BOISE, Idaho (March 7, 2026) – With its season on the line, Northern Arizona men's basketball gave it one final push to the finish line, but came up short in its first game of the Big Sky Conference Tournament on Monday. The Lumberjacks cut a 23-point deficit down to five points with over a minute to play before falling 73-65 to Idaho State in Idaho Central Arena.
The Lumberjacks conclude the 2025-26 season with a 10-22 overall record. The Bengals (13-19) advanced to the second round of the conference tournament and will face top-seeded Portland State on Sunday.
In the loss, NAU outshot Idaho State, 44.4% to 42.6%, but the game came down to the rebound column in the box score. The Bengals crushed the Lumberjacks, 45-26, on the glass, including hauling in 20 offensive rebounds. With that critical advantage, Idaho State held a 23-4 advantage in second chance points.
"To give up 20 offensive rebounds and to shoot 4-for-20 from the 3-point line, it's tough to win," said head coach
Shane Burcar. "More than anything, our guys showed resilience. We chipped away in the second half and we just couldn't overcome the 20 offensive rebounds. It's something we've dealt with all year."
With NAU facing a game-high deficit of 23 points with 11:44 to play, the Lumberjacks began to make their move. NAU went on a 9-0 run over the next four minutes to climb within 60-46, yet the deficit was still at 15 heading into the final media timeout.
The Lumberjacks had one more surge in them as
Diego Campisano put in back-to-back layups, the latter of which came off a steal on the inbounds pass, to force a Bengal timeout with Idaho State's lead down to 67-59 with 2:30 left.
Chris Komin followed with a transition layup and
Isaiah Shaw split a pair at the line to put the 'Jacks within 67-62 with 1:17 on the clock.
However, the Bengals closed out the Lumberjacks by making 6-of-8 from the free throw line in the final minute. Even in defeat, NAU held Idaho State without a field goal in the final five minutes and only three makes in the last 11 minutes.
"In the locker room, I told the guys they carried themselves with dignity all year," Burcar said. "The faces in the locker room tells you how much they cared. We really believe we had a chance to win tonight and play Portland State tomorrow. Unfortunately in March Madness, it doesn't always work out that way."
In his final collegiate game,
Traivar Jackson led all players with a career-high 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting. He also led the team with eight rebounds. Likewise in his last game of a five-year NAU career,
Diego Campisano netted 16 points.
The Lumberjacks displayed their signature unselfishness, recording 18 assists against only nine turnovers.
Oakland Fort – NAU's third senior – and Komin each tallied a team-high four helpers.
NAU was forced to play from behind after falling into a significant hole in the first half. Idaho State capitalized on every NAU miscue in taking a 45-30 lead at the intermission. The Bengals' offensive rebounding prowess was on display early with Idaho State totaling nearly as many offensive rebounds (10) as NAU had total rebounds (11) through the first 20 minutes.
Additionally, NAU had six of its nine turnovers in the first half, compared to only two by Idaho State, which in turn led the Bengals to an 8-2 edge in points off turnovers.
Idaho State raced out to an 11-3 lead at the first media timeout and ultimately led by as much as 21 points. However, NAU closed the gap with a 6-0 run to end the half capped by a Fort layup to beat the buzzer off a steal by Komin.
The momentum, unfortunately, did not carry over in the second half until Idaho State's advantage eclipsed 20 points once again.
"We stuck together and gave ourselves a chance to win," Campisano said. "A loss is a loss, but I'd like to look back and know that me and my brothers fought until the end."
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