Amy Patton could have won the game for the Lumberjacks both at the end of regulation and the first overtime, but couldn't get either shot to drop.

"We put the ball in Amy's hands at the end, and we want her to take shots, but she really struggled," NAU head coach Laurie Kelly said. "I've made Amy make big shots over her career, but (Saturday) they just didn't drop in."

The Nebraska Corn Huskers (9-1) took advantage by scoring 13 points in the second overtime for a 97-88 win, handing Northern Arizona (5-5) its first home loss of the season.

NAU sophomore guard Khyra Conerly gave the Lumberjacks -- who trailed until there was just over 8 minutes to play in the second half -- their first lead of the game when she took a steal the length of the court for a layup. The Jacks thought they had the win with a 70-67 lead, but Nebraska's Jordan Hooper, who led the Huskers with 32 points, nailed a three with 10 seconds left, and Patton's missed jumper forced the first overtime.

Kelly said the Jacks' surge all started at the end of the first half.

"We were down by 13 in the first half and started sluggish a little bit, but we battled back great," Kelly said. "That run at the end of the first half was really key to cut (Nebraska's) lead to five, and we had all the momentum at that point."

Lumberjacks' sophomore Amanda Frost hit two of her team-leading six three-point shots late in the half, and senior Caty Huntington added another to cut the Huskers' lead to 33-28 going into the break.

Frost said once she started hitting from behind the perimeter, her confidence soared.

"When I hit that first (three), the adrenaline had already started flowing, and once I started hitting more, I was like, 'Let's go, we've got this game,'" Frost said.

Frost led the Lumberjacks with 24 points, including her 6-for-9 performance from behind the arc.

Kelly said after going through a shooting slump, Frost spent some extra time in the gym during the week, and the practice paid off.

"She's a shooter. People really haven't seen that in her, but that's the kind of player she is," Kelly said. "She just lit them up and hit some big threes for us.

"She really did her job, and that's what she brings to our team," Kelly said.

Once the Huskers' defense started guarding Frost and the other NAU perimeter shooters -- Tyler Stephens-Jenkins nailed two, Trinidee Trice hit a pair and Patton sunk one -- it opened up the paint for the Jacks' bigs.

Junior center Aubrey Davis scored 12 points and grabbed a team-leading 11 rebounds for the Lumberjacks.

Though NAU was out-rebounded 51-43 after giving up a slew of offensive boards to the Huskers in the second half, Kelly said it was nice to see Davis be such a presence under the basket.

"Aubrey tracks the ball well, puts herself in great position and has long arms," Kelly said. "She times things well, and it was great to see her rebound well."

Nebraska's ability to out-rebound the Jacks in the second half helped Hooper and Lindsey Jordan, who scored 31 points, get the extra chances to combine for 63 points.

Kelly said the pair was a big part of Nebraska's ability to finish the game.

"When we needed to make a play we weren't able to do that," Kelly said. "Jordan Hooper and Lindsey Moore, they are their team. When they needed a play they made one with those two players."

The Jacks' defense was able to stop the rest of the Huskers, and Frost said it was defense that held NAU in the game.

"We struggled the most with our offense," she said. "We weren't cutting or getting into our (schemes) that well, and our defense is what held us in the whole game."

Patton and the Jacks' full-court press helped NAU create a total of 27 turnovers, something Nebraska isn't known to do often.

"Everybody was behind us and there was a great feeling on the court," Patton said. "We got our hands on the ball and forced some turnovers, and the defense was really good."

The Jacks' aggressiveness wasn't always helpful, as NAU was whistled for 38 fouls to just 16 against the Huskers. Nebraska went 27-for-38 from the line, something that Kelly wasn't happy about.

"They went to the line a lot and scored 17 more points from there and that was disappointing," she said. "Both teams played very physical defensively and on both sides of the ball, and they were fortunate to capitalize from the free-throw line more than us."

The Jacks play at Utah Valley on Saturday, and Kelly said though NAU didn't get the win, the team is better because of how they played against Nebraska.

Patton and Frost both added that if NAU can play like they did against the Huskers in every game, the Lumberjacks should make a good run at a conference title.

"We're pumped and we know that if we can hold a top team like Nebraska to double-overtime, we've got the Big Sky," Frost said.

Bill Harris can be reached at bharris@azdailysun.com or 556-2251.