FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (January 29, 2026) – Five Lumberjacks scored in double-figures as Northern Arizona men's basketball hung on for a 92-86 victory over Eastern Washington on Thursday at Findlay Toyota Court at the Walkup Skydome.
NAU (8-14, 2-7 Big Sky) notched its second consecutive victory, but it wasn't without withstanding a furious second half rally by Eastern Washington (5-15, 3-5 Big Sky).
The Lumberjacks led by 17 at the half and by as much as 20 points midway through the second period. However, the Eagles climbed all the way back within 83-79 with 1:30 remaining before
Chris Komin drilled a straightaway 3-pointer. Komin followed with two free throws after an Eastern Washington miss and NAU's nine-point lead with 47 seconds left was the cushion it needed to secure the victory.
"The first half was by far our best half of the whole year," said head coach
Shane Burcar. "In the final five or six minutes, we gave up too many fouls and many of that was self-inflicted. One thing I do know is that our guys are resilient and they'll learn from that. We're looking forward to keeping it going on Saturday versus Idaho."
NAU's 92 points were the program's most in a Big Sky game since a 92-88 double overtime victory at Idaho State on Feb. 29, 2024. In regulation, the last time the 'Jacks scored 90 points in a Big Sky game was nearly seven years ago in a 103-94 road loss to Portland State.
While NAU shot 51.9% from the field and hit 12 3-pointers at a 60.0% clip, the Lumberjacks won the game at the charity stripe. NAU knocked down 26-of-28 free throws, including a 19-for-20 showing in the second half alone. The 26 free throws made were the most in a game since NAU made 27-of-30 versus Southern Utah on Feb. 15, 2020.
Five Lumberjacks scored in double-figures led by
Ryan Abelman's 20 points. It was Abelman's fourth 20-point game of the season.
Karl Poom nearly missed a double-double, scoring 16 points and recording a career-high nine rebounds, while Komin scored 15 points.
Brennan Peterson and
Kavon Bradford rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points apiece.
The 'Jacks were flawless in the first half in building a 52-35 halftime lead. NAU shot 60.0% and drained nine 3-pointers, while more impressively, not committing a turnover in the first 20 minutes.
Abelman drilled a pair of triples to spark an immediate 8-0 Lumberjack advantage, only for the Eagles to answer with a 7-0 run of their own. The game remained close until NAU used a 7-0 run to open up its first double-digit lead of the game, 24-14, heading into the under-12 minute timeout.
A Poom steal and layup on the other end padded NAU's lead to 44-25 with 4:28 left in the first half and Komin put a bow on the first half with a 3-pointer. At the half, Abelman (14), Poom (10) and Bradford (10) were already in double-figures.
Isaiah Moses, who dropped an NAU opponent-high 30 points, led an early Eastern Washington run out of the locker room by scoring five points during a 9-0 Eagle run. The run immediately trimmed the Lumberjacks' lead to 52-44 less than four minutes into the second half, but NAU had an important answer.
Diego Campisano capped a 9-0 surge with a triple that increased NAU's lead back out to 17, 61-44, at the 13:56 mark, which negated Eastern Washington's push through seven minutes. The Lumberjacks then led by as much as 20, 75-55, with nine minutes to play only for the Eagles to get within eight with two minutes to go.
With the game in the balance, for the second straight contest, NAU was perfect down the stretch. After going 6-for-6 at the free throw line in the final 13 seconds last Saturday to seal a win against Northern Colorado, NAU once again made all six freebies in the last minute on Thursday with Komin, Peterson and Bradford each making a pair.
"Basketball is a game of runs," Bradford said. "Things are going to happen, players are going to make some tough shots, but we were confident throughout the game. We trusted each other and the work we put in and we came out victorious."
Although NAU was outrebounded, 36-25, including allowing 17 offensive rebounds, the Lumberjacks finished the night with a season-low five turnovers. NAU was plus-8 in points off turnovers overall and had a 17-to-5 assist-to-turnover ratio with Komin and Poom each tallying a team-high four assists.
The win was NAU's third wire-to-wire victory of the season and first against a Division I opponent.
The Lumberjacks close out their homestand on Saturday against Idaho at 6 p.m. MST in the Walkup Skydome as they aim for their third straight win.
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