FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Down by as many as 24 points in the second half, the Northern Arizona women cut their deficit to just nine points with two minutes to play but could not get any closer as Sacramento State closed out a 78-68 win Saturday night.
“It’s unfortunate because this is what happened the last time we played this team,” said NAU head coach Sue Darling, whose team trailed by 19 points earlier this season in Sacramento before a similar comeback fell short. “I thought we prepared very well during the week and I thought the team was ready, but obviously we weren’t. For the last 30 minutes of the game we won, but you have to play a 40 minute game to get a 'W.'"
The NAU rally was led by its bench, most prominently sophomore forward Erikka Banks, who continued her recent superb play with her first career double-double and career highs of 25 points, 14 rebounds and seven steals off the bench. The bench totaled 32 points and provided a spark in the second half to get the team back within striking distance.
“They were the difference in the game,” Darling said of her bench. “If we only counted when those kids were in, we would have won. I was watching and thinking, 'This is the future,' because it was all the young kids in the game and they were the ones that were delivering. That makes for a bright future, but I still have high hopes and huge expectations for this year’s team.”
With the loss, NAU (7-18, 6-10 Big Sky) slipped one game behind Southern Utah for the seventh and final qualifying spot for the Big Sky Championship after the Thunderbirds upset Northern Colorado earlier Saturday. Sacramento State (15-10, 10-6 Big Sky) elevated itself into a tie with Idaho State for fourth in the conference standings.
Sacramento State outshot NAU 53.3 percent to 27.0 percent in the first half to take a big early lead. The Lumberjacks totaled only one made field goal outside of the paint in the first half as the visitors took an early 6-0 lead and reached a double-digit advantage at 19-9 with 11:20 left in the first period. The Hornets' lead reached 17 points at 30-13 following a 15-4 run, and while NAU got back within 11 with 1:33 to play, Sacramento State ended the half with five straight points to take a 41-25 halftime lead.
The Sacramento State blitz continued early in the second half with a quick 8-0 spurt, giving the Hornets a game-high 49-25 lead with 17:20 to play. They still led by 24 with 12:21 remaining and had a 21-point lead with 7:34 to play before NAU made its move.
The Lumberjacks went on a 6-0 run to cut their deficit to 15 and eventually extended to a 19-7 spurt over five minutes to get within a 75-66 deficit with 2:16 left. NAU was unable to get any closer, though, as the teams traded free throws and NAU still trailed by nine with 40 seconds to play before a late Hornet free-throw gave the visitors their final winning margin.
Junior Amanda Frost was the only other NAU player to finish in double figures, as she totaled 16 points and four assists, with all 16 points coming in the second half. Banks (11 of 14) and Frost (4 of 4) were the only NAU players to get to the free-throw line. The Lumberjacks shot just 31.2 percent overall from the field while the Hornets shot 44.4 percenton the night. NAU did have a 49-47 rebounding edge with 22 offensive rebounds, 10 of which came from Banks.
Sophomore point guard Fantasia Hilliard had 16 points to lead four Hornets in double-figures.
NAU plays its final road games of the regular season next week, facing Idaho State at 7 p.m. Thursday and Weber State at 8 p.m. Saturday.
