POCATELLO, Idaho (Jan. 2, 2025) – The Northern Arizona women's basketball team opened Big Sky Conference play at Idaho State this evening, winning by a final score of 79-71 to snap a two-game losing streak and return to the win column.
The Lumberjacks pick up their 10
th victory, improving to 10-4 and 1-0 in Big Sky play while the Bengals drop to 5-7 (0-1). It's the second-straight year NAU has won its conference opener and its fourth-straight win over the Bengals.
Four players scored in double figures, led by
Sophie Glancey and
Taylor Feldman with 18 points each. Glancey also led the team with four assists, nine rebounds, two steals and a block. Feldman dished three assists and made a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line in addition to 4-of-8 from the field.
Leia Beattie followed with 12 points, including two three-pointers, while
Olivia Moran rounded things out with 10 points.
Eight players combined for 11 three-pointers, as NAU made 11-of-29 on the night. The Lumberjacks also made 21-of-62 from the field and 26-of-32 at the free throw line. Idaho State made 30-of-66 from the field but were 2-for-10 from three-point range and 9-of-12 from the line.
"The team played incredible resilience tonight in a very tough environment. I'm proud of their toughness and execution on both ends of the floor," said head coach
Loree Payne. "It's always great to get a road win in conference play."
As both sides settled in, Northern Arizona trailed 4-3 before exploding on a 12-0 run to pull ahead 15-4. Three different 'Jacks in Feldman,
Nyah Moran and
Ava Schmidt made triples during the run, and the Lumberjacks were able to take a 21-10 lead into the second quarter.
Idaho State composed itself and would outscore the Lumberjacks 21-18 in the second quarter, shooting 62.5 percent from the field while holding NAU to 33.3 percent. The Bengals used a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to three points before a triple from
Olivia Moran put NAU back ahead by six. Midway through the half, the Bengals would threaten again with a 5-0 run to make it a two-point game, 29-27. A Beattie three-pointer pushed the lead back out to eight points, and the Lumberjacks took a 39-31 lead into the locker room at the half.
The 'Jacks cruised through the third quarter, kicking things off with a 7-3 run to pull ahead by 13. Northern Arizona would lead by as many as 16 points in the third quarter after a 6-0 run that included a three-pointer from Beattie and
Audrey Taylor. NAU held the Bengals to 4-of-17 (23.5%) during the frame while shooting 41.7 percent themselves to lead 58-44.
ISU refused to back down in the fourth quarter, outscoring NAU 27-21 while shooting 70.6 percent from the field (12-17) and limiting the Lumberjacks to 29.4 percent. With four minutes to play, the Bengals went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 65-61. A three-point jumper by
Olivia Moran popped the lead back out to seven, and four-straight points from Feldman would make it a 10 point game with under two minutes to play to put the game out of reach, never allowing the Bengals to get closer than eight points.
Northern Arizona returns to action this Saturday, Jan. 4, at Weber State. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. Mountain Standard time.
