FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 24, 2024) – A late first half 9-0 run for the Vandals results in 86-76 loss for the Lumberjacks (13-16, 6-9) at home on Saturday afternoon.
"Our guys and our coaching staff are hurting after that one, when you have a 15-point lead and allow them to come back to go up by two at the half, that's not the game we want to play," head coach
Shane Burcar said.
The Jacks jumped out to a 10-2 start to play while Idaho found their first bucket three minutes in as
Oakland Fort and
Trent McLaughlin led the way for Nau grabbing the Jacks first ten points. NAU's offense would hit another 7-0 run just ahead of the second media break while holding Idaho scoreless and two-and-a-half minutes on the floor before the Vandals were sent to the line for two.
The Jacks headed into the under-eight media shooting 71.5 percent from the field, holding the Vandals to just 33.3 percent as NAU held on to the 31-18 lead. Idaho found their own spark to go on a 7-0 run in the span of a minute, forcing the Jacks into a timeout with 5:17 to go in the first half.
Following Idaho's offensive spurt, the Jacks held a 38-34 lead with 3:48 to go as the Vandals went 6-of-6 from the field ahead of the final media timeout. The Vandals took a 9-0 run to tie things up at 38-38 with two minutes to play as NAU looked to regain their footing. The Vandals would find a 42-40 lead to erase NAU's largest first-half lead of 15.
The Lumberjacks shot 48.0 percent from the field through the first 20 minutes of play, led by Fort's game-high 15 points. The Vandals led the rebound game 18-13 at the half, while shooting 51.4 percent from the field led by Quinn Denker's 12 points. Idaho found 26 of their 40 points in the paint, while picking up 18 bench points.
The second half would take a 12-12 start as the Lumberjacks and Vandals battled back-and-forth for the lead. With 12:15 to play, Fort tied it up at 54-54 with two shots at the line as NAU fell into a four-minute stretch with zero field goals. Coming out of the under-12 timeout, the Vandals found two players in foul trouble with four, forcing Idaho to look back to their bench.
Oakland Fort tabbed his career-high with a steal and a dunk down the stretch to bring NAU back within one in what seemed to be a momentum shift for NAU as the defense picked up back-to-back stops, paving the way for
Trent McLaughlin to take the lead with a layup.
The Vandals closed out the second half on a 25-14 stretch to win 86-76 in Flagstaff. The Lumberjacks finished 38.7 percent from the field as a 33.3 percent second-half performance plagued NAU's offense. Fort finished with a game-high 25 points, followed by 18 from McLaughlin, and 13 from Basham.
Liam Lloyd led the team in rebounds and assists with six and four, respectively.
The Lumberjacks will head on the road next week to take on Idaho State and Weber State in the final regular season road trip. To stay up to date with NAU basketball, follow the Jacks on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
