FRESNO, Calif. (November 14, 2026) – Madison Watts recorded the fifth double-double of her career as the Northern Arizona women's basketball team suffered an 85-71 loss to Fresno State on Saturday afternoon at Save Mart Center.

NAU moves to 0-3 while Fresno State improves to 3-1.

Watts scored 13 points and grabbed 10 boards, while tallying a career-high five steals and making 9-of-10 free-throw attempts. Shayla Cordis had an early career-best outing of 13 points, a game-high four assists, and three boards in 32 minutes off the bench, and Aaliyah Smith scored in double figures for the third straight game with 15 to lead the overall scoring.

Fresno State capitalized on NAU's miscues, scoring 24 points off 19 Lumberjack turnovers in the game. The 'Jacks struggled to keep their opponent out of the lane, as the Bulldogs scored 46 points in the paint. NAU's bench, however, was once again a high note, as it outscored Fresno State's bench 39-25.

The contest was a tale of two halves. While the first 20 minutes saw eight ties and six lead changes, the second half favored the hosts. NAU trailed 42-34 at the break and opened the third period with a jumper from Morgan Hawkins to cut it to a six-point deficit, but the Bulldogs ballooned the lead to as many as 15 midway through the quarter and led 63-53 heading to the fourth.

NAU made it a nine-point game twice in the final period, but the Bulldogs shooting came alive when it mattered most to maintain the lead. Despite holding Fresno State without a 3-point field goal in the first half, the Bulldogs shot 50% (6-of-12) to ultimately control the pace and tempo of the game in the second stanza.

Through three games, NAU has seen six players score in double figures.

NAU will return home next week and welcome Bethesda (Calif.) on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Tipoff with the Lion Angels is slated for 6 p.m. MST and will be streamed on ESPN+.