HAMPTON, Va. -- A double-double by senior guard Gaellan Bewernick was not enough for Northern Arizona today as the Lumberjacks fell to Hampton 75-66 at the HU Convocation Center.
"The turnovers for sure are way too many. Today was one of the three worst ball games we've played this season," said head coach Jack Murphy. "Jaleni (Neely) got to the line tonight which was really good, and Gaellan battling on the boards was definitely a benefit for us."
NAU (4-8) led for the first part of the first half, but from there Hampton was able to tie the game at 13-All and would eventually take a 31-23 lead at the half. The Lumberjacks shot 36.0 percent from the floor, but were 0-for-8 from the three-point line and 5 of 9 from the free throw line.
The Pirates (6-6) had 11 second chance points in the half, and 18 from in the paint. Hampton shot 41.4 percent from the floor with Dwight Meikle tallying 10 of the Pirates' 31 points.
The Lumberjacks began the second half with a pair of turnovers on backâto-back possessions resulting in an 11-point advantage for Hampton.
NAU was able to go on a 12-4 run sparked by a Bewernick layup in a span that included six points from Neely.
The Pirates had to put in work to break up NAU's run as the Lumberjacks began to see the momentum shift in their favor. Hampton was able to capitalize on turnovers and missed baskets by NAU that resulted in a 16-point lead for the Pirates with 7:20 remaining in the game.
Neely did what he could to close the gap that the Pirates created. He made points from the free throw line and the floor, but Hampton was able to score a basket every so often to keep NAU at bay.
Despite tying his career high of 17 points, Neely was unable to lift the Lumberjacks to victory as NAU dropped its second straight game.
"Our effort was there today, but we definitely need to work on our execution," said Murphy. "We're a much better team when Que (Upshur) and Kris (Yanku) are able to play well. We're going to need a team effort from here on."
Bewernick finished with his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Aaseem Dixon tallied 13 points to round out the double digit scorers for NAU.
Leading Hampton in scoring was Meikle with 28 points and 15 rebounds. Brian Darden and Quinton Chievous had 10 points each. The Pirates finished the game shooting 43.6 percent from the floor and 60.5 percent from the free throw line.
NAU and Hampton had a combined 40 turnovers with both teams shooting under 27 percent from the three-point line.
