FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (January 27, 2026) – Northern Arizona men's basketball looks to carry its momentum into a pair of home games to conclude a four-game homestand at Findlay Toyota Court at the Walkup Skydome this week. The Lumberjacks begin the week with Eastern Washington on Thursday and wrap up with Idaho on Saturday, with both games tipping off at 5:30 p.m. MST.
Both games will be streamed on
ESPN+.
Mitch Strohman and
James Malamas will be on the call. The Northern Arizona Healthcare NAU Lumberjack Radio Network pregame show begins at 5:30 p.m. MST on both days. Tickets can be purchased at this
link.
Thursday's game against Eastern Washington will be the back half of a NAU basketball doubleheader. The NAU women's team will host Eastern Washington prior to the men's game at 3 p.m. MST. One
ticket will be good for both games, providing fans a rare opportunity to cheer on both Lumberjack basketball teams on the same day.
The 'Jacks (7-14, 1-7 Big Sky) picked up their first Big Sky victory, and snapped a seven-game skid, on Saturday, notching an impressive 81-77 victory over Northern Colorado. The win sends NAU into the week, and the close of the first half of conference play, with a win as the Lumberjacks look to pick up speed towards the Big Sky conference tournament. Thursday's game marks the halfway point of the conference slate with NAU playing five of its remaining nine Big Sky games on the road.
Chris Komin was electric against Northern Colorado, scoring a career-high 24 points. The 24 points were the most by an NAU true freshman in a game since Kris Yanku dropped 30 against Eastern Washington on Feb. 15, 2014. He is the first NAU true freshman to log a 20-point game since Mike Green did so three times during the 2015-16 season. Additionally, the 24 points were the fifth-most by a true freshman in the last 30 years.
His performance against Northern Colorado was the latest in a breakout surge in league play. Komin is averaging 9.8 points per game in Big Sky games, shooting 54.0% from the field and 50.0% from 3-point range. His scoring average in conference games only trails
Traivar Jackson (10.5) and
Karl Poom (9.9) and Komin is one of two players who is averaging 30 minutes per game alongside
Ryan Abelman.
Speaking of Abelman, the redshirt junior returned to the NAU lineup on Saturday after missing two games and chipped in 12 points. Nine of his 12 points came in the game's final three minutes. Abelman is tied for the team-lead with nine double-digit scoring games and is averaging 10.8 on the season.
Eastern Washington has played better of late, winning three of its last five games, including a 75-67 victory over Sacramento State on Saturday. The Eagles (5-15 overall) are 3-4 in Big Sky play, rebounding from a 2-11 start to the season.
A big reason for Eastern Washington's turnaround in conference play has been its improvement on the defensive end. The Eagles, allowing on average 81.6 points per game overall this season, are only allowing 72.3 points in league games, which is third-fewest in the Big Sky.
Isaiah Moses is the third-leading scorer in the conference at 17.9 points per game. Moses is fourth in the country, converting at a 94.2% clip at the free throw line.
Idaho is coming off a narrow 69-66 loss to undefeated Portland State at home on Saturday, a loss that snapped a two-game winning streak. The Vandals begin the week with a 12-8 record and a 4-3 mark in conference play.
The Vandals let it fly from beyond the arc, ranking 25th in the country, and first in the Big Sky, in 3-pointers made per game (10.6) and attempted (29.2). In conference play though, Idaho is only shooting 32.4% as a team from 3-point range, and is averaging 77.7 points per game while allowing 76.7 points on average.
Kolton Mitchell leads the Vandals in both scoring (14.1) and assists (4.0) while making a team-leading 47 3-pointers. His 47 3-pointers made is fifth-most in the conference.
NAU has won four straight meetings against Eastern Washington and five of the last six overall. Similarly, NAU has won four of the last six meetings against Idaho although the teams split the season series last year, winning on the opposing's home court.
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