The Northern Arizona women's basketball team opened its season at New Mexico at The Pit in Albuquerque on Monday, winning 80-78 thanks to a game-winning shot from forward Sophie Glancey.
Northern Arizona trailed for 34:12 of the contest and was down 13 points heading into the fourth quarter. The Lumberjacks used a 12-2 run in the fourth to make up ground and outscored the Lobos 31-19 while shooting 68% from the field.
"I'm so proud of the team and their resilience and trust in each other. To trail the majority of the game and still battle back to make numerous winning plays down the stretch is impressive," Lumberjacks coach Loree Payne said. "Sophie hitting the game-winner is not a surprise at all, it's great to see all of her hard work pay off."
Four Lumberjacks scored in double figures, led by Glancey's 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds and two blocks. Guard Leia Beattie was close behind her, shooting 6 for 10 from the field and 4 for 8 from the 3-point arc with 16 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in 37 minutes of play. Guard Taylor Feldman scored 15 points and was key from the free-throw line late in the game, going 6-of-8. She also added four rebounds and five assists.
Forward Saniyah Neverson totaled 11 points, adding five rebounds, two blocks, two assists and a steal. Guard Nyah Moran ended with nine points and three assists.
It was Northern Arizona's first win over New Mexico since the 1994-95 season.
The Lumberjacks (1-0, 0-0 Big Sky) will take on another Mountain West Conference opponent in UNLV Thursday in Las Vegas.
Men's basketball
Northern Arizona聽started its season with a home victory at Rolle Activity Center on Monday, beating NAIA foe Park-Gilbert 100-49.
"With the excitement of our highest preseason ranking since 2015, it showed tonight with our crowd. I just want to send out a special thank you to our fans, it helps our guys and in basketball having a sixth-man crowd is the real deal," Lumberjacks coach Shane Burcar said.
Guard Trent McLaughlin started his final season with the Lumberjacks with a 27-point game -- just four shy of his career-high -- while adding five steals and five rebounds. Making his return to the court from a seasonlong injury, forward Carson Towt picked right back up where he left off, grabbing his first double-double of the year with 16 points and 12 boards.
"The work that all 14 guys on our team and our coaching staff put in, that prep and hard work that we put into this game, it showed. I liked their discipline throughout, Trent had 27 points on 15 shots and shared the ball, and I think that's a good indication of what kind of character we have on this team," Burcar said.
Dillan Baker, Ali Ragab, Monty Bowser and Leigh Rickwood-Pitt all made their Lumberjack debuts Monday. Baker finished with seven points and four rebounds.
The Lumberjacks will be home again on Friday to take on Nelson.
Volleyball
The NAU women's volleyball team will host two home matches this week as they continue their Big Sky Conference effort. The Lumberjacks are currently 10-11 on their season with a mark of 3-7 in Big Sky Conference play.
In the conference rankings, Taylor Jacobsen sits third for kills per set with a 3.68 average. She also ranks third in points with 4.15 per set and ninth in digs with 3.21 per set. Millie O'Ketter leads the table in digs, averaging 4.81 per set. Hanah Stoddard has an average of 3.07 kills per set, which ranks her sixth. Keira Hall places eighth in assists with 5.31 per set.
On Thursday, Northern Arizona will host Portland State in the Rolle Activity Center at 6:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. NAU played the Vikings on the road and lost 3-0 on the road on Oct. 12.
The Lumberjacks will play against Sacramento State on Saturday. Last time the two met, NAU fell 3-1, on Oct. 10.