The Lumberjacks couldn't have played much worse in the first half. They couldn't have played much better in the second.
After honoring the late former NAU dean Joe Rolle before the game, the NAU men's basketball team came out flat in the first 20 minutes at the Rolle Activity Center. The Jacks turned the ball over 14 times and only attempted 15 field goals while allowing Eastern Washington point guard Glen Dean to score 18 points in the first half.
"We got a little star-struck," NAU senior guard Cameron Jones said. "They were hitting some shots and we just like, 'Whoa. Is this really going on right now?'"
That all changed in the second half. The Jacks came out with a renewed focus and began dismantling the Eagles bucket by bucket. NAU went on a 23-3 run to take its first lead of the game midway through the second half before going on to win 83-74 on Wednesday night.
"We came out complacent and they came out ready to play," NAU coach Mike Adras said. "They took it to us."
Sophomore guard Gabe Rogers, who led the Jacks with 29 points, said Adras put a spark into the team at halftime as Rogers and Jones (27 points) did most of the damage for NAU (15-10 overall, 7-6 Big Sky Conference). Dean finished with a game-high 31.
Dean's offense was about all the Eagles (8-17, 5-8) had going for them, as no one else had more than eight points. Once Dean got winded, he and the Eagles had a hard time making buckets.
"Dean was making every play," Adras said. "Once he wasn't and somebody else had to, there became the problem for them. While they were shooting everything nice and easy in the first half-- because everything they were throwing up was going in -- (they) were a little bit tighter in the second half.
"I think he just got gassed, more than anything ... but I like to think it was Gabe and Julian (Olubuyi) that that were bigger factors."
Rogers was tasked with guarding Dean for most of the game and said NAU's change in mentality was what spurred them to the win. He said the Jacks underestimated the Eagles at the start, but that wasn't the case in the final 20 minutes.
"We went into attack mode," Rogers said. "We played like we had nothing to lose.
"We felt like we were letting the fans down and pride came into (play)."
Although Eastern Washington had similar scoring numbers in each half -- 39 to 35 -- the Jacks blew past them with a 56-point second half, shooting 72 percent (18 of 25) from the field.
And then there was the fouling.
The two teams combined for 58 fouls as play was disrupted on seemingly every other possession. Although several of the Jacks were in foul trouble for the game, they didn't mind the constant whistles.
"I didn't mind it. I made it to the line a lot," said Jones, who was 11 of 14 from the charity stripe. "I don't mind shooting free throws. I can do that.
"I thought the free throws really helped us get our momentum going on offense."
The Jacks were 29 of 42 (69 percent) from the line to the Eagles' 20 of 30 (66.7 percent).
The win helps solidify NAU's place in the upcoming Big Sky tournament in March. If the Jacks had lost, they would have been tied with the Eagles in the conference standings. Instead, they maintain the No. 4 position, which would earn them a first-round home game to start the postseason.
"It was a very significant win for us," Adras said.
The Jacks visit Cal Poly for a non-conference game on Saturday as part of the ESPNU's BracketBusters showcase. The game starts at 8 p.m.
Jacob May can be reached at jmay@azdailysun.com or 556-2257.
