POCATELLO, Idaho (February 6, 2023) - NAU Women's Basketball improved to 14-11 overall and 7-3 in Big Sky conference play, earning a 64-54 win in Pocatello against the Idaho State Bengals on Monday night.
The Jacks picked up their eleventh victory in series history at ISU, marking the team's first win against the Bengals (9-13, 4-7) this season, splitting the season series 1-1 ahead of tournament play.
NAU's Mary McMorris found her way early on, playing a huge role in the Jacks jumping out to an eight point lead in the first as the freshman dropped two field goals just under the first media timeout. ISU's Callie Bourne and Carson Boswell teamed up for the answer, as Bourne pulled up for the two-point jumper and Boswell sank a three to end the first quarter.
The second quarter saw the closest matchup as the two teams battled back and forth before the Jacks headed into halftime with the one point lead. The second quarter was highlighted by another two field goals for McMorris, as Regan Schenck suck a pull-up jumper follow by a Nyah Moran layup to extend some NAU momentum.
The Jacks picked up one of the largest leads of the night, going up by nine, in the third quarter, while the Bengals fell into a nearly six minute field goal drought. ISU battled back between free throws while Bourne ended the drought with a three-pointer from the left arc to beat the buzzer heading into the fourth quarter.
McMorris broke her career high with a three-pointer as Schenck sent the flip-back to the freshman for the wide open shot to open up the fourth. McMorris finished 5-11 on field goals, 2-3 in three-point shooting, and 12 points. The Jacks were able to hold the Bengals to just three field goals in the fourth quarter, jumping out to a game-high 11 point lead to close out the game.
The Lumberjacks finished with a 37.9 field goal percentage, while shooting 29.6 percent from the beyond the arc and 66.7 percent at the line. Montana Oltrogge led the team in rebounds as the graduate student picked up seven boards in 24 minutes.
The Bengals were led by Bourne who put up 24, with a 38.8 field goal percentage and a 75.0 free throw percentage for the graduate student. Laura Bello grabbed 11 boards for the Bengals, while Kacey Spink tallied four assists.
The Lumberjacks will now take on Sacramento State on Thursday night at 8 p.m. MST. NAU earned a 10 point victory against the Hornets in the first matchup of the season in Flagstaff. Sacramento State is coming off a seven point victory to Idaho, snapping a three game losing streak on the road. The Hornets will be returning to 'The Nest' for the first time since Jan. 21 on Thursday night.
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