SAN DIEGO, Calif. (December 13, 2025) – Trailing by as much as 13 points, the Northern Arizona men's basketball team sliced their deficit down to a single point in the second half before suffering an eventual 78-69 loss to San Diego on Saturday.
The Lumberjacks (4-6) dropped their fourth consecutive game, while the Toreros (4-6) snapped a five-game losing streak with their win in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
"It was a close game, we got it within one, but with our 17 turnovers, we were unable to overcome our deficit," said head coach
Shane Burcar. "I refuse to believe we're not a good team and the scoreboard, or parts of the game, have indicated that we can beat anybody throughout our non-conference. We'll go back to the drawing board."
Zack Davidson was one of three 'Jacks with double-digit points. Davidson made 8-of-11 shots from the field in a 19-point performance.
Arne Osojnik netted a season-best 17 points and
Ryan Abelman scored 14. Osojnik and Abelman combined to shoot 6-for-12 from behind the arc.
After shooting only 40% from the field, NAU erupted to shoot 55.6% in the second half. Unfortunately for the Lumberjacks, the Toreros shot 54.2% in the final 20 minutes to keep the 'Jacks at bay.
Although both teams made the same number of field goals (25), San Diego made three more 3-pointers, made more free throws (18) than NAU attempted (14) and were plus-8 in points off turnovers. NAU tied a season-high with 17 turnovers, which San Diego converted into 21 points.
The Lumberjacks trailed by 13 with nine minutes to play in the first half and 40-29 at halftime, but got within a point on back-to-back possessions in the second half. NAU used an 11-2 run and climbed to 46-45 with 12:22 to play on a Davidson layup. San Diego answered with a bucket and Davidson responded with another layup to put the Lumberjacks' deficit at 48-47 a minute later.
From there, NAU got within three points on six different occasions in the final 10 minutes – the last coming with 4:10 remaining on a free throw jumper by Davidson – but the 'Jacks ultimately could not get over the hump. Following Davidson's basket, NAU went nearly three and a half minutes without a field goal while San Diego went on a 9-0 run.
The opening eight minutes of the game was closely contested with NAU snagging a pair of early leads. San Diego took the lead for good at the 14:35 mark of the first half and NAU trailed only 16-13 off an Abelman 3-pointer. However, the Toreros stretched out their lead with a 10-0 run before Osojnik put an end to the surge with a 3-pointer of his own.
In the final 10 minutes of the half, NAU managed to only get as close as eight points before going into locker room down 11.
The rebounding battle was even at 28-28 with
Traivar Jackson leading all players with seven boards. NAU recorded 17 assists – its second-highest total of the season – after combining for 17 assists in the last two games. Abelman paced the team with four helpers.
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