FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 1, 2024) – Coming down to the final seconds once again against the Weber State Wildcats in Flagstaff, NAU Basketball (10-12, 3-5) fell short in a 72-70 finish, dropping its first home game this season.
The Jacks found their first points of the night four minutes into play, while
Carson Basham took a driving layup inside, marking his third straight game getting the Lumberjacks offense started.
At the under-12 media break, the Wildcats were shooting 70.0 percent from the field while NAU's shooting struggles left them at 36.4 percent from the field.
Ryan Abelman checked in for the Jacks out of the break, quickly finding his third career three-pointer as
Trent McLaughlin found him on the right side of the arc.
The Cats found themselves an 8-0 run led by Steven Verplancken as he picked up seven quick points for Weber State before NAU grabbed back-to-back buckets to bring NAU back within 11 with five-and-a-half remaining in the first half. McLaughlin and Basham began a run for the Jacks to counter, going 9-0 ahead of the final media timeout while holding the Wildcats scoreless for two-and-a-half minutes.
The Jacks were able to cut the largest first-half lead of Weber State's 16 points to eight by halftime, trailing 35-27. McLaughlin led things with 11 points, going 4-of-9 from the field, while
Jayden Jackson led the Jacks in rebounds with three and three assists. Weber State's Blaise Threatt picked up 11 points, going 4 for 5, while Dillon Jones followed with eight points and five boards, adding three assists through the first twenty minutes.
It was a back and forth start to the second half
Oakland Fort brought the Lumberjacks back within five points by the under-12 timeout, taking back-to-back jumpers inside the paint, as NAU trailed 50-45 with 11:32 left to play. Just moments later,
Diego Campisano found Fort alone at the top of the arc for a three shot to bring the Jacks within four while NAU forced the Wildcats to go scoreless for two minutes on the floor.
With seven minutes to play, Basham hit two at the line to shorten the margin to three points at 57-54 in favor of Weber State just before
C.J. Ford hit
Jayden Jackson with a pass to the left corner for a three-pointer to tie things up with 6:05 to go. As the Jacks held the Cats scoreless for three-and-a-half minutes, Basham gained the lead for NAU with a layup, hitting a total of 14 points on the game.
With :53 seconds remaining, NAU took a four-point lead with McLaughlin at the line before the Wildcats brought it back within one, as Dillon Jones hit a layup and one with :46 to go. The Wildcats would go on to hit three more consecutive free throws to close things out at 72-70.
McLaughlin finished the game just under his career-high in points with 29, followed by Basham with 16 and five boards, and Fort with 11 and five rebounds. Jackson neared a double-double performance with nine points and eight rebounds. Abelman finished +6 after the three shot and two rebounds in seven minutes on the floor.
As a team the Lumberjacks took the edge in field goal percentage, finishing 48.0 percent while the Wildcats tabbed 47.1 from the field. The rebound game ended +1 in Weber State's favor at 30-29. Proving how closely these teams matched up, each team ended with 32 points in the paint and the Wildcats were just +2 in points off turnovers. NAU dominated on fast breaks, as they finished 13-2 in transition.
The Jacks will now take on Idaho State in the Skydome at 2 p.m. MST on Saturday afternoon. Idaho State is coming off a five-point loss to Northern Colorado on the road. To stay up to date with NAU Basketball, follow the Jacks on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
