FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Montana had five players in double figures and held Northern Arizona to 23 percent from the floor in the second half to post a 62-56 comeback victory in the Walkup Skydome Wednesday night.
Will Cherry, Mathias Ward, Jordan Gregory and Keron Deshields each scored 12 points for Montana (5-4, 1-0 Big Sky).
“They are a well-coached team and very talented,” NAU head coach Jack Murphy said. “Getting Will Cherry back was a boost for those guys. I thought that they looked winded as times in the second half, but they played through it and were tough. They are the defending conference champions. They have been where we want to go and have an attitude about winning that we are still trying to develop.”
NAU (4-6, 1-1) led by as many as nine points in the first half behind 10 points by senior guard Gabe Rogers, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career in the opening 20 minutes. He is the 26th player in school history to accomplish the feat.
The Lumberjacks held the lead until a layup by Kareem Jamar at the 8:49 mark put the Griz ahead for the first time since the opening minutes.
“It was a sloppy game at times, especially in the second half,” Murphy said. “We had too many turnovers. But our guys fought and battled and never wilted.”
The game was tied for the final time at 53 all with 5:49 left, but Montana got a long three by Ward at the end of a possession to put the Griz up for good. Down by four with under a minute left, NAU missed on three consecutive 3-point attempts. Deshields grabbed the rebound after the third attempt and Cherry sealed the game at the line.
NAU had 15 turnovers in the game, including nine in the second half, and shot 35 percent (19 for 54) for the game.
Rogers finished with game-high 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Freshman DeWayne Russell added 12 points. Max Jacobsen scored eight points and grabbed seven boards for the Lumberjacks.
“We took too many threes in the second half,” Murphy said. “I think that was part of the reason we shot such a low percentage. There were a couple plays here and there that they made and we didn’t. We can learn from this and move forward to be ready for conference.”
NAU plays two non-conference games over the holidays before returning to Big Sky Conference play against Sacramento State on Jan. 3. The Lumberjacks play at Colorado on Friday and return after the break to play at BYU on Dec. 27.
