| Northern Arizona Women's Basketball |
| GAME 17 |
Northern Arizona vs. Idaho (Thursday, Jan. 25 | 6 p.m. MST | Findlay Toyota Court | Flagstaff, AZ) |
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ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets |
| GAME NOTES |
Northern Arizona |
| GAME 18 |
Northern Arizona vs. Eastern Washington (Saturday, Jan. 27 | 2 p.m. MST | Findlay Toyota Court | Flagstaff, AZ) |
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ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets |
| GAME NOTES |
TBA |
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Jan. 23, 2024) – Returning to Flagstaff with two Big Sky Conference road victories, the Northern Arizona University women's basketball team hosts Idaho and Eastern Washington this week.
The Lumberjacks first host the Vandals on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. Mountain Standard time before a conference semifinal rematch takes place on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. MST with the Eagles. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ from Findlay Toyota Court with tickets available
HERE.
Following this week's action, the Lumberjacks head out on the road for two weeks straight, beginning with Weber State (Feb. 1) and Idaho State (Feb. 3).
A LOOK AT THE LUMBERJACKS: Northern Arizona is 12-6 on the season with a 4-1 mark in Big Sky play. NAU has won three out of the last four games, coming off a 73-65 win at Portland State and 83-66 at Sacramento State. The Lumberjacks were picked first in the preseason poll by the media and second by the coaches.
Sophie Glancey is the reigning Big Sky Player of the Week after averaging 20.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game last week. She has been consistent all season, currently ranking second in the Big Sky and 74
th nationally in field goal percentage, making 51.1 percent (95-186) from the field. She leads the team in both points per game (13.2) and rebounds per game (6.7) while adding 1.2 blocks per contest. The Boise, Idaho, native ranks seventh in the conference in scoring, eighth in total rebounds, fourth in offensive rebounds, and third in blocks. Glancey ups her averages to 16.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in conference play.
Emily Rodabaugh continues to work her way up on several Northern Arizona all-time lists in the record book. She is one block away from sole possession of fifth all-time, currently sitting with 91 in her career. Rodabaugh also needs two more points to move in sixth on the all-time scoring list, 32 more rebounds to crack the all-time top-ten list, and 81 more minutes to rank seventh all-time. She ranks 11
th in the conference with 12.0 points per game and is third with 2.6 triples per game, extending her all-time school record out to 222 made threes in her career.
In conference-only games,
Leia Beattie adds 15.0 points per contest to rank fifth in the Big Sky, having already scored over 20 points in two conference contests. Beattie averages 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game with 32 made three-pointers on the year.
Olivia Moran has come off the bench to score in double figures in nine out of the last 11 games. Against Sacramento State, she scored 13 points and added seven rebounds and five assists.
Loree Payne, who is four wins away from 100 at Northern Arizona, leads the top offense in the Big Sky with 78.6 points per game. The 'Jacks have scored at least 80 points in nine games this year, going 7-2 in those contests. However, the Lumberjacks allow the most points in the Big Sky with 74.5 per game. Northern Arizona ranks third in the Big Sky with 7.8 triples per game at a 35.6 percent clip.
As a team, NAU leads the league in free throw percentage (77.9%), ranks second in assists (16.33) and blocks (3.44) per game, and are third in steals (8.67).
SERIES HISTORY WITH IDAHO: Northern Arizona trails the all-time series against Idaho, 16-23, but have won four-straight and seven out of the last nine. In Flagstaff, NAU holds a slight 10-9 advantage and have won four out of the last five.
Last season, the Lumberjacks won 90-67 at Idaho on Jan. 19 and then 87-78 on the return trip to Flagstaff.
A LOOK AT THE VANDALS: Idaho was predicted to finish eighth in the Big Sky by the coaches and seventh by the media. The Vandals are 9-8 overall and 2-3 in conference action. After starting Big Sky play 2-0 with wins over Sacramento State and Portland State, the Vandals have lost three-straight. Away from Moscow, Idaho owns a 6-1 record.
The Vandals average 63.2 points per game and own the league's second-best defense with 55.9 points allowed per game. Northern Arizona has forced teams to allow more than their season average in opponent points per game in all five conference games so far this season. UI holds opponents to a 37.6 percent clip including 29.5 percent from three-point range. The Vandals also have the second-best free throw percentage in the league behind NAU at 77.9 percent, they are also third in rebounding with 38.1 per game.
Kennedy Johnson adds 11.7 points per game to lead the team and ranks seventh in the Big Sky with 7.0 rebounds per game. Sarah Schmidt ranks fourth in the conference with 3.4 assists per game.
SERIES HISTORY WITH EASTERN WASHINGTON: Northern Arizona trails the all-time series with Eastern Washington, 42-34. In Flagstaff, NAU is 22-14 over the Eagles.
Northern Arizona has won two-straight over EWU. Since falling in overtime in Cheney 96-89 last year, NAU topped the Eagles 61-55 in Flagstaff and then 74-57 in the Big Sky Semifinals in Boise.
NAU has won three-straight in Flagstaff.
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES: The Eagles are the top team in the Big Sky with a 15-3 overall record and a perfect 5-0 in conference play, winning nine-straight. Eastern Washington was picked to finish first by the coaches and second by the media in the preseason polls.
Aaliyah Alexander averages the third-most points in the Big Sky with 15.4 per game. Jamie Loera, who shared player of the week honors with Glancey, adds 11.7, while leading the conference with 5.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
The league's best offense in NAU will go up against the league's best defense in EWU, who only allows 55.1 points per game. The EWU offense adds 72.1 points per game with a league-high 38.9 rebounds. Both squads take good care of the basketball, with EWU owning the conference's best assist-to-turnover ratio with 1.40 followed by Northern Arizona with 1.18. The Lumberjacks force 16.4 turnovers per game compared to 17.6 for the Eagles.
