MEN’S BASKETBALL CAN’T SUSTAIN BIG FIRST HALF LEAD IN LOSS TO NORTHERN ARIZONA

2/26/2010

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Northern Arizona recorded 18 second-chance points, and outscored Sacramento State, 47-32, in the second half on the way to a 73-59 win over the Hornets in a Big Sky Conference men’s basketball game Friday evening at the Nest.

The Hornets made their first five field goal attempts of the game and eight of the first 15 to race out to a 12-point lead (21-9) with 7:48 remaining in the first half. However, Sacramento State went cold after the run, converting on just 13 of their final 37 attempts from the floor spanning the final 27 minutes. That helped allow Northern Arizona to come all the way back and eventually take control of the game.

The Lumberjacks took their first lead of the game on a Gabe Rogers layup (28-27) with 18:46 left in the second half. Both teams went back and forth the first 11 minutes of the second half as no team led by more than four points during that span. A Nick Larson layup with 9:58 remaining began an 11-2 Lumberjack run that Josh Lepley capped with a pair of free throws to give NAU a 59-49 lead with 5:09 left. Sacramento State whittled Northern Arizona’s lead down to six points at the 4:16 mark, could get no closer. In fact, the Hornets scored just 10 points over the final 7:12.

Two big reasons for the Lumberjack win were second-chance points and poor free throw shooting by the Hornets. Northern Arizona turned 11 offensive rebounds into 18 second-chance points. Eleven of those points came in a second half that saw the Lumberjacks shoot 50.0 percent (14-28) from the field.

Sacramento State, which entered the game shooting a respectable 71.9 percent from the free throw line, could not convert tonight. The Hornets made just 11 of their 20 freebies (55.0 percent) while NAU converted on 20 of their 21 attempts (.952). That included the Lumberjacks making all eight of their attempts during the final two minutes of the game.

With the loss, Sacramento State dropped to 9-20 overall and 3-12 in the Big Sky. The Hornets, who were eliminated from Big Sky Tournament contention with last week’s loss to Montana, will conclude the season tomorrow night at home against Northern Colorado. The Hornets still can’t break the Northern Arizona jinx as the Lumberjacks have now won 11 straight against Sacramento State dating back to 2005. That is the longest Hornet losing streak against any team in the Big Sky.

Northern Arizona (14-13, 8-8) concluded its regular season tonight, and will be the No. 5 seed in next weekend’s Big Sky Tournament. The Lumberjacks will play their quarterfinal game in either Missoula or Bozeman depending on outcomes of tomorrow night’s games. The top six teams in the nine-member league advance to the Big Sky Tournament, and Portland State secured the final seed with its win over Idaho State tonight. Teams joining Northern Arizona and Portland State in the tournament are Weber State, Northern Colorado, Montana and Montana State.

Three players scored in double figures for NAU, comprised of Rogers (20 points, five assists), Cameron Jones (18 points) and Shane Johannsen (14 points, 11 rebounds). Johannsen didn’t miss a shot all night, finishing 4-of-4 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. It was Johannsen and Nick Larson (10) who combined for 21 of the Lumberjacks’ 36 rebounds. And the trio of Rogers, Jones and Johannsen combined for 52 of the team’s 73 points. Including the impressive free throw shooting, NAU finished the game shooting 46.0 percent (23-50) from the field and 43.8 percent (7-16) from the three-point line.

For the seventh time in the last 12 games, center Justin Eller led Sacramento State in scoring as the center finished with 14 points and five rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. He was joined in double figures by senior Antonio Flaggs (12 points, three assists and two steals) and junior Duro Bjegovic (12 points, 4-of-8 shooting). Junior Sultan Toles-Bey added eight points and a game-high six assists, and freshman John Dickson had six points, five rebounds and three blocked shots in a team-high 32 minutes.

Sacramento State concludes its season tomorrow at home against Northern Colorado at 7:05 p.m. With a win, the Bears (23-6, 11-4) would secure the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the Big Sky Tournament. Prior to the game, Sacramento State seniors Eller, Flaggs, Domineek Daniel, Jonathan Malloy, Mike Marcial, Michael Selling and Jared Stigall will be honored for their contributions to the program.