| Northern Arizona Men's Basketball |
| GAME 26 |
Northern Arizona vs. Sacramento State (Thursday, Feb. 9 | 6 p.m. MST) |
|
Video | Live Stats | Listen | Tickets | Game Notes (PDF) |
| LOCATION |
Flagstaff, Ariz. | Findlay Toyota Court, Walkup Skydome |
| TV |
ESPN+ | Plus.ESPN.com |
| GAME 27 |
Northern Arizona vs. Portland State (Saturday, Feb. 11 | 2 p.m. MST) |
|
Video | Live Stats | Listen | Tickets | Game Notes |
| LOCATION |
Flagstaff, Ariz. | Findlay Toyota Court, Walkup Skydome
|
| TV |
ESPN+ | Plus.ESPN.com |
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 8, 2023) – It will be an action packed week for the Northern Arizona University men's basketball team at Findlay Toyota Court in Flagstaff. The Lumberjacks will host a pair of teams they fell to by a combined four points on the road in January, starting with Sacramento State on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. Mountain Standard time. On Saturday, NAU will play host to Portland State at 2 p.m. MST.
Prior to Saturday's contest, the Lumberjacks will honor
Nik Mains and
Xavier Fuller for Senior Day and fans will receive a free gold t-shirt for the Gold Out game. Junior
Jalen Cone is also seven points away from becoming the 32nd member of NAU's 1,000-career point club. Additionally, if fans bring in a non-perishable food item, they will receive free admission for both games.
Mains will depart NAU as the program's all-time leader in games played, currently sitting at 139 career games. He also ranks in the program's top-ten in minutes (8
th, 3,240), three-pointers made (6
th, 166) and three-point attempts (5
th, 439). The Scottsdale, Ariz., native has 1,036 points, 506 rebounds, and 91 assists in his five-year career with the Lumberjacks.
Although Fuller was only with the Lumberjacks for the season, he was able to reunite with
Shane Burcar, his high school coach. Fuller has started all 25 games this season, ranking second on the team with 12.6 points per game. He has scored in double figures 16 times, including over 20 points in four contests with a career-high 25 in a win over Northern Colorado. He averages 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, making 82.7 percent of his attempts from the free throw line and 42.2 percent from the field. In conference-only games, he averages 15.7 points per game.
The Lumberjacks will look to snap a three-game losing streak on Thursday night, currently sitting at 6-19 overall and 2-10 in Big Sky Conference play. Their last seven losses have been decided by a combined 19 points, including three losses by one point.
Two of those losses during that time frame came to Portland State on Jan. 12 by a score of 75-74 and to Sacramento State on Jan. 14, dropping a 59-56 decision.
Cone leads the Lumberjacks with 17.0 points per game, ranking fifth in the conference and 100
th nationally. He is the league leader in three-pointers per game with 2.7, ranking 60
th across Division I. He also ranks in the top-100 nationally in total three-pointers made (70
th, 62), three-point percentage (67
th, 38.3%), three-point attempts (80
th, 162), and free throw percentage (72
nd, 84.9). Cone has scored in double figures in every conference game this year, owning a streak of 14-straight. He is tied for sixth on NAU's all-time career three-pointers made list with 155 and is sixth in attempts with 426.
Carson Towt has scored in double figures in two-straight games, earning a double-double at Montana with a career-high 23 points to go with 12 rebounds. On Monday night's game against Idaho State, Towt dished eight assists. He is the conference leader in offensive rebounds, ranking 26
th nationally with 3.32 per game. He also ranks 95
th in rebounds per game with 8.0, and 60
th with 200 total rebounds. Towt nearly averages a double-double with 9.7 points per game and leads NAU with 3.4 assists per contest.
Northern Arizona does a great job taking care of the basketball, only turning the ball over an average of 11.4 times per game which is 52
nd in the nation. They lead the conference and rank 63
rd in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio with 1.26. NAU is second in the conference with 14.3 assists per game. The 'Jacks average 8.1 triples per game and 71.5 points per game, allowing 74.6. On the rebounding front, the Lumberjacks pull down 35.1 per contest.
The Hornets sit at 12-12 overall and 5-6 in Big Sky play, dropping five of their last six games after starting conference action 4-1. Sacramento State is led by Zach Chappell and Callum McRae with 14.5 and 12.2 points per game, respectively. McRae is one of the nation's best rebounders, ranking 33
rd with 9.3 per game and 29
th with 223 total.
The Lumberjacks were without Cone due to illness the last time they faced the Hornets and the Vikings. In the last matchup against Sacramento State, NAU trailed by as many as 15 points in the game including 12 at halftime. The Lumberjacks never led but outscored the Hornets 34-25 in the second half and had two chances to tie the contest with less than 10 seconds left to play, coming up short. Fuller led the team with 20 points.
NAU leads the all-time series with the Hornets, 42-18 and have won six out of the last 10 matchups. In Flagstaff, the Lumberjacks lead 23-6 and have won two-straight. Northern Arizona swept the Hornets in the season meetings last year.
Portland State is 10-14 overall and 4-7 in Big Sky play. Much like NAU, six of the last eight games have been decided by single digits. The Vikings have gone 3-3 in those close decision contests. PSU boasts the reigning Big Sky Player of the Week in Cameron Parker, who ranks eighth in the nation with 6.0 assists per game. He leads the Vikings with 16.4 points per game. As a team, PSU ranks 73
rd in the nation with 76.2 points per game. The Vikings force 16.58 turnovers per game and garner 7.7 steals per contest.
The Vikings have the edge in the all-time series, 31-26, winning three-straight. In Flagstaff, the Lumberjacks own a 16-9 overall record, with the last win coming on Jan. 25, 2020. The last overall win for NAU over Portland State came in the conference tournament on March 10, 2021.
January's game against the Vikings was a heartbreaker, trailing by as many as 17 points and 10 at the half. The Lumberjacks opened the second half on a 15-0 run and led by as many as six points. With 17 seconds left, NAU led by five points (74-69) but missed four-straight free throw attempts. PSU's Hunter Woods hit consecutive three-pointers including one right at the buzzer, and the Vikings secured the 75-74 win.
After this week's slate of games, the Lumberjacks head out on the road for three-straight. NAU heads to Eastern Washington, who is currently undefeated in Big Sky play and on a 14-game winning streak, on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. MST. The Lumberjacks lost to the Eagles by three points in January. It's then on to Idaho to avenge a five-point loss earlier this season, facing the Vandals on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. MST.
