Forward Nick Larson attempts to block a shot by Pacific. Jennifer Hilderbrand / The Lumberjack

Junior guard Cameron Jones hits a 3-pointer. Pacific calls a timeout. The Rolle Activity Center is suddenly engulfed in darkness.

That was the order of events in the second half of the Nov. 19 standoff between the Northern Arizona men’s basketball team and the University of the Pacific. However, the second half could not be finished due to a power outage on NAU’s campus and to the surrounding areas.

“[Thursday’s] game is being suspended due to the power outage,” said head official Michael Irving. “Any decision regarding the future of the game will have to be made between the athletic directors of the participating schools.”

Jones recorded the first six points for the Lumberjacks, and the score stayed close throughout the first half. Both squads played each other tight, with three ties and six lead changes contributing to a combined 39 percent from the field. With just 43 seconds left in the first half and the game deadlocked at 27 apiece. Then Tiger junior guard Terrell Smith hit a jumper with the time expiring, sending NAU into the locker room facing a two-point deficit.

Pacific came out firing in the second half and took a 41-30 lead. But freshman guard Gabe Rogers connected on two straight 3-point shots, and Jones added one of his own to give the Lumberjacks a 45-43 lead with 8:52 left to play.

Jones’ shot topped off a 15-2 run and the tempo clearly favored the Lumberjacks.

“We made some mistakes early in the second half, but we came back and competed and I was proud of the guys,” said head coach Mike Adras. “This was our fourth game in seven nights, so for us to get going and come back the way we did is encouraging.”

Immediately after losing the lead, Pacific called a time out. But just as the whistle blew, darkness filled the stadium with news looming about cancelation of the game and an unsolvable power outage.
Teams and fans began evacuating from Rolle, and the game in which NAU had all the momentum came to a screeching halt.

Junior point guard Julian Olubuyi attempts to get around Pacific University's Joe Ford on Nov. 19. Jennifer Hilderbrand / The Lumberjack

“I feel bad for our guys because they were playing so well at that point,” Adras said. “Obviously we would’ve liked to finish the ball game, but I commend the officials for taking in consideration the welfare and safety of the student athletes.”

Due to both teams’ scheduling in the coming weeks, a conclusion to the game does not seem likely, but NAU Athletic Director Jim Fallis said he does not want to rule out the possibility.

“We just want to ensure that we don’t use terminology that will prevent us from finishing this game at a later date,” Fallis said. “We are making sure that the verbiage the officials use doesn’t preclude that possibility.”

Jones had game-leading totals in points and rebounds with 17 points and eight boards before the blackout. Rogers was the only other Lumberjack to score in double figures with 10 points, and senior forward Nick Larson added three offensive boards.

“The guys were very disappointed,” Adras said. “They felt like they had momentum, and they want to know when we’re playing [Pacific] again. They want it to continue, and I love that in them.”

NAU finishes the West Coast Classic on the road at Santa Clara tonight at 8 p.m. and San Diego State on Nov. 28.

Head Coach Mike Adras talks to the NAU men's basketball team during their final timeout in the game against the Fresno Bulldogs. NAU lost the game against Fresno but hopes to take home a win tonight in the second game of the West Coast Classic. Matt Beaty / The Lumberjack