PORTLAND, Ore. – Ako Kaluna registered his third-straight double-double and Kris Yanku had a career-high scoring night against Portland State on the road, as the Lumberjacks fell to the Vikings 89-81 at the Stott Center.

"I thought we competed well in the first half, despite the scoring drought that we had in the middle," said head coach Jack Murphy. "Portland State opened the game up in the second half and I was not happy about that. I made some changes to the lineup and that's what we needed at that moment. Late in the game we started playing hard and managed to cut their lead down."  

It was another hot game for Kaluna. Instead of waiting for the second half, Kaluna got things started in the first with nine points and 12 rebounds in the first half. The Lumberjacks' struggled with ball control and making shots consistently. NAU made just 12 of 35 shots, while PSU knocked down 18 of 35. Nineteen of the Vikings' 39 points came from Isaiah Piniero. He made nine of his 13 attempts to lead all scorers at the half.

The Vikings used the second half to extend their lead despite a solid offensive effort from Kaluna and Kris Yanku. With 9:48 remaining in the game, PSU found itself up by 27 points – its largest lead of the game.

The Lumberjacks would not be denied and with a renewed energy NAU found itself down by nine points after Yanku nailed a three-pointer. A triple by Kye de Laveaga saw NAU down seven points with 28 seconds to go. NAU hadn't been that close in the game since late in the first half. The Lumberjacks shot 100 percent from the free throw line in the second half and hit five three-pointers to aid in the late run.

Yanku finished with a game and career-high of 32 points, along with five steals and five assists. Kaluna racked up 17 points and a career-high 18 rebounds.

Cameron Forte recorded a triple-double of 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists. Piniero finished with 31 points and 12 rebounds. Rounding out double digit scorers for PSU was Calaen Robinson (16) and Zach Gengler (10). The Vikings shot 51.5 points from the field

The Lumberjacks head to Sacramento State on Saturday for a showdown with the Hornets. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. MST and can be seen live on WatchBigSky.com. NAU is currently still ahead of Southern Utah in the conference standings as it sits in 11^th place.