FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (March 3, 2025) – The Northern Arizona women's basketball team ended the regular season on a high note, beating Idaho State by a score of 83-71 at home in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Findlay Toyota Court.
Prior to the game, the Lumberjacks (25-6, 16-2) honored seniors
Nyah Moran,
Olivia Moran and
Leia Beattie before their final home game. The Moran twins made a bit of history, as
Nyah Moran moved up to eighth on NAU's all-time scoring list and
Olivia Moran broke NAU's all-time record in career games played with her 157
th career contest.
With the win, the Lumberjacks broke the regular season wins record with their 25
th victory and finished with the best Big Sky Conference record in program history at 16-2. NAU has locked in the No. 2 seed for next week's conference tournament in Boise, Idaho, and will play the winner of No. 7 seeded Eastern Washington vs. No. 8 seeded Sacramento State on Sunday, March 9 at 1:30 p.m. Mountain Standard time.
The Lumberjacks pick up their fourth-straight victory over the Bengals who drop to 13-16 and 8-10.
"I'm super proud of the team. Tonight, and Senior Night, are always very special and a little emotional. This senior class has been the reason why our program is where it is today. To celebrate them, it was such a fun night, and brought a lot of emotion, which I think we saw in the first half. It's hard to compartmentalize that in a lot of ways. I think the moment sometimes takes over," said head coach
Loree Payne. "But I'm really proud of them for flipping the switch in the second half by upping our urgency and intensity, that definitely gained us that separation to get the win."
Four players scored in double figures, led by
Taylor Feldman and
Sophie Glancey with 23 points each, as Glancey moved up from seventh to fifth on the all-time scoring list. Feldman dished seven assists and was 8-for-16 from the field with three three-pointers. Glancey was 9-of-14 with seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Nyah Moran scored 11 points while adding eight rebounds and a career-high four steals.
Leia Beattie rounded out the scoring with 10 points, six assists, and a career-high four steals.
In the first half, the Lumberjacks trailed 38-37 after shooting 38.9 percent from the field compared to the second half where they outscored the Bengals 46-33 and shot 57.1 percent compared to 41.4 percent for ISU.
On her senior night,
Nyah Moran started things off with a three-pointer to spark an 8-0 run. Once the Bengals collected themselves, they quickly responded with a 7-0 run of their own. After the Lumberjacks didn't score for nearly three minutes, ISU took advantage with another 7-0 run to take a 14-10 lead. Quickly,
Saniyah Neverson and Beattie hit back-to-back three-pointers to tie the contest 18-18. At the end of the first, Northern Arizona led 23-20.
Idaho State used an 8-0 run to start the second quarter, retaking a 28-23 lead. Glancey then replied with a 5-0 run of her own to retie the game 28-28. The Lumberjacks then kept ISU without a field goal for 5:33 of the second quarter, using a 7-0 run over that span to retake a 35-33 lead. Idaho State then used a 5-0 run to pull ahead 38-35, but Glancey made a bucket with .05 seconds on the clock to make it a 38-37 game at the half in ISU's favor.
The Bengals came out of the half and used a 6-0 run to pull ahead 44-39. ISU led 49-45 when NAU used a 6-0 run of its own to retake a 51-49 lead. Northern Arizona remained composed down the stretch, hitting a stretch of 3-for-3 from the field to lead 62-55 heading into the fourth. NAU outscored the Bengals 25-17 and shot 57.1 percent (8-14) from the field while keeping ISU to 41.2 percent.
Northern Arizona took control of the fourth quarter. With 6:23 to play, NAU had pulled ahead 69-63. Feldman hit a triple to put the 'Jacks up 74-65, and by 4:20 to go the lead had stretched out to 10 points. Four different players scored in a 12-1 run to give the Lumberjacks their largest lead of the night at 81-66 with 1:43 to go, as NAU finished the home season 12-1 and concluded the regular season with an 83-71 victory.
Turnovers hurt both teams, as NAU committed 17 that ISU scored 21 points off of, and Idaho State committed 19 that turned into 18 points for NAU. The Lumberjacks made 12 three-pointers and each team scored 28 points in the paint. Northern Arizona was edged on the boards, 39-35. NAU shot 46.9 percent (30-64) from the field with 21 assists and held the Bengals to 40.6 percent (26-64). Both teams were solid at the free throw line, with ISU making 10-of-12 and NAU making 11-of-13.
Northern Arizona will now prepare to face the Eagles or the Hornets on Sunday in Boise.
