f the season to pass Lisa Leslies WNBA record of 276 set in 2004.The Storm had just a 63-61 lead at the end of the third after Allie Quigley hit Chica

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Northern Arizona coach Jack Murphy had every reason to believe his team would take a big leap in the 2015-16 season.The Lumberjacks returned four players he considered starters from a team that made it to the championship game of the CollegeInsiders.com tournament and had talented newcomers who could contribute right away.Things fell apart quickly.Two of Northern Arizonas best players went down with season-ending injuries by the 10th game and the Lumberjacks never recovered, finishing 5-25 with a roster that included eight freshmen on scholarship and 11 overall.We literally had one practice last year with our full complement of guys, Murphy said. We were youth personified.There is an upshot to that trial-by-fire season: All those young players come back with far more experience than they would have had without the injuries.Theyll join senior forward Jordyn Martin, the 2014-15 Big Sky defensive player of the year, who played only three games last season because of a foot injury. Senior guard Jaleni Neely returns after being limited to nine games because of knee injury.Both are healthy and expected to be the leaders Murphy envisioned a year ago.Bruising senior forward Ako Kaluna also is back after having a breakout season with Martin out, giving the Lumberjacks some experience to go with all those young players.I feel like we have a chance to do something special this season, Neely said. Those guys got experience not too many freshman get and I think it will help them as far as maturity and seeing how the Division I level is. It also gave them a lot of confidence.A few more things to look for from the 2016-17 Lumberjacks:THE SCHEDULE: Northern Arizona had one of the hardest opening schedules in the country last season, playing Washington State, Boise State and Gonzaga all in one five-day road trip. The Lumberjacks lost all three games and won one road game all season. This seasons schedule has some tough games but not a brutal road trip right out of the gate. Northern Arizona has road games against Washington and UNLV, and hosts Arkansas-Little Rock and CSU Bakersfield, NCAA Tournament teams last season, during its nonconference schedule. I should have had my head examined before last season with that schedule, Murphy said. The schedule is far more palatable this year.MARTIN RETURNS: Martin established himself as a defensive force in 2014-15, able to play ballhandlers out on the floor or swoop in for blocked shots. The 6-foot-7 forward began to assert himself on the offensive end during NAUs run through the 2015 CIT, scoring a career-high 27 points against Sacramento State and grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds against NJIT. Murphy expected Martin to take a bigger jump last season, but it was derailed by the foot injury. Look for him to pick up his scoring -- he averaged 7.7 points two seasons ago -- in his final season in Flagstaff.NEELYS BACK: Neely was expected to join Kris Yanku in forming one of the Big Skys better backcourts last season. Instead, his season was derailed by the knee injury. This season, Yanku is gone after leaving to play professionally overseas, so Neely will be the Lumberjacks floor leader and go-to player when they need a big shot.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org Custom 49ers Super Bowl Jerseys . LUCIE, Fla. Colin Kaepernick Super Bowl Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.49ersofficialfanshop.com/laken-tomlinson-jersey-sales.html . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Kwon Alexander Super Bowl Jersey . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. Ronnie Lott Super Bowl Jersey . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. SEATTLE -- Breanna Stewart scored 18 points, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis added 16 and the Seattle Storm clinched the seventh seed in the WNBA playoffs with an 88-75 victory over the Chicago Sky on Sunday night.Seattle will play at Atlanta in the opening round of the playoffs. Stewart also grabbed 11 rebounds, including her 277th defensive one of the season to pass Lisa Leslies WNBA record of 276 set in 2004.The Storm had just a 63-61 lead at the end of the third after Allie Quigley hit Chicagos first 3-pointer of the game with 1.3 seconds left in the quarter. But Mosqueda-Lewis made back-to-back 3-pointers and Stewart added another 3 as Seattle opened the fourth on a 16-2 run to take a 79-63 lead much to the delight of the 12,186 fans. Chicago only scored six points through the first eight minutes of the fourth.ddddddddddddSue Bird had 14 points and five assists for Seattle (16-18). The Storm needed to win to secure the seed after Phoenix beat the San Antonio Stars earlier. The Mercury will be the No. 8 seed.Stewart made two free throws early in the third quart to pass Candace Parker for third place on the WNBAs rookie scoring list. She has scored 621 points and only trails Seimone Augustus (744) and Cappie Pondexter (624).Jamierra Faulkner and Jessica Breland each scored 14 points for Chicago (18-16). The Sky played without star Elena Delle Donne for a fifth straight game. ' ' '