OGDEN, Utah (Interstat) — Naomi White scored 37 points to lead Northern Arizona to a 71-58 victory over Weber State in a Big Sky Conference women’s basketball game Thursday night at Dee Events Center. The Lumberjacks used a decisive 27-point third quarter to break open a close game, turning a 32-25 halftime lead into a comfortable margin. White, a guard from Omaha, Nebraska, was the catalyst, hitting seven 3-pointers. Simone Morris added 16 points for Northern Arizona. The Wildcats were led by Antoniette Emma-Nnopu’s 16 points. Weber State struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 3 for 23. Northern Arizona improved to 6-10 overall, while Weber State fell to 6-8.

OGDEN, Utah (Interstat) — Naomi White scored a game-high 37 points, powering a decisive third-quarter surge that carried Northern Arizona to a 71-58 victory over Weber State in a Big Sky Conference women’s basketball game Thursday night at Dee Events Center. The Lumberjacks, who evened their conference record at 2-2 and improved to 6-10 overall, broke open a tight contest by outscoring the Wildcats 27-16 in the pivotal third period. White, a 5-foot-9 guard from Omaha, Nebraska, was the catalyst, hitting four of her seven 3-pointers in the quarter as Northern Arizona turned a 32-25 halftime lead into a commanding 59-41 advantage heading to the fourth. White’s performance, coming on 13-of-27 shooting from the field, continued a remarkable scoring stretch for the junior. She has now averaged 27.3 points over her last three games, including a 27-point effort in a win over Montana on Jan. 1. She added a steal and a block in 38 minutes of action against Weber State. The game was defined by defensive pressure and offensive inefficiency, with both teams combining for 54 turnovers. Northern Arizona capitalized more effectively, scoring 28 points off 29 Weber State giveaways, while the Wildcats managed only 15 points off 25 Lumberjack turnovers. Weber State (6-8, 1-3 Big Sky) struggled mightily from beyond the arc, connecting on just 3 of 23 attempts (13%). Northern Arizona, by contrast, shot a blistering 11 for 23 from 3-point range, with White accounting for the majority of the damage. The Wildcats’ offense was largely confined to the paint, where they outscored Northern Arizona 32-20, and the free-throw line, where they went 17 for 20. Antoniette Emma-Nnopu led Weber State with 16 points, three assists and two blocks. Hannah Robbins added 13 points, but the Wildcats’ offensive rating of 68.6 points per 100 possessions underscored their struggles to find consistent scoring against the Lumberjack defense. The first half was a sloppy, low-scoring affair. Northern Arizona led 15-14 after a first quarter featuring 13 combined turnovers. The Lumberjacks extended the margin to seven by halftime, but the game remained within reach for the home team until the third-quarter explosion. Simone Morris provided crucial secondary scoring for Northern Arizona with 16 points, while Audrey Taylor dished out three assists. For Weber State, Fui Niumeitolu finished with 11 points. The most important sequence of the game unfolded early in the third quarter. With Northern Arizona leading 32-25, White ignited a 14-4 run over a four-minute span. She hit a pair of 3-pointers during the surge, the second coming off an assist from Layla Davis to push the lead to 46-29 with 7:27 left in the period. Weber State never recovered, as the Lumberjack lead ballooned to as many as 18 by the quarter’s end. The Wildcats mounted a minor rally in the final minutes but never cut the deficit to single digits. The announced attendance was 307. Northern Arizona next travels to face Idaho State on Saturday. Weber State will host Northern Colorado on the same day.

OGDEN, Utah (Interstat) — Two Big Sky Conference teams looking to regain momentum will meet Thursday when the Weber State Wildcats host the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in a women’s basketball matchup at the Dee Events Center. Weber State (6-7, 0-2 Big Sky) returns home after a pair of decisive road losses to open conference play, falling 68-58 at Portland State and 60-39 at Sacramento State last week. The Wildcats’ offense struggled mightily in the losses, averaging just 48.5 points. Northern Arizona (5-10, 1-1) split its first two conference games, earning an 81-72 home win over Montana before a 82-65 loss to Montana State on Saturday. The Lumberjacks have shown a recent uptick, winning three of their last five games overall. A key matchup will feature guards sharing a surname. Northern Arizona’s Naomi White enters on a scoring tear, averaging 24 points over her last five games. She dropped 30 points in a win over Park on Dec. 15 and scored 27 in the conference-opening victory against Montana. Weber State will counter with Sydney White, who led the team with 15 points in the loss at Sacramento State. She will need to help ignite an offense that shot just 23.2% from the field in that contest. The Lumberjacks have relied heavily on Naomi White and forward Layla Davis, who had 11 points and seven rebounds against Montana State. Weber State’s Makenna Shaffer provides an interior presence, pulling down seven rebounds against Sacramento State. This game begins a critical homestand for the Wildcats, who play three of their next four in Ogden. Northern Arizona continues a road swing at Idaho State on Saturday. Thursday’s contest is the first of two regular-season meetings between the teams, with the rematch set for Feb. 7 in Flagstaff.