Second-Half Push Not Enough As UCR Falls 67-59 At NAU

Sunday, November 13

Flagstaff, AZ

1:05 pm

UC Riverside

0-2

Northern Arizona

1-1

Team	1	2	F
UC Riverside	21	38	59
NAU	31	36	67

Photo by: Gabriel L. Acosta

Second-Half Push Not Enough As UCR Falls 67-59 At NAU

11/13/2011 11:56:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Box Score - Northern Arizona 67, UC Riverside 59

Watch the recap video

Flagstaff, AZ - UC Riverside's Tre'Shonti Nottingham and Natasha Hadley each scored 17 points apiece on Sunday afternoon, but it was not enough as Northern Arizona withstood a late Highlanders push to win 67-59 in the second game of the season for both teams.

The Highlanders fall to 0-2 on the year while the Lumberjacks improve to 1-1.

UCR struggled out of the gate hitting just two of its first 14 shots and falling behind 15-4. A Leah Washington free throw at the 10:00 minute mark began a 9-3 run for the Highlanders as Jessica Ogunnorin and Nottingham each hit from beyond the arc, and Nottingham added a layup with 7:57 remaining to close NAU's lead to 18-13.

The Lumberjacks went back up 10, 25-15, but a Hadley jumper and two free throws sandwiched around a Washington fastbreak layup made it 25-21 with just over two minutes to go. However, NAU ended the half scoring five straight to lead 31-21 at the break.

UC Riverside ended the period hitting just 25.0 percent of its shots while Northern Arizona shot 42.3 percent.

The teams traded baskets to open the second half, with the Highlanders hitting 5-of-7 from the field. NAU still led by double-digits three and a half minutes into the period, though, until UCR systematically chipped away at the lead, cutting it to two, 42-40, capped off by a Jazzmin Lewis layup at the 7:11 mark.

The Highlanders held the Lumberjacks to just 14.3 percent shooting up until that point, but Northern Arizona then scored eight straight points to go up 50-40. NAU would push its lead out to 13 points on three occasions, the last at 61-48 with 3:16 to go.

UCR scored four to cut it to single-digits, 61-52, but the Lumberjacks used a three-pointer to go back up by 12 as they held on for the 67-59 win.

The Highlanders improved their shooting in the second half, hitting 51.7 percent, to NAU's 37.5 percent.

Hadley and Nottingham led UC Riverside with 17 points each, while Ogunnorin added a career-best 11 rebounds. NAU's Amy Patton led all players with 24 points.

The Highlanders return to action at UNLV on Wednesday, November 16 for a 7:00 pm tip in Las Vegas, NV.