FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Feb. 15, 2025) – In a game of runs and a tale of two halves, the Northern Arizona women's basketball team defeated Sacramento State by a score of 75-60 today at Findlay Toyota Court in Flagstaff.
NAU strung together two large scoring runs of 18-0 and 14-0 in the first half to take a 45-21 lead into the locker room at the half, limiting the Hornets to just 7-of-38 (18%) from the floor while shooting 16-of-34 themselves. Sacramento State regroup and improved its shooting percentage to 45 percent (13-29) in the second half compared to 27 percent (9-33) for NAU. The Hornets would outscore the Lumberjacks 39-to-30 in the second half, but NAU was able to reply on its cushion for the win.
Additionally, the Lumberjacks crashed the boards and out-rebounded the Hornets 51-to-45 and forced 13 turnovers it turned into 18 points. The bench also produced, outscoring Sacramento State 19-to-8.
Northern Arizona wins its third-straight game and its fourth-straight over the Hornets, earning the season sweep to improve to 21-6 on the year and 12-2 in Big Sky Conference play. The Hornets drop to 11-15 and 4-10.
Sophie Glancey turned in her 14
th double-double (out of 27 games played) this season, leading all players with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Olivia Moran earned her third double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Taylor Feldman rounded out the scoring with 10 points.
Nyah Moran jumped into NAU's all-time scoring list, now ranking 10
th all-time with 1,167 career points. She scored eight today and led the team with five assists while grabbing six rebounds.
Saniyah Neverson had nine rebounds and eight points, while Glancey led the team in steals with three.
"I'm proud of the team for putting together two dominating wins this weekend. It puts us in a really good position moving forward going on the road for two tough games. Obviously, Boise is on our minds, and we want to be playing our best basketball come March," said head coach
Loree Payne. "That's what all these games are for, preparation for that, and I'm proud of my team tonight.
After falling behind 3-0, the Lumberjack offense quickly got going. Five different players scored on a 13-0 run, taking a commanding 13-3 lead to force the Hornets to call an early timeout after not scoring for nearly four minutes. Out of the break,
Leia Beattie became the sixth player to score in the run with a triple, making a 16-0 spurt.
In all, the run would stretch out to 22-2 and the Lumberjacks held the Hornets without a field goal for over eight minutes of the first quarter. The NAU defense held Sacramento State to 13 percent from the floor (2-16) while shooting 53 percent (9-17) themselves to lead 24-7 after the first quarter.
Sacramento State regrouped during the break and came out in the second quarter and opened with a 10-0 run to quickly cut the lead down to single digits, 24-17. Northern Arizona would call a timeout to get back on track and out of the break, Glancey hit a three-pointer that sparked another 14-0 run for the Lumberjacks to rebuild the lead to 38-17.
The Hornets didn't score again for over five and a half minutes, going 0-for-11 from the field during that time while NAU hit a stretch of 4-for-4. In all, the run stretched to 17-2 and NAU took a 45-21 lead into the locker room.
During the first half, the Lumberjacks held the Hornets to 18 percent from the floor (7-38) while making 16-of-34 themselves. The Lumberjacks also had a 29-to-23 advantage on the boards behind 17 first half points from Glancey.
By the midway point of the third quarter, Northern Arizona had pulled ahead 55-30. The Hornets would wind up outscoring the 'Jacks 22-19 in the third quarter, putting together their best offensive frame by shooting 46.2 percent from the floor with three triples. The Lumberjacks still held a comfortable 64-43 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, Northern Arizona hit a cold spell and didn't make a field goal for 4:31.
Ava Schmidt snapped the spell with a three-pointer and the 'Jacks pulled back ahead by 20 points with three minutes to go. It was the lowest shooting percentage of the day for NAU, as it was held to 18 percent (3-16) from the floor while the Hornets shot 43.8 percent (7-16) and outscored NAU 17-11. The Lumberjacks were still able to rely on their early cushion, winning 75-60.
NAU heads out on its final regular season road trip of the year for three-straight. Next week, the Lumberjacks will play at Idaho on Feb. 20 before taking on Eastern Washington on Feb. 22.
