FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Northern Arizona used a trio of big first-half runs to post an 88-63 victory over North Dakota in Big Sky men's basketball action Saturday at the Walkup Skydome. Sophomore Kris Yanku led the Lumberjacks (12-11, 7-3 BSC) with 26 points and that was their lead at the half as they beat UND (8-14, 4-7 BSC) at home for the first time in Big Sky play.
Sophomore Quinton Hooker paced UND with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Jaron Nash and Lenny Antwi also reached double figures with 10 points a piece.
“I thought we didn't execute well on either side of the floor in the first half,” UND head coach Brian Jones said. “We cut it to 16-13 after their first big run, but just did not execute how we planned to on the defensive end and did not make the extra pass and move the ball well on offense.”
Nash put UND up 8-4 with five straight points early on, but the Lumberjacks used the first of their big runs to cease control of the contest, reeling off 12 straight and never trailing again.
Junior Josiah Coleman capped a quick 5-0 run with a corner 3-pointer for UND to pull his squad within three, but the Lumberjacks would take command from beyond the arc and that is where they did most of their damage from in the opening 20 minutes.
Quinton Upshur and Aaseem Dixon each had 15 first-half points as that duo went 7-for-11 from beyond the arc and NAU went 9-for-15 as a team before the break.
UND miscues also led the wide margin as the visitors turned it over seven times, which NAU turned into 12 points. The Lumberjacks also went 12-for-15 from the free throw stripe after UND picked up 12 first-half fouls to help push the halftime advantage to 53-27.
UND came out with a different energy level in the second half, trimming the deficit down to 16, but that would be as close as the visitors would get. The Lumberjacks cooled off substantially after the first half, shooting only 29 percent, but UND could not take advantage, shooting only 26 percent to finish with a season-low 31 percent clip from the floor.
Yanku made up for his team's shooting woes in the second half by knocking down 11-of-12 from the free throw line. NAU finished 25-for-31 as a team from the foul line and 13-for-28 from 3-point territory.
UND made it to the stripe 27 times in the closing 20 minutes after getting there just five times in the first half. The visitors finished 22-for-32 with Hooker leading that charge by going 7-for-8.
Dixon finished with 19 points and went 6-for-10 from 3-point land, while Upshur was held scoreless after halftime to finish with 15. Yanku also added nine assists and six rebounds.
UND returns home next week to play Montana at The Betty on Thursday with tipoff set for 7 p.m. CT.
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