FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Jan. 30, 2024) – Sitting atop the Big Sky Conference standings, the Northern Arizona University women's basketball team is preparing for four-straight road games as the conference slate reaches the midway point. The Lumberjacks will head out to face Weber State in Ogden, Utah, on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. Mountain Standard time before trekking to Pocatello, Idaho, for a clash with Idaho State on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. MST. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Northern Arizona is 14-6 overall and 6-1 in league standings. Last week at home, the Lumberjacks moved to the top of the league with a 65-53 victory over Idaho and an 89-81 overtime win over Eastern Washington. The win over EWU snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Eagles and handed it its first loss in conference play.
NAU has won four-straight games and have led from start to finish in all four contests. Additionally, the Lumberjacks are 6-1 in conference play for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
Seventh-year head coach
Loree Payne will be seeking a milestone this week. With two victories, she'll reach 100 career wins at Northern Arizona and will need 18 more to become NAU's all-time winningest coach and eight more to move into second.
The Lumberjacks average 78.4 points per game, the most in the Big Sky, and have scored over 80 points in 10 games, going 8-2 in those contests. Northern Arizona also leads the Big Sky with a 79.0 percent free throw percentage (87.7% in conference play) and ranks second in assist-to-turnover ratio with 1.19.
Sophie Glancey ranks fifth in the Big Sky in scoring with 14.2 points per game and sixth with 7.0 rebounds per contest. Glancey is the conference's leader in blocked shots (24) and field goal percentage, draining 52.6 percent (113-215) from the field. She has scored in double figures in five-straight games, including three-straight 20-plus point performances.
Leia Beattie (12.0) and
Emily Rodabaugh (11.9) also average double figures for NAU and provide the biggest threats behind the three-point line, as Rodabaugh makes 2.5 triples per game and Beattie adds 1.9. Rodabaugh has been making her mark in the record books all season long. She is NAU's all-time leader in three-pointers made with 224 and just recently cracked the top-five on the career blocks list with her 92
nd block against Eastern Washington. Currently sixth on the all-time scoring list, she needs 123 more to move into fifth and pass her former teammate
Regan Schenck. She is also 22 rebounds and three steals away from the top-ten in those categories as well.
Olivia Moran returned to the starting lineup on Saturday and has also been a huge spark for the Lumberjacks off the bench, scoring in double figures in six-straight games while averaging 9.5 on the year.
Weber State is 6-15 overall with a 3-5 mark in Big Sky Conference play, losing two-straight to Montana and Montana State last week. At home this year, the Wildcats are 4-2. Daryn Hickok (12.4 ppg) and Jadyn Matthews (11.4 ppg) lead the team in scoring. As a team, Weber State averages 56.9 points and 34.8 rebounds per game.
The Wildcats have the slight 47-45 edge all-time, but Northern Arizona has won 11-straight games over Weber State dating back to the 2018-19 season. NAU trails 17-25 in Ogden, but have won four-straight, including a 66-57 victory to close out the regular season last year.
Idaho State is 9-10 overall and 5-3 in Big Sky play. The Bengals have won four out of the last five games, including two-straight with victories over Montana State and Weber State last week. At home, ISU is 7-1. Idaho State averages 58.8 points per game and allows 60.2, while leading the league in opponent field goal percentage (36.3%). Outside the arc, the Bengals are making just 3.2 triples per game at a 25.8 percent clip and are second in the conference in offensive rebounds while leading the way in blocks per game (3.63).
The Bengals have a balanced scoring attack with only two players averaging double figures, led by Tasia Jordan with 11.1 points per game. Kacey Sprink is fifth in the conference in rebounds (7.1) while ranking second with 2.1 steals per game.
Northern Arizona trails the all-time series, 30-48, and are 11-28 in Pocatello. NAU has struggled against the Bengals as of late, winning two out of the last seven games with one win coming in overtime. Last year in Pocatello, Northern Arizona came away with a 64-54 victory after dropping the conference opener 64-49 earlier in the season.
After this week, the Lumberjacks take on Montana (Feb. 8) and Montana State (Feb. 10) on the road. NAU swept the Treasure State during last year's road trip and will look to go for the season sweep over the Bobcats while avenging a home loss to Montana.
