BOZEMAN, Mont. (Feb. 10, 2024) – Make it eight-straight victories for the Northern Arizona University women's basketball team, as the Lumberjacks topped Montana State on the road this afternoon by a final score of 71-58 in Bozeman, Mont.
Northern Arizona now improves to 18-6 overall and 10-1 in Big Sky Conference play, its best conference start and longest win streak since the 1997-98 season. The Lumberjacks have won four-straight over the Bobcats now who snap a five-game win streak and fall to 15-7 and 7-4.
The victory marked just the program's ninth-ever win in Bozeman as NAU sweeps the Treasure State for the second-straight season after beating Montana on Thursday night.
After a 30-point effort against the Griz,
Sophie Glancey led the Lumberjacks with another 30 points tonight on 13-of-18 from the field and adding seven rebounds.
Leia Beattie, a Montana State transfer, made four three-pointers less than 11 minutes into the game and ended the night with 16 points and 11 rebounds for her second-straight double-double.
Taylor Feldman dished six assists while
Emily Rodabaugh added 11 rebounds and scored seven points.
Rodabaugh also cracked NAU's all-time top-ten lists in both career steals and rebounds this afternoon.
The Lumberjacks dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Bobcats 44-to-24 with 15 offensive rebounds. NAU had 20 second chance points and limited MSU to four. Montana State forced 18 Northern Arizona turnovers, turning them in to 17 points while committing 11 themselves.
NAU shot 44.1 percent (26-59) from the field, holding MSU to 37.3 percent (19-51). The Bobcats only made two three-pointe and were 18-25 at the free throw line compared to NAU who was 6-15 from three-point range and 13-14 at the charity stripe.
Both sides got off to a slow start offensively. Montana State took a 3-0 lead 20 seconds into the game, but then went 0-6 from the field and did not score again until the 6:32 mark. NAU's first points of the day came from Glancey at the 6:06 mark, making it a 5-4 game.
"I'm really excited for the team to get the road sweep against two very good teams. It was another total team effort.
Sophie Glancey was again phenomenal and our rebounding as a team was the best it's been," said head coach
Loree Payne. "I'm very proud of our defensive effort as well. We are definitely excited to be back in Flagstaff after having two weekends of road games."
Beattie scored consecutive three-pointers to give NAU its first lead of the day, 12-9, which the Lumberjacks would never relinquish. The run would stretch to 8-0, allowing the Lumberjacks to build a 14-9 lead. Defensively, Northern Arizona held the Bobcats without a field goal for the final 4:33 of the quarter and allowed MSU to make just 4-of-17 from the field. The Lumberjacks would find a scoreless spell of over 3:07 and MSU was able to make up ground at the free throw line, coming back within a point 14-13. With three seconds left, Rodabaugh made a jumper and NAU took a 16-13 lead into the second quarter.
Less than a minute into the second quarter, Beattie fired off consecutive three-pointers once again to extend NAU's lead out to 22-13, forcing the Bobcats to call for a timeout. Montana State made its first field goal since the 4:33 mark of the first quarter with 7:16 left to go in the second, cutting the lead to 22-15.
A quick 5-0 run from NAU that included a transition jumper from Feldman and a three-pointer from
Allie Cummins put the Lumberjacks ahead by ten, 27-17. Both sides would struggle shooting down the stretch from the field with the Bobcats able to keep the game close due to making 6-of-7 from the free throw line during the frame. At the half, Northern Arizona led 34-25.
NAU was shooting 43 percent (12-28) from the field and 50 percent from three-point range with five makes at the halfway point, as six different 'Jacks found the scoring column. The Bobcats were held to 7-of-26 from the field (27%) but forced 11 Northern Arizona turnovers. The Lumberjacks won the rebounding battle, 23-13, with eight offensive boards.
The Lumberjacks put together another complete quarter, leading by as many as 11 midway through the third, with Glancey scoring the first eight NAU points of the frame. With 1:47 to play, Rodabaugh drilled a three-pointer to grow the advantage to 51-37. Northern Arizona kept MSU off the board for the final three minutes of the third quarter, outscoring the Bobcats 17-12 in the third quarter.
At the five-minute mark of the fourth, the Bobcats briefly cut the lead down to single digits, 55-47, before Glancey put NAU right back up by 10 with her 20
th point of the day. Glancey would score 14 points in the fourth quarter to help put MSU away. The Lumberjacks were outscored 21-20 in the fourth and shot 50 percent from the field compared to 70 percent from the Bobcats. However, the Lumberjacks did not allow MSU to make up any ground and secured the 71-58 victory.
Northern Arizona returns home for the first time in February, hosting Sacramento State (Feb. 15) and Portland State (Feb. 17) at Findlay Toyota Court.
