MOSCOW, Idaho (February 18, 2023) – Every player for the Northern Arizona University men's basketball team who checked in scored today in a bounce-back, 72-50, trample of Idaho on the road in Moscow, Idaho, at the ICCU Arena.
The Lumberjacks shot a hot 52.6 percent from the field and locked down defensively, holding the Vandals to 37.3 percent.
The win avenges an 88-83 loss to Idaho in Flagstaff back on Jan. 19 and snaps a two-game skid to UI. After the win, which marked the first road victory of conference play and the first since Dec. 6 at Pacific, NAU improves to 8-21 overall and 4-11 in Big Sky Conference play. The Vandals drop to 10-18 overall and 4-11 in conference action.
Nik Mains led the Lumberjacks with 14 points and
Xavier Fuller added 12.
Carson Towt finished with eight points and six rebounds and Trenton McLaughlin added nine points.
It was the Vandals who held an early 9-4 lead over NAU after a quick 5-0 spurt. The lead would get as large as six points until the teams locked up at 14 points each after
Keith Haymon came off the bench and drilled a three-pointer. Tied again at 20-20 with under 10 minutes left to play in the first half, the Lumberjacks used a 9-1 run where four different players scored to pull ahead 29-21 for the largest lead of the game so far. After
Jalen Cone made a triple to extend the lead out to 32-22, the Vandals cut the lead down to eight points. However, thanks to a Mains three-pointer and a jumper by
Oakland Fort, Northern Arizona took a 37-24 lead into the half.
The Lumberjacks shot 55.6 percent (15-27) in the first half with five made three-pointers, holding the Vandals to just 8-of-26 from the field (30.8%).
Mains came out of the half on a mission, scoring six early points to give the 'Jacks a 43-29 lead in less than three minutes of play. The Vandals trimmed the lead back down to single digits, but a quick six points put NAU back up handily, 57-42. The Lumberjacks cruised along from there, using another 7-0 run to lead by 20 points. Consecutive three-pointers by McLaughlin and
Diego Campisano helped the Lumberjacks earn their largest lead of the day of 24 points with under a minute left to play, securing a 72-50 road victory.
The Lumberjacks won the rebounding battle, 35-29, and forced 10 turnovers that they turned in to 14 points. NAU won the battle in the paint as well, 34-28, and the bench poured on 29 points while limiting Idaho's bench to six.
Two regular season games remain and Northern Arizona will have a week off before its next one, playing at Northern Colorado on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. Mountain Standard time. The Lumberjacks end the regular season at home against Weber State on Feb. 27 before heading to Boise, Idaho, for the Big Sky Championships on March 4-8.
