FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Ako Kaluna sparked the Northern Arizona offense tonight with a career-high 25 points, as the Lumberjacks registered a 81-65 win over San Diego Christian at the Rolle Activity Center in their home opener.

"I thought there was good effort on the defensive end tonight from multiple people on the roster," said head coach Jack Murphy. "There will always be things to work on, but getting a win in your home opener is a way to start. We weren't doing a good job attacking the rim and we have do better at that. Defending without fouling is something else we need to work on."

It was all NAU (2-3) tonight, never trailing in the game, although the Hawks did try and make it close with a late surge in the second half. The Lumberjacks were up by 19 points early in the second half, before SDC chipped away and made it a six-point game with 9:27 left in the game.

The Hawks (2-0) were able to get back in the game as eight different players scored during the run.

Kaluna had 10 points in the first-nine minutes of play, but it was his defense in the second half that really propelled NAU to the win. He notched four of NAU's blocked shots in the second half, in addition to pulling down three rebounds. When you mix that with his scoring, Kaluna had an all-around game that helped the Lumberjacks roll to victory.

"I felt like with more practice it's been easier to go up and down the floor," said Kaluna. "The ball started running through me and I shot the ball. I just come out and played with a chip on my shoulder every time. Losing three games on the road got me upset. I don't like losing and I've been taking it out on the court."

Torry Johnson made his presence known on the court tallying 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Fellow Chicago native Jaleni Neely netted 10 points and dished out five assists, while true freshman Marcus DeBerry put up 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting.

"I keep forgetting that Torry is a freshman," Murphy said. He's very athletic and always competes. He finds a way to score and that's what we need."

The Hawks were led by Michael Lambert, who posted eight points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes of play. The highest scorer for SDC was Trevor English with 10 points on 3-for-9 shooting. NAU held the Hawks to just 31.7 percent from the floor and 24.1 percent from beyond the arc.

NAU returns to the court next Monday, Nov. 30 when it hosts Norfolk State at 7 p.m.

Notes: Ako Kaluna registered a career-high 25 points…Marcus DeBerry netted a career-high 10 points…NAU improved to 3-0 all-time versus San Diego Christian…NAU led by as many as 19 points with 18:34 remaining in the second…NAU shot 51.7 percent from the floor, 50 percent from the three-point range, and 70.6 from the charity stripe.