FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (March 4, 2024) – NAU battled with the Northern Colorado Bears in the final regular season game, falling short in an 82-74 final score at the Skydome.
"These guys fought their tails off the whole game, our message in the locker room was that we have to get better over the next several days and it's a second season now," head coach
Shane Burcar said.
The Jacks took a hot start as
Jayden Jackson scored on the first possession before
Liam Lloyd finding his first three-pointer early on in his senior night performance while NAU's defense picked up two quick stops for a 5-0 start. While the Bears started 1-of-5 from the field, the Jacks took 50.0 percent from the field into the first media break with a 7-2 lead.
Five different Lumberjacks would account for NAU's first 14 points as the Jacks held an eight-point lead with 13:27 to go, led by Jackson's four points while grabbing three rebounds through the first six-and-a-half minutes on the floor. Back-to-back steals for the Bears just ahead of the under-12 timeout would tie everything up at 18 a piece, as UNCO grabbed eight points off of turnovers to start the game.
The final minutes of the first half would see a tied score four separate times while Northern Colorado's shooting picked back up as the Bears finished the first half 7-for-8 on their final shots, led by Dejour Reaves who recorded 11 first-half points. Northern Colorado shot 64.3 percent from the field while the Jacks tabbed 48.3 percent, led by Jackson's eight points and four rebounds.
NAU's biggest stat of the first half was a +10 advantage on the glass, keeping the Jacks in the game. 30 of Northern Colorado's 40 points were found in the paint, while 20 were accounted for by the Bears bench as UNCO picked up eight fouls in the first frame.
While the Bears grabbed their largest lead to start the second half at ten, NAU's 0-of-3 start would force the Jacks into a quick timeout with 18:03 on the clock. The Bears 8-0 run would be stopped by Jackson with a pull-up jumper inside the arc at the 14:47 mark. NAU would hit a 6-0 run of their own while holding UNCO scoreless for over two minute to bring the margin back to eight, 48-40.
Trent McLaughlin would grab the Jacks third three-pointer of the game to bring NAU back within 13 points with 8:51 to go, followed by an
Oakland Fort layup just ahead of the under-eight timeout. Coming out of the break, McLaughlin took no time in finding another three-pointer for NAU, closing the gap to 10 at 62-52. Back-to-back stops for the Jacks defense would lead to
Arman Madi's second shot from beyond the arc as the Jacks continued their comeback campaign.
Despite the Jacks finishing four-of-four from the field in the last three minutes, the comeback would fall short as the Bears capitalized on 62.5 shooting from the field. McLaughlin would finish leading the Jacks with 19 points while the team shot 48.3 percent from the field. Jackson finished with 12 points and six boards while
Carson Basham led the team on the glass with 7 and ten points. Madi was +8 in his 14 minutes, going 2-2 from beyond the arc. Fort finished with a game-high seven assists, adding eleven points to his stat line.
The Lumberjacks will now head to Boise for the Big Sky Conference Tournament, with seeding still to be determined by games finishing up around the league tonight. To stay up to date with NAU Basketball, follow the Jacks on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
