SportsLine.com Report
March 16, 2000

Round 1: Lumberjacks' upset bid falls short

It had the crowd and the momentum in its favor down the stretch, but Northern Arizona fell just short for the second time in three years at the NCAA Tournament. The Lumberjacks, who put a scare into Cincinnati in a 65-62 first-round loss in 1998, narrowly missed a major upset in a 61-56 loss to second-seeded St. John's in Tucson, Ariz.

Northern Arizona had a one-point lead, and three fouls to spare, with 29.1 remaining when Cory Schwab hit a 3-pointer. NAU committed the first foul with 13.8 seconds left, but allowed the Red Storm's Lavor Postell's to get in the lane and hit a shot while being fouled with 10.9 seconds remaining.

Postell completed the three-point play for a 58-56 St. John's lead, and NAU's final possession ended when Red Storm point guard Erick Barkley stole the ball with three seconds to go to seal the victory.

"It hurts. It really hurts," coach Mike Adras said. "We believed we were going to win this game. We really did. We planned on playing on Saturday. It sounds crazy but we did."

St. John's overcame a feisty Northern Arizona team and enthusiastic fans, many of whom made the 4½-hour trip from Flagstaff. Chants of "N-A-U!" reverberated throughout the arena as the Lumberjacks players and coaches urged the fans on at every timeout.

"It was amazing," guard Ross Land said. "It was really fun to play in an atmosphere like this. We don't have crowds like that up at NAU."

How They Got There

The Lumberjacks won the Big Sky Tournament, earning the league's lone automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Starting lineup

• SG Ross Land (6-5, 205, Sr.): A tremendous shooter, Land hit 41 percent of his 3-point attempts and 89 percent of his free throws and averaged 16.5 points. He's capable of exploding for 30-point nights. An all-Big Sky player.
• PG Adam Lopez (6-0, 165, Soph.): Lopez is steady, averaging 8.4 points, while shooting 46 percent and hitting a fine 87 percent of his free throws. He's also the team's leading assist man.
• SF Cory Schwab (6-5 200 Jr.): Schwab has made a big impact in his first year after transferring in from junior college. He averaged 9.3 points and shot 43 percent from 3-point range and 87 percent from the line.
• PF Billy Hix (6-7, 230, Sr.): Hix provides strength underneath. He adds 6.9 points a game and is another fine free throw shooter at 81 percent.
• C Dan McClintock (7-0, 260, Sr.): McClintock really came into his own this season. In addition to leading the team in rebounding, he's become a fine shot-blocker and he shoots 60 percent from he field. A true force in the middle.

Keys to Success

For the Lumberjacks, it's twofold. When guard Ross Land is bombing in 3-pointers and 7-footer Dan McClintock is scoring inside, no one in the Big Sky can beat the Lumberjacks.

When teams get out and defend the 3-point line and limit McClintock's touches, NAU is in trouble.

The Coach

Mike Adras, a former NAU assistant to Ben Howland, who is now the head man at Pitt, has done a commendable job in getting NAU back near the top of the Big Sky. After a rough start to conference play, he steered the Lumberjacks in the right direction.

The Bench

Not a powerful bench. NAU utilizes two key reserves in 6-7 freshman Ryan McDade, who averaged 5.3 points, and 6-9 sophomore Casey Grundman, who scored 3.2 a game.

Offense

The Lumberjacks used to love to hoist the long bombs under Howland, leading the nation in 3-point shooting percentage the past two seasons. They still jack them up -- mainly Land and Schwab. But there's an inside presence with McClintock, so the 'Jacks are not one-dimensional.

Defense

Northern Arizona isn't the quickest team, so it must have an added defensive weapon. The Lumberjacks have that in the 7-foot McClintock who is a fine shot blocker and provides excellent help if anyone gets beat to the basket.