Slow start sees ’Jacks falter
Humboldt State comes up short in opener against Sonoma State
Robert Lewis scored a game high 23 points but it wasn’t enough as the Humboldt State University men’s basketball team fell 86-73 in its California Collegiate Athletic Association opener to visiting Sonoma State.
The Seawolves jumped out to a 10-0 lead on the Lumberjacks as Humboldt didn’t get a point on the board until almost 5 minutes into the game. A 3-pointer from freshman guard Isaiah Pope — who hit 4 shots from behind the arc and finished with 17 points — got the ’Jacks offense into rhythm.
The ’Jacks took a 45-40 halftime lead thanks to a 33-16 run following Sonoma’s 10-0 run to start the game. Humboldt made 8 3-pointers in the firsthalf. Pope hit three of them and Amari Green, who finished with 12 points, made two in the opening half of play.
The Seawolves came out firing in the second-half, jumping on the ’Jacks with a 17-8 run fueled by junior forward Isaac Davidson, who led the Seawolves with 22 points.
The ’Jacks, after shooting 50 percent from 3-point land in the first-half, couldn’t find their footing in the second and made just 31 percent of shots from beyond the arc in the final 20 minutes. That plus a 62 percent shooting clip for Sonoma State from the floor in the second-half doomed the ’Jacks chances of a comeback bid.
Zachary Christian scored 11 points off the bench for Humboldt in the loss. Starting point-guard Leland Green struggled from the field and finished with 4 points but led the ’Jacks with 8 rebounds.
Michael Smith scored 16 for the Seawolves in the win while Kenny Olsen led the club in rebounds with 9.
Up next
Humboldt (3-2) will remain at home for its next game, a California Collegiate Athletic Association contest against Cal State LA Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. Sonoma (2-3) will host Seattle Pacific for a non-conference game on Tuesday.