FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (January 20, 2024) – Lumberjack hoops dubbed its second-straight Big Sky Conference victory on Saturday, topping the Sacramento State Hornets 70-61 at Findlay Toyota Court.
"Our defense has been great this week and that's why we stayed in the game, I'm impressed with our guys and how we kept our composure, playing NAU Basketball means something to us," head coach
Shane Burcar said.
A slower start for the Lumberjacks put the Hornets on a 11-0 run for a 14-5 lead before
Liam Lloyd hit his first three-pointer of the game to cut Sacramento State's lead to six with 15:10 to go in the first half. Lloyd's basket seemingly marked a shift in NAU's offense as the Jacks broke out on a run of their own, 11-0 to take the lead back at 16-14 after a
Diego Campisano three-pointer while NAU was shooting 44.4 percent from the field at the under-12 media timeout.
By the half,
Trent McLaughlin led all shooters with 12, hitting 3-5 from beyond the arc while 4-9 overall.
Carson Basham totaled six points, matching rebounds with six while adding a block in 14 minutes on the floor. After the Jacks dug themselves out of the nine-point hole, they took the 31-27 lead into the break while shooting 28.6 percent from the field. Sacramento State's offense shot 30.8 percent from the field as NAU's three-point percentage of 33.3 and rebound margin of +2 assisted in the Jacks four-point lead.
The Hornets opened up the second half on a 8-4 run to tied things up at the first media break at 35-35. Coming out of the break, the Jacks picked up four-consecutive stops while jumping out to a 9-0 run and holding the Hornets scoreless for nearly three minutes.
Halfway through the second frame things were tied back up at 46-46 after Sacramento State took a 6-0 run. Basham's second block of the game led to ending the stop as Lloyd hit two at the line to regain the lead. With four minutes to play, the Jacks took their largest lead of the game yet, jumping out to a 62-52 lead, highlighted by a 6-0 run as Sacramento State went scoreless for two minutes heading into the final media break.
The Jacks held on for the nine-point victory, marking the fifth straight win in Flagstaff and head coach
Shane Burcar's longest home win streak. After shooting 50.0 percent from the field in the second half, the Lumberjacks once again won the fast break game 10-0 while committing just seven turnovers and capitalizing on 14 points off of Sacramento State's eight turnovers.
McLaughlin marked his first 30+ point game, hitting a career high of 31 points in 39 minutes on the floor. Basham followed Thursday's career game with nearly his fourth double-double this season, picking up 13 rebounds to match his career-high, adding eight points and another three blocks. Lloyd finished in double-digits with 11, five rebounds and three assists.
The Lumberjacks will head back on the road for a pair of Big Sky games at Idaho and Eastern Washington next week. To stay up to date with NAU Basketball, follow the Jacks on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
