FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 18, 2024) – Northern Arizona Men's Basketball returns home following the first road trip of the season, with sights set on a 4-1 start to the season, which would mark the best start since the 2001-02 season where the Lumberjacks started 5-1 overall.
The Lumberjacks are coming off their first road victory on the road, pulling off a 60-57 final over the Pacific Tigers in Stockton. Through four games, NAU is shooting 47.8 percent from the field, fourth best in the Big Sky Conference. Leading the league, NAU sits atop the rebounding leaderboard while averaging 42.3 boards per game. NAU has seen success in the turnover category as well, leading the Big Sky in turnover margin with 4.50, while second is team assists with 18.5 per game.
Trent McLaughlin continues to back his preseason MVP honors, averaging 24.8 points a night with 99 total points through four starts and 135 minutes on the floor. McLaughlin has scored double-digits in an impressive 20-consectuive matchups, while just 179 points shy of hitting 1,000 points at Northern Arizona. McLaughlin tabbed 1,000 career points, including stats from his first season with Connecticut, while the Jacks were on the road at Pacific last week.
Carson Towt leads the Jacks in rebounds, picking up 9.5 per content in addition to 13.0 points per game, seven steals, and one block through four starts. Towt's 3.8 assists per game leads the team while McLaughlin and
Oakland Fort closely trail with 3.5 assists each.
Ryan Abelman and
Jayden Jackson join the three as NAU's current starting five. Starting at the point, Fort has averaged 9.8 points, shooting 48.6 percent from the field.
Embry Riddle is entering the week with a 2-3 record, picking up wins against Nobel and Justice for a two-game win streak. The Eagles are led by freshman Noah Gifft, averaging 16.8 points a game while shooting 40.6 percent from the field, in addition to 5.4 rebounds. Isaiah Wong leads the Eagles with 2.6 assists per game, while David Teibo and Demari Hackett each hold 6.0 boards per game.
As a team, the ERAU has shot 40.2 percent from the field overall, going 31.9 percent from three-point range. Embry Riddle is coming off their highest scoring game, after the Eagles posted 80 points over Justice College where they also brought in a season-high five blocks. Tuesday's meeting will serve as an exhibition game for the Eagles. The last time NAU and Embry Riddle met in the regular season was in January of 2022, where NAU earned a 101-54 victory in Flagstaff.
The Jacks will turn around to host Incarnate Word for a Friday night meeting at Rolle Activity Center, with tip-off set for 6 p.m. MST. To stay up to date with NAU Athletics, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
