FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Northern Arizona men's basketball had a sellout crowd of 5,583 fans in the building to watch the Lumberjacks rally back in the second half to defeat NJIT 68-61 in the Walkup Skydome.
"I feel like I'm in a dream. I'm so proud of our guys," said head coach Jack Murphy. "We didn't make a lot of shots but we made the ones that counted. We played Lumberjack basketball in the second half and I couldn't be more proud of this team."
NAU led for the first 15 minutes of the game until NJIT's Osa Izevbuwa recorded a layup with 5:15 to go to give the Highlanders a 23-21 edge. There were a pair of ties after that, but NJIT ended the first half on an 8-1 run going into the locker room with a 33-26 advantage.
Len Springs continued his aggressive play in the second half, keeping NAU in the game with stellar defense and finishing with 14 rebounds and five blocked shots.
The Highlanders managed to keep a steady lead on NAU but soon the tides would turn. The Lumberjacks trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half with 17:01 remaining, but in typical NAU fashion it just needed a few minutes and teamwork to get the ball rolling in the 'Jacks favor. After a Quinton Upshur three-pointer gave NAU a 56-54 lead, the Lumberjacks moved forward and never looked back. Six of NAU's final eight points came from the free throw line as it topped the Highlanders in front of a record-setting crowd.
"It has been a blessing and we are all thankful," said Dixon. "Our hard work is paying off. We've been preparing since summer and it's all been full circle. I can't thank our fans enough for coming out here tonight and giving us the support. I know my teammates and I appreciate it very much. Now it's time for us to set our sights on the championship game. We have one more win to go."
Damon Lynn, the nation's second leading three-pointer shooter, was held to a pair of triples as he finished with a team-high 16 points. He also had a team-high seven rebounds. Ky Howard chipped in 10 points, but it wasn't to hold off NAU's second half surge.
The Lumberjacks outscored the Highlanders 42-28 in the second half to earn its first trip to the CIT Championship.
Upshur led NAU with 23 points, while Dixon added 19 points. Kris Yanku rounded out the double figure scorers with 10 points. Jordyn Martin set a new NAU postseason rebounds record of 17.
NAU will play at Evansville on Thursday, April 2 at 4 p.m. PT in the championship game of the 2015 CIT.
Notes: Double Figure Scoring Games – Kris Yanku (29), Quinton Upshur (28), Aaseem Dixon (25)…Len Springs recorded his fourth double digit game of his career…For the second straight game Springs and Martin notch double digit rebounding games…Martin set a new NAU postseason rebounding record of 17...Springs set a new postseason blocked shots record of five (tying the team record)…NAU has advanced to the CIT Championship for the first time in school history…NAU set a new postseason team rebounding mark of 55, free throws record of 21.