 24 matches for Idaho. Bea leads the team averaging 21.9 points per game, with a field goal percentage of 48.1. The senior also leads the team in rebounds, averaging 8.4 per game. Bea leads the Big Sky conference in scoring, second in field goal percentage, and third in rebounding, while also second in blocks.
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