’Jacks take stock after opening CCAA games
Humboldt State prepares for non-conference opponents this week
Both the Humboldt State men’s and women’s basketball teams will take a reprieve from California Collegiate Athletic Association play this week. The men will host a oneoff non-conference game against Portland Bible College on Saturday while the women will play host to the Thanksgiving Classic and will face Notre Dame de Namur on Friday and Dominican University of California on Saturday.
’Jacks men look to build off comeback win
At the midpoint of Saturday’s home conference game against Cal State LA, Humboldt found itself in a 46-32 hole and 20 minutes away from sinking to 0-2 in CCAA play.
And then Robert Lewis scored 14 second-half points to finish with team-highs in both points (21) and rebounds (10) as Humboldt (4-2, 1-1) comfortably put away Cal State LA for a 93-81 victory.
“For the first five minutes of the second-half, I feel like we came out and punched them in the mouth,” Lewis said.
Humboldt head coach Steve Kinder said he felt like his team “bounced back” from its 86-73 loss to visiting Sonoma State on Thursday and “showed a lot of character” in Saturday’s win.
Defensively, the ‘Jacks played far better in the second-half of Saturday’s win than any other 20 minute stretch this season. The ‘Jacks limited Cal State LA to 35 second-half points and while pouring in 61 on the offensive end.
Senior Jackson Strong finished with 21 points including five 3-pointers in the win. Isaiah Sampson came off the bench and gave Humboldt 11 points and 8 rebounds in 22 minutes of action — a promising showing by the freshman in his first meaningful stretch of collegiate play.
Leland Green, as consistent a scorer as Humboldt has, finished
with 16 points in Saturday's win.
RaySean Scott Jr., injured and off the court since mid-November, is, according to Kinder, “progressing well and day-to-day at this point.”
Humboldt's next conference game will come on Dec. 5, on the road at Cal Poly Pomona (3-2, 1-1).
’Jacks women gear up for West Region opponents
Humboldt may have a break from CCAA play this week — but by no means do the ‘Jacks have any room to let off the gas peddle.
Humboldt will face a pair of talented West Region opponents this week in Dominican and Notre Dame de Namur, and wins in those games will go a long way towards sending the 'Jacks to their third straight NCAA Division 2 West Regional tournament come March.
“It's a top priority for us to schedule regional games,” Humboldt head coach Michelle-Bento Jackson said.
Last week, Humboldt (4-1, 2-0) stormed out to a 2-0 start in conference play with a 64-58 win over Sonoma State on Thursday and a 72-70 win over Cal State LA on Saturday.
Alexia Thrower averaged a double-double in scoring and rebounds across the two games and earned CCAA Player of the Week honors for it.
The senior scored a season-high 33 points in the win against Sonoma and pulled down a season-best 15 rebounds against LA.
Thrower iced the LA game as well, hitting a layup with five seconds to play which proved to be the difference in the narrow 2-point win.
“I was very pleased with how we preformed last week,” Bento-Jackson said. “The girls did a great job in closing out two close games. There's a lot of parody in the CCAA, anybody can beat anybody.”
Gabrielle Carbajal, who has played more minutes this season than anyone in green and gold, scored in double-figures in both conference games and committed exactly zero turnovers in each affair.
“I know exactly what I'll get when (Carbajal) is on the court,” Bento-Jackson said. “She made great strides over the off-season and really matured mentally.”
Tyra Turner made her return for Humboldt's conference opener and played 37 minutes against Sonoma and another 40 against LA.
The senior got going offensively against LA, scoring 14 points on 50 percent shooting while dishing out 10 assists.
Humboldt will return to CCAA play on Dec. 5, on the road at Cal Poly Pomona.
Interesting note: Former Eureka High and College of the Redwoods player Bobbie Purify plays for Notre Dame de Namur and will be on the court Friday night. Purify made her first start of the season in a 71-67 win over Stanislaus State on Nov. 16. She scored 10 points.