MOSCOW, Idaho (January 25, 2024) – NAU Basketball (13-8, 4-4) made history on Saturday night with an 80-72 victory over the Idaho Vandals, marking the first time in program history the Lumberjacks picked up a road sweep with a stop in Moscow on slate.
"It's a great feeling for the guys and we know we have so much more success to celebrate ahead," head coach
Shane Burcar said.
It didn't take long for
Carson Towt to start the action for Northern Arizona, grabbing the first steal of the game and following up with the dunk to open scoring for the Jacks.
Trent McLaughlin would follow suit, forcing Idaho's second turnover of the game in the first three minutes of play while grabbing a layup for the early tie, 4-4. A 9-2 run for the Vandals would give them a seven-point lead, quickly erased by back-to-back three-pointers from
Ryan Abelman and
Leigh Rickwood-Pitt to close the margin to just one with 13:01 to play.
Coming out of the under-12 timeout, McLaughlin hit his second triple of the game while Abelman forced the Vandals to commit their fifth turnover, becoming the third Lumberjack of the contest with a steal. With 4:21 to play,
Monty Bowser ends a 9-2 run for the Vandals with the three-pointer shot to bring NAU within eight, trailing 33-25.
Diego Campisano hit the corner-triple to send the game to halftime, as Towt found him with room to trail 41-37.
The Lumberjacks shot 37.1 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from three-point range as Idaho held the field-goal advantage after 20 minutes at 55.5 percent.
Campisano and Towt quickly shed the Vandals four-point lead coming out of the locker rooms, with Campisano hitting back-to-back three-pointers and Towt finding a quick layup, sparking a 13-2 run for the Lumberjacks who took the lead at 16:28 (47-43). The Vandals would not regain the lead for the remainder of the game, as NAU secured the final score at 80-72, picking up their second-straight road win.
Plenty of stars shined for Northern Arizona, starting with Mr. Double-Double,
Carson Towt as he grabbed his 14
th points/rebounds double-double performance of the season closing out the game with 16 points and 18 rebounds, shooting 50.0 percent from the field on 12 attempts. Campisano once again led Lumberjack scorers with a career-high matching 19 points, hitting five three-pointers while shooting 71.4 percent from beyond the arc. McLaughlin finished with 15 points, four assists, a steal, and a block.
Jayden Jackson found his second-straight game with 7 assists. NAU finished +12 on the glass and held the Vandals to 38.5 percent second-half shooting while shooting 48.2 percent from the field themselves.
Northern Arizona will now head into a one-game week, heading to Greeley, Colo. To take on the Northern Colorado Bears on Saturday, Feb. 1 before heading to Ogden for a Monday meeting with the Weber State Wildcats on Monday, Feb. 3. To stay up to date with NAU Basketball, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
