FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Down four at halftime and as much as six in the second half, the Northern Arizona women's basketball team ended the game on an 8-2 run to gut out a 56-52 victory over Weber State.
Sophomore Catelyn Preston's go-ahead bucket with 1:25 was the dagger as NAU was less than willing to show the Wildcats love on Valentine's Day, avenging an earlier loss to Weber State on the road last month.
"It wasn't a pretty win but it was a gutsy win," NAU coach Sue Darling said. "It's mid-February so a win is a win and we found a way. It wasn't the usual suspects down the stretch. Catelyn came in and had a big game for us and Rene (Coggins) and Mo (Mulder) hit free throws. Gutsy is a beautiful at this time of year. In this league, when we play well we can beat anybody."
The win allowed the Lumberjacks to stay in fifth place while improving to 7-5 in the Big Sky. Now at 11-12, NAU sits just one game below the .500 mark for the first time since the opening week of conference play while matching its highest Big Sky win total in eight seasons with three weeks remaining in the regular season.
Two nights after scoring a career-high 25 points, senior Raven Anderson led the early charge with six points to begin the game. Three-pointers by sophomore Brittani Lusain, who would finish with a team-high 14 points, and freshman Tori Lloyd also helped propel NAU to a 16-10 advantage with 12:34 left in the first half.
The Wildcats were the team in front, 26-22, at halftime though in large part to subpar play by the 'Jacks, turning it over 14 times in the opening 20 minutes.
Anderson once again came out of the gates strong to start the second half, scoring five points in the first three minutes to put NAU in front, 31-30. After Weber State retook the lead, junior Mariah Willadsen and Lusain answered with consecutive layups to tie the game at 38-38 with 11:46 left. However, the Wildcats countered with the next six points to take their largest lead of the game, 44-38, with 9:41 remaining.
That's where the Lumberjacks started their comeback, methodically getting defensive stops while grinding it out on the offensive end. Lusain's layup with 2:19 left brought the score even at 50-50 and on the next possession she found Preston under the basket for NAU's go-ahead score.
Senior Erikka Banks' offensive rebound with 23 seconds forced a Weber State foul, sending sophomore Rene Coggins to the free throw line where she knocked down her pair. Weber State responded with a basket before fouling junior Monique Mulder with 2.9 seconds left on the clock. Mulder's two free throws iced the game and sealed up the victory for the Lumberjacks -- their fifth win in their last six games.
"With the amount of time left, it was a good time to put the dagger in the game," Coggins said. "It was nerve-racking, but I kept calm. We're willing to grind out any game to get a win and we're not going to give up at any time. We need to keep this momentum for sure."
Along with Lusain's 14 points, she also tallied 10 rebounds to pick up her second double-double of the season. She also added five assists and a pair of steals. Anderson used a career-best 8-for-10 performance at the line to net 12 points. Banks recorded nine points and six boards.
The 'Jacks collected their cool at halftime and turned the ball over just three times in the second half. NAU shot 40.9 percent for the game, outshooting Weber State by six percent in the win. Weber State held the rebound edge by one, 34-33.
"We did a really good job of grinding it out on both offense and defense," Lusain said. "We stuck with it and never quit. We had the right run at the right time at the end of the game."
