Preview: Eastern Washington at Northern Arizona

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Interstat) — Two Big Sky Conference teams seeking momentum will meet Thursday when the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks host the Eastern Washington Eagles at Walkup Skydome.

Both teams enter with struggling overall records. Northern Arizona (7-14) snapped a seven-game losing streak with an 81-77 home win over Northern Colorado on Saturday. Eastern Washington (5-15) has alternated wins and losses over its last six games, coming off a 75-67 home victory over Sacramento State the same day.

The matchup features a contrast in recent leading scorers. For the Eagles, forward Kiree Huie has been a consistent force, averaging 14.6 points over his last eight games. He scored 21 points at Weber State on Jan. 15 and 16 in the win over Sacramento State.

Northern Arizona’s backcourt catalyst, Chris Komin, is coming off a season-high 24-point performance in the win over Northern Colorado. Prior to that outburst, his scoring had been inconsistent during the Lumberjacks’ skid.

Eastern Washington’s victory over Sacramento State was fueled by Huie (16 points), Tyler Powell (14 points) and Alton Hamilton (11 points). Northern Arizona’s win saw Komin’s 24 points supplemented by 12 points each from Ryan Abelman and Traivar Jackson.

The Lumberjacks will look to defend their home floor, where they are 5-5 this season. The Eagles are just 1-10 in true road games, with their lone win coming at Idaho State on Jan. 17.

This is the first of two regular-season meetings between the teams. They will play again in Cheney, Washington, on Feb. 28.

Following this game, Eastern Washington travels to play at Northern Colorado on Saturday. Northern Arizona remains at home to host Idaho on Saturday.

Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. MST Thursday.