NAU’s sophomore Josh Lepley dunks over Fort Lewis Skyhawks players during the game in Rolle on Nov. 6. NAU lost its first home game 75-65 against the skyhawks. Matt Beaty / The Lumberjack

The Northern Arizona men’s and women’s basketball teams held back-to-back exhibition games on Nov. 6, but the squads could not send either opponent home with a loss.

The women’s team took the court against New Mexico Highlands and was defeated 66-62, shooting 30.8 percent from the field. Freshman guard Tyler Stephens-Jenkins finished her collegiate debut with eight rebounds and 11 points, and sophomore guard Caty Huntington scored a game-high 22 points.

“Caty Huntington has definitely made the biggest improvement from last year,” said women’s head coach Laurie Kelly. “She is stepping into more of a leadership role and is contributing more to the team. She understands what she needs to do more so than last year, when she was a freshman.”

Huntington will help lead a team made up of only one senior to improve on their 9-21 overall record from last season. With a young team, Kelly said experience is the most important thing to gain.

“The first game tells you more clearly where you are as a team,” Kelly said. “You can take teams lightly, but look what happens. We struggled with intensity and didn’t respond when we were challenged, and I think we learned a lot about ourselves in a good way.”

The Lady Lumberjacks travel to southern California to begin the regular season on Nov. 13 at Pepperdine and then at UC Riverside on Nov. 15.

In the second game of the exhibition doubleheader, the men’s basketball team played host to Fort Lewis College. Fort Lewis took an early 13-2 lead and never looked back, defeating the Lumberjacks 75-65.

The NAU men committed 23 fouls, 15 of which occurred in the first half, and 18 turnovers. They also struggled at the charity-stripe, shooting 55.2 percent from the free-throw line, an area in which they struggled throughout last season.

“Our conditioning was terrible, and we just looked like an out-of-shape team,” said head coach Mike Adras. “Because of that, we fouled way too much early on and dug ourselves a big hole. We couldn’t get over the hump because we didn’t have the ability to get into another gear.”

Junior forward Shane Johannsen led the Lumberjacks with nine rebounds and 20 points off 8-9 shooting. Junior guard Cameron Jones added 15 points for NAU and led the game with four assists.
“It felt good to finally play against someone else, but it’s a wakeup call to see where we really are,” Johannsen said. “Everything is there that we need to succeed; it just depends on how well we are going to apply it in game-time situations.”

Seven newcomers, including last season’s redshirts, recorded minutes for the men’s team, registering a combined 103 minutes and 15 points. Junior transfer Eric Platt, who redshirted last season, did not play because of shin splints.

“Everyone is meshing well on and off the court, and we’re all getting along with each other,” Johannsen said. “We just need to pick it up more; newcomers, returners and myself included. We need to raise the bar, and everyone needs to meet it.”

The NAU men begin the season on Nov. 13 against Southwestern (Ariz.) in the Rolle Activity Center and then take on the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson on Nov. 15.

NAU freshman guard Tyler Stephens-Jenkins drives towards the basket against New Mexico Highland's Sheena Cole on Nov. 6. The NAU women lost the matchup, 66-62. Matt Beaty / the Lumberjack