FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (December 28, 2024) – Northern Arizona Basketball (8-4, 0-0 Big Sky) is gearing up to host the final non-conference matchup of the season as they take on Benedictine Mesa on Monday night in the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome.
Monday's matchup will mark the first in the Skydome this season, while the Jacks return to play following a break for the holidays, to play their first game since Dec. 21 where they erased a 15-point deficit to defeat Southern Utah, 83-75. Three Lumberjacks are coming off a 20+ scoring performance in
Trent McLaughlin (26),
Jayden Jackson (23), and
Carson Towt (21).
McLaughlin's top-scoring performance gave him his 1,000
th career points with the Lumberjacks in his 80
th game in a NAU uniform. McLaughlin currently leads the Big Sky Conference alongside a No. 3 ranking in points per game in DI basketball.
Towt became the leading rebounder (12.2 per game) in DI Men's Basketball after lifting the Lumberjacks to a comeback victory at Southern Utah, with the performance earning him Big Sky Player of the Week honors. Towt's 21 points against the Thunderbirds was accompanied by 17 rebounds, five assists, and two steals while playing 38 minutes on the floor. Improving Northern Arizona to the best start since 2010 with an 8-4 record, Towt shot 47.3 percent from the field on nine made-field goals.
As a team, the Jacks rank second in the league in team rebounds, averaging 40.9 per game while outrebounding 10 of 12 opponents on the year. Shooting 47.1 percent from the field, and holding opponents to 42.7 percent, Northern Arizona will look to continue its six-game 40.0 percent and higher shooting percentage on Monday night. A win for the Lumberjacks would improve them to a 9-4 non-conference record, the best start for the program since the 2002-03 season.
Benedictine Mesa enters the game with an 11-3 record, coming off a convincing 83-55 victory over Lethbridge College on Dec. 18. Benedictine's last loss was Dec. 17 to Montana State-Northern in a six-point deficit. The Redhawks are averaging 93.9 points per game, led by Seth Dawson with 16.1 points per game, followed by Deven Franks and Tanner Crawford both averaging double-digit scoring as well with 10.5 and 10.1, respectively. Dawson leads the team on the boards as well with 5.1 a night. The Redhawks shoot 52.3 percent from the field and have held opponents to just 40.7.
The last time the two teams met was November of 2022, where the Jacks earned a 105-49 victory over the Redhawks. That matchup is the last largest margin of victory for NAU, where
Carson Towt also secured the double-double performance with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Northern Arizona leads the overall series at 4-0.
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