FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 27, 2023) – The Northern Arizona University men's basketball team concluded the regular season with an overtime heart breaker to Weber State, 90-89, at Findlay Toyota Court in Flagstaff.
Liam Lloyd hit the game-tying three-pointer with under five seconds to play in regulation, but NAU was edged 14-13 in the overtime period to lose by a point.
The Lumberjacks finish the slate 9-22 overall and 5-13 in Big Sky Conference play. They will be the No. 9 seed at next week's championships in Boise, Idaho, and will take on No. 10 Idaho. The tournament begins on Saturday, March 4, at 5:30 p.m. Mountain Standard time. The Vandals and NAU split the season meetings, and the winner will go on to play No. 1 Eastern Washington on Sunday, March 5.
Weber State clinched the No. 3 seed and ends the regular season 17-14 overall and 7-6 in conference action.
Heartbreaking defeats are unfortunately not new territory for the 'Jacks this season, as 10 of NAU's 13 conference losses were decided by five points or less, with four of those being decided by a point.
In tonight's game, five players scored in double figures, led by
Jalen Cone with 29 points. It was the second-straight 25-plus point performance for Cone who was 10-for-26 from the field with five three-pointers.
Xavier Fuller followed with 17 points on 7-of-12, and
Liam Lloyd scored a career-high 16 points off of five three-pointers.
Jack Wistrcill rounded out the scoring with 11 points, and
Nik Mains earned a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Northern Arizona tied a season-high 14 three-pointers, nine of which came in the first half. Both teams made 32 field goals, but NAU had 77 attempts compared to 57 for the Wildcats. The Lumberjacks led by as many as 11 points and trailed by as many as 9. There were 11 lead changes and seven ties, and NAU led for 22:28. The Lumberjacks won the rebound battle, 43-37, and had 21 offensive rebounds that resulted in 22 second chance points.
"I've been here for several years and the support that we've had from our crowd throughout the season has been the best I've seen. Coming into our last regular season game, the support was great from game one to game 31. I want to thank all of the Lumberjack fans and the NAU fans, it's a testament to the character of the guys in the locker room who battle every possession in every game," said head coach
Shane Burcar. "This is hard. It's the fourth conference game we've lost by a point. Liam (Lloyd) made a big three to send us into overtime and he made big three's throughout the game. We had a good shot at the end, but it didn't go in. You have to finish the deal. And hopefully now with the second season starting in Boise on Saturday, we can finish these games and have a Cinderella story at the end of it. If we do, it will be a movie."
The first half saw NAU shoot 42.4 percent from the field and led 39-37 as the teams went into the locker room. An 8-0 run that included two triples from Lloyd and Cone gave the Lumberjacks an early 10-2 advantage. Another Cone three-pointer gave the 'Jacks a 29-18 lead, but WSU used an 11-0 run to tie the game at 29-29. The half would be tied two more times at 34-34 and 37-37, but a Mains layup with 35 seconds left was the difference at the half.
Lloyd started the second half with a triple, but from there, the Wildcats would build a 54-45 lead. With 8:31 left to play, Fuller completed an old-fashioned three-point play to trim the deficit down to a point. The teams traded shot-for-shot until WSU pulled ahead 74-69 with a minute left. Four-straight points from Cone kept the 'Jacks in the game, only trailing by a point with 16 seconds left, but the Wildcats led by three after a pair of free throws with six seconds remaining. On the inbound play, Mains found Lloyd who sank the triple to send the game into overtime.
In the overtime period, the Wildcats built a six-point lead. With under two minutes left, Fuller completed another old fashioned three-point play to trim the deficit down to one point. With nine seconds remaining, Weber State pulled ahead by four points, but the Lumberjacks refused to quit once again. Cone completed a three-point play to bring the 'Jacks within a point with a second to go, but the game-winning shot came up short as NAU lost by a point.
