STOCKTON, Calif. (November 14, 2024) – NAU Basketball (3-1, 0-0 Big Sky) picked up the first road win of the 2024-25 campaign, with a 60-57 victory over the Pacific Tigers (3-2, 0-0 WCC) on Thursday night.
"It's funny, we talked in June and July about how we we're going to be a good defensive team this year and going to win games in the 60s, and we defended the whole night and that got us the win", head coach Shane Burcar said.
The Tigers would score the first basket of the night but wouldn't shake the Jacks early as Trent McLaughlin took the lead for NAU with a layup and one at the line. McLaughlin's shot would kickstart a 9-0 run for Northern Arizona to give an 11-5 lead at the first media timeout.
With 10:33 to play in the first frame, Carson Towt nailed his second dunk of the game to force Pacific into its first timeout, while the Jacks were an efficient 10-of-15 from the field capitalizing off five early Tiger turnovers.
As fouls troubled the Jacks, Pacific entered the bonus with seven minutes to play, coming within five points which marked the closest the Tigers trailed since NAU's opening run. Dillan Baker would end a three-minute scoring drought for the Lumberjacks, sinking the team's lone three-pointer of the first half and giving McLaughlin his third assist.
Although 1-for-13 from beyond the arc, NAU shot 62.0 percent from inside to give the Lumberjacks a six-point lead at halftime with 30-24. Pacific finished the first half 8-for-24 from the field, 2-of-7 from beyond the arc. Each program picked up 20 first-half boards. Elias Ralph led in scoring with 13, adding seven rebounds and a steal
Coming out of the locker room, McLaughlin quickly put the Jacks out on a 7-0 run for the largest Lumberjack lead of the game as NAU took a 13-point advantage with 18:50 to play, forcing Dave Smart into a timeout.
With 11:30 to play, Jayden Jackson ended a four-minute 5-0 run for the Tigers with a second-chance dunk, sparking some offensive momentum for the Jacks. The second half was plagued by runs on both sides of the ball, as Northern Arizona hit a seven minute scoring skid, before Oakland Fort sunk the three-pointer with three minutes to play. \
Northern Arizona finished 35.4 percent from the field, led by McLaughlin's 22 points and Jackson's 12. The Jacks won the rebound game 43-40 with 16 offensive boards as Towt finished with 10, his third time this season hitting double-digit boards. NAU capitalized off 17 Pacific turnovers for 15 points.
NAU will look to hit a streak as the Jacks will host Embry-Riddle on Tuesday for field trip day for local Flagstaff schools, for a noon tipoff. To stay up to date with NAU Basketball, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
