FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Jan. 18, 2018) – The Northern Arizona men's basketball team fell just short of completing one of the greatest comebacks in program history as it fought back from a 28-point deficit with a furious second-half rally that saw it get to within one point with 2:33 left in regulation before falling by an 81-76 count against Eastern Washington on Thursday night at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff.
NAU was within one possession with 13 seconds left on the clock at 77-75, but the Eagles' Bogdan Bliznyuk was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line the rest of the way to thwart the 'Jacks hopes for the improbable victory.
"We have to play for 40 minutes, we can't have the inconsistency that we do and expect to win tough games," NAU head coach
Jack Murphy said. "We need to have everybody playing on the same page and to be consistent. I have to give credit to the guys that played the majority of the second half (
Karl Harris,
Chris Bowling,
JoJo Anderson,
Gino Littles,
Brooks DeBisschop), those five deserve all the accolades in the world for how they played."
Northern Arizona (3-16, 0-6 Big Sky) trailed by three points or less for 3:25 of the final 4:06 of the contest but was never able to take the lead despite one of the most complete halves of play by the 'Jacks this season.
The Lumberjacks outscored the Eagles 49-33 in the second half after falling behind by a 38-10 margin just 12:58 into regulation by shooting a 63-percent (17-of-27) clip from the field in the second half and limited Eastern Washington to just six total field goals (6-of-19) over the final 20 minutes of play.
The 49 points marked the second-most by NAU in any half this season, bested only by a 54-point effort in the second half vs. South Dakota on Dec. 14.
After entering halftime trailing the Eagles 48-27, the 'Jacks raced out of the break with a 26-10 spurt over the first 11:02 of the second that was sparked by 11 points by sophomore Bowling to cut the margin to five at 60-55 with 8:58 remaining.
Bowling scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half, hit on all five of his attempts from beyond the arc for the game and also pulled down a career best 11 rebounds. He was joined by Anderson, who also posted 22 points while shooting 7-of-12 from the field and dishing out a team-best four assists.
Harris rounded out NAU's double-figure scorers with 10 points.
The 'Jacks found themselves in an early hole due to some sharpshooting by the Eagles on the perimeter as Eastern Washington connected on 11-of-16 three-point attempts in the opening 20 minutes and 11 of its 17 field goals in the first half overall were from long distance.
Eastern Washington (9-10, 4-2 Big Sky) was paced in the victory by Bliznyuk, who finished with a game-high 28 points which included a perfect 16-for-16 performance from the free throw line. Cody Benzel added 16 points for the Eagles, while Jack Perry chipped in 11.
NAU dominated in the paint as it outscored the Eagles 24-8 down low and won the rebounding battle 30-25. The 'Jacks shot 50.9 percent (27-of-53) from the field for the game, marking their first loss this season when they shoot 45 percent or better.
The Lumberjacks conclude their current two-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 20 vs. Idaho in a 5 p.m. MST tip at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome.
The 'Jacks-Vandals contest will be aired live on Phoenix's CW6 (Suddenlink Channel 6 in Flagstaff) and Pluto.TV (Channel 239). The game will also be broadcast on the Lumberjack Radio Network beginning with the pregame show at 4:30 p.m.
