SACRAMENTO, Calif. (January 15, 2026) – A 14-0 Sacramento State run completely flipped Thursday night's contest in the Hornet Pavilion upside-down and the Northern Arizona men's basketball team never could recover in an eventual 83-69 loss.
The Lumberjacks (6-12, 0-5 Big Sky) led by nine, 44-35, with just under 18 minutes to play in the second half. A steal by
Chris Komin led to a transition dunk for
Traivar Jackson, forcing a Hornets timeout. However, it was all Sacramento State from there.
After
Karl Poom gave the Lumberjacks their largest lead of the game, 50-40, with a straightaway 3-pointer with 16:50 on the clock, the Hornets blitzed the 'Jacks with a 14-0 run over the next three minutes in which they stole the lead – and momentum. The run was punctuated by an and-1 by Prophet Johnson, who scored 29 points on the night, off an NAU turnover. Sacramento State preceded Johnson's old-fashioned 3-point play with a set of 3-pointers.
Sacramento State (5-11, 1-3 Big Sky) landed its final haymaker later in the half to snap its seven-game losing streak. Komin kept NAU close with a driving layup, cutting Sacramento State's lead down to 65-60 with 7:29 to play, but the Hornets scored the next nine points. The Lumberjacks closed the game without a field goal for the final 2:28.
NAU came out of the gate hot, shooting 59.3% in the first half, only to struggle offensively in the second period. The 'Jacks only shot 32.3% after halftime and finished at 44.8% from the field.
Meanwhile, Sacramento State – which had lost five straight head-to-head meetings to NAU – shot 45.8% for the game. While the field goal percentages were nearly identical, Sacramento State drained 11 3-pointers to seven by NAU, and outscored the Lumberjacks by eight at the charity stripe.
Adding to those scoring advantages, Sacramento State was plus-10 in points off turnovers and plus-11 in second chance points.
Despite the lopsided final score, the two teams were locked in a tight back-and-forth through the first 20 minutes, which saw six ties and three lead changes.
Jackson, who netted a career-high 18 points, started out with five of NAU's first eight points in a quick 8-2 lead for the Lumberjacks. After the Hornets took a 17-13 edge, the 'Jacks responded with a 10-0 run capped by consecutive treys by Poom and
Brennan Peterson. Sacramento State erased the deficit for a second time and held a 34-32 advantage with 90 seconds remaining in the half before NAU closed with a flurry.
Isaiah Shaw knotted the score at 34-all with a jumper and Jackson scored in transition after a steal. Peterson then drilled a 3-pointer in the half's final seconds to send NAU into the intermission with a 39-34 lead behind a 7-0 closing run.
The 'Jacks then scored five of the first six points in the second half, all together equaling a 12-1 run, only for the momentum to slip away.
Although NAU shot the ball effectively in the first half, the Lumberjacks were outscored by six in points off turnovers, which prevented an even larger halftime lead. It proved to be a sign of things to come in the second half as NAU finished the night with 13 turnovers to only seven by Sacramento State, resulting in an 18-8 points off turnover margin.
Jackson scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half and has now scored in double-figures in three consecutive games, the longest streak of his career. He also grabbed a team-best nine rebounds. Poom was NAU's only other double-digit scorer with 14 points off the bench.
Ryan Abelman recorded seven of NAU's 16 assists, setting a new career-high in the process.
Next, the Lumberjacks head to Portland State on Saturday for a 3 p.m. MST tilt at Viking Pavilion.
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