FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Dec. 31, 2024) – With non-conference play behind them, the Northern Arizona women's basketball team begins a new season this week with the start of Big Sky Conference play.
The Lumberjacks take on Idaho State in Pocatello, Idaho on Thursday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. Mountain Standard time. On Saturday, Jan. 4, NAU will head to Ogden, Utah, to play at Weber State at 2 p.m. MST. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Northern Arizona ended non-conference play 9-4 for the most amount of non-conference wins program history. NAU won seven-straight games during the out of conference slate but have dropped three out of its last five games and are 3-4 in true road games this season.
On Sunday, the Lumberjacks fell 79-70 at Grand Canyon after nearly erasing an 18-point deficit.
Taylor Feldman led the way with 25 points – 17 of which came in the second quarter, and
Olivia Moran reached 1,000 career-points with 14 on the day. Northern Arizona trailed 46-21 at the half but outscored the Lopes 41-33 in the second half.
NAU will look to open Big Sky play with a win for the second-straight season. The 'Jacks haven't opened conference play on the road since the 2020-21 season, which was also a win. The Lumberjacks have won three out of their last four Big Sky openers, with the lone loss coming in 2022-23 at home to the Bengals.
Idaho State ended its non-conference slate 5-6 after a 51-50 overtime loss at Northern Illinois on Dec. 20. The Bengals are 3-1 at home so far this season. As a team, ISU averages just 58.4 points per game but holds opponents to 62.2. It ranks second in the Big Sky with 13.3 offensive boards per game with 36.7 overall rebounds per game. The Bengals also lead the league with four blocks per game, led by Halle Wright who has 12 on the year. Wright also leads the team in scoring with 11.3 per game, followed by Maria Dias who averages 10.3. Kacey Sprink is the team's leading rebounder with 7.2 per contest, good for eighth in the Big Sky. She also ranks second in steals (2.4) and 12
th in assists (2.7).
The Bengals lead the all-time series, 46-34. Northern Arizona has won three of the last five games, including a season sweep last year, but the teams have split the last 10 meetings. Winning three-straight over ISU overall, NAU won 89-74 on Feb. 29 in Flagstaff the last time the two teams met. In the win, the Lumberjacks tied a program record with 15 three pointers and led 51-31 at the half. Northern Arizona forced 20 turnovers which it turned into 27 points. In Pocatello, NAU is just 12-28 all-time but have come away with victories after the last two trips.
Northern Arizona boasts three of the top five scorers in the Big Sky, led by
Sophie Glancey with 17.3 points per game. Glancey has eight double-doubles on the year and had a 20-game double-digit scoring streak dating back to last season snapped at Grand Canyon. The Preseason Big Sky MVP also ranks second in rebounds (9.0), second in field goal percentage (50.9%), and first in blocks (1.6).
Feldman averages 16.0 points per game to rank second in the league, scoring in double figures in four-straight games and nine out of 11. She has three games of at least 20 points this season and also ranks fifth in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (43%) and assists per game (3.6).
Nyah Moran ranks fifth in the Big Sky in scoring with 14.0 per game.
Leia Beattie rounds things out with 11.2 points per game, leading the Big Sky in both field goal percentage (41.9%) and three-pointers per game (2.8) with a league-high 36 triples on the year. She is also the team leader in assists, ranking third with 4.3 per game.
As a squad, Northern Arizona averages 80.8 points per game to lead the conference but allows the most amount of points with 76.5. The 'Jacks shoot at a 42.9 percent clip and lead the Big Sky with 8.5 triples per game with 110 total. Northern Arizona also ranks second in rebounds (43.5), first in assist/turnover ratio (1.09), first in assists (16.38) and second in blocked shots (3.54).
On Saturday, NAU will go for its 14
th-straight victory over Weber State dating back to 2018-19. The series is tied 47-47, and the Lumberjacks are 18-25 all-time in Ogden and have won five-straight on the road. Both squads last met on March 2 in Flagstaff where NAU came away with a 73-41 win on Senior Day. Glancey poured on 24 points and NAU owned a 50-36 edge on the boards, outscoring the Wildcats 27-4 in the fourth.
Weber State is 3-7 on the year and have lost two-straight. The Wildcats will host Northern Colorado on Thursday night before taking on NAU. WSU averages 65.5 points per game and rank ninth in the league in opponents points per game with 71.3. The Wildcats also like to shoot from a distance, ranking fourth in the Big Sky with 7.2 triples per game, shooting at a 32.9 percent clip to rank second. Two players average double figures in Taylor Smith (12.0 ppg) and Antoniette Emma-Nnopu (10.0).
Northern Arizona returns home for the first time since Dec. 14 to continue Big Sky play against Montana (Jan. 9) at 6 p.m. and Montana State on Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. at Findlay Toyota Court inside the Skydome in Flagstaff.
