Box Score FORT COLLINS, Colo. (Nov. 23, 2024) – Winners of four-straight and 5-1 for the first time since 2005-06, the Northern Arizona women's basketball team earned an 84-80 victory over Colorado State on the road tonight in Fort Collins, Colo., at Moby Arena.
It was the first meeting between the two foes since 2018 and snaps a five-game losing streak to CSU, as NAU handed the Rams their first loss at home to drop to 4-2 on the season.
Taylor Feldman was instrumental in today's win, earning her first career double-double with a career-high 25 points and 12 rebounds, flirting with a triple double as she added six assists. Feldman was 8-of-20 from the field with four three-pointers and is the third Lumberjack to score over 20 points in a game this season.
Sophie Glancey also earned her third double-double of the year, adding 19 points and 10 rebounds to go with three assists, three blocks, and a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. Rounding out the scoring was
Nyah Moran (11 points),
Olivia Moran (10 points) and
Saniyah Neverson (10 points). Neverson also grabbed seven rebounds.
The Lumberjacks dominated the boards, winning the rebounding battle 49-to-37 while Northern Arizona grabbed 17 offensive rebounds they turned into 13 second chance points. Both squads took good care of the basketball, with NAU committing eight turnovers to CSU's nine. Behind the arc, the Lumberjacks were 11-for-31 while the Rams were 10-for-27. The Lumberjacks made 30-of-76 from the field (39.5%) compared to 29-for-65 (44.6%) for CSU. At the free throw line, Northern Arizona made 13-of-18 and the Rams were 12-for-15.
"The team put together a solid 40 minutes on both ends of the floor. They played together and played with incredible toughness," said head coach
Loree Payne who now needs just four more wins to break NAU's all-time wins record. "Taylor had a huge game production wise and hit some big shots down the stretch. Sophie was also able to get open looks in the second half and capitalized on them. A total team effort tonight."
Northern Arizona missed its first five attempts from the field, but a jumper by
Olivia Moran – who had 10 first quarter points – put the Lumberjacks on the board. Down the stretch,
Olivia Moran would team up with twin sister
Nyah Moran for an 8-0 run that would help NAU lead 25-19 at the end of the third quarter after draining five triples.
A three-pointer by
Nyah Moran gave NAU a 29-20 lead at the start of the second quarter, but a 7-0 CSU run cut the lead to 29-27 midway through the second. Both sides traded buckets with NAU still holding the slight advantage. With a minute to play, Beattie and Feldman teamed up for a quick 5-0 run before CSU found a three-pointer with seconds left. At the half, NAU lead 43-37.
In the third quarter, the Rams continued to chip away and used a 14-4 run to pull ahead by four points, 51-47. Northern Arizona stayed composed and quickly took the lead back when Glancey, Feldman and Beattie all teamed up for a 7-0 run. Both sides continued to battle it out, and a 7-for-8 performance at the free throw helped NAU retake the lead after falling behind by four again. At the end of the third, Northern Arizona led 67-62.
The Lumberjacks led by as many as eight in the fourth quarter, going up 74-66 after another triple from Feldman. With 3:25 left to go in the fourth, NAU led by six, but Colorado State went on a 5-0 run to retake a 79-78 lead with 2:30 left to play.
Enter, Feldman, who's fourth triple of the night put the 81-79 lead back into NAU's hands. Glancey would then head to the line and make both free throw attempts, pulling ahead 83-79 with 47 seconds left to play. Feldman would make one more free throw to seal it for the Lumberjacks, winning 84-80 after holding Colorado State without a field goal for the final 2:30 of play.
Northern Arizona now heads to St. Petersburg, Fla., for the St. Pete Showcase. The Lumberjacks face James Madison on Thanksgiving Day at 1:30 p.m. Mountain Standard time and Tulane on Nov. 30 at 11 a.m. MST.
