FOUL DISPARITY DOOMS HUMBOLDT
Team falls short of CSUMB after 31-8 discrepancy from free-throw line
It was referee appreciation week in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, but there was nothing to appreciate at Lumberjack Arena on Saturday night.
While officiating is always the unpredictable variable that teams must play through in pursuit of victory, the reason behind Cal Poly Humboldt’s 82-80 loss to Cal State Monterey Bay was undeniable. The Otters shot 31 free throws compared to just 8 attempts for the Lumberjacks. Specifically, the disparity at the line was the clear-cut reason that Monterey Bay was able to erase a halftime deficit for the win. In the second half, the Otters shot 22 free throws and made 15 of them. The ‘Jacks shot 3 attempts in the second half.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been a part of a game where it was 31 to 8 on free throw shot attempts,” said Humboldt coach Tae Norwood. “I’m baffled by that right now.”
There have been 12 games this season in the CCAA in which one team shot 30 or more free throw attempts. Of those 12, Saturday’s game was the largest disparity (23 attempts) between two teams and was also the only game in which one team surpassed 30 attempts and the other team was in single digits.
But before the unbalanced officiating grew to unprecedented proportions, the game was a backand-forth battle in the first half. The ‘Jacks utilized the same starting five that had spearheaded the blowout over SF State in the previous game but could not replicate that effort as Monterey Bay got out to a 19-8 lead in the first nine minutes. The hot start was indicative of the Otters’ recent winning streak that ultimately extended to five games with the win over Humboldt.
The Lumberjacks battled back with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to
just 4 points. That tight margin held until the final three minutes of the first half, when Humboldt overtook Monterey Bay with a few key shots by Amari Green. The ‘Jacks held a 40-35 lead at halftime.
There had been some foreshadowing of the bizarre officiating in the first half. Humboldt’s Malek Davis was returning from injury and came off the bench, but quickly accumulated three fouls on a series of bizarre calls. On two fouls in particular, the 5-foot-11 point guard was called for blocks as larger guards drew contact against the smaller Davis and faded away from the basket. The foul trouble that kept him off the court had outsized significance for a Lumberjack team that was only playing with nine players due to injury.
In the second half, the Otters demonstrated their own resilience that has led to the resurgent win streak as they made tough shots in the wake of solid defense by Humboldt. Monterey Bay’s Levi Frankland, who led the team with 25, was particularly impressive as he converted several contested shots for key buckets. Still, the ‘Jacks held a double-digit lead with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game.
But it was the relentless foul calls that kept the Otters in the game down the stretch. Humboldt was already hampered with Brandon Porter and Josh Berenbaum up to four fouls down the stretch. In the final stretch, the officiating crew of Horace Shields, Brian Harrison and Melvin Landry were drowning in boos from the crowd in Arcata.
As Humboldt’s own shot-making lapsed, Monterey Bay took a controlling lead in the final two minutes. Still, the ‘Jacks had a chance and were kept alive by two huge 3-pointers by Marlon Ruffin, each cutting the lead to just one possession. Of course, the officiating became an issue in three key moments down the stretch.
On the second 3-point shot by Ruffin, he appeared to have been fouled for what would’ve been a game-tying free throw attempt. Without it, the ‘Jacks called a timeout and prepared to foul. When the ball was inbounded, the Lumberjacks clearly initiated several intentional fouls but the official made no call, allowing for 8 seconds to run off the clock. Then, on Humboldt’s final possession, the disparity became evident as Monterey Bay still had fouls to give since the Lumberjacks had not reached a bonus.
A final attempt by Ruffin was stripped by the Otters defense right in front of the Humboldt bench. Naturally, there was no foul call.
It was a heroic effort by Ruffin, who finished with 36 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Next on the team in scoring was Ian Krishnan, who finished with 14, and Amari Green, who finished with 12. As a team, the Lumberjacks shot 47.2% from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc. The decisively won the turnover battle, but lost the battle on the glass. Despite that, the ‘Jacks had more second chance points in addition to more points off turnovers. The difference in the game was free throw attempts.
“We’re not a jump shot shooting team,” said Norwood. “We get to the basket. There was 31-8 discrepancy in free throws, you figure that out.”
There was little else to be said in the postgame press conference. There was no doubt what factor contributed to the most to the result.
The loss drops the Lumberjacks to 10-10 overall and 8-6 in league play. Humboldt is now back into a tie for third place in the league standings with Sonoma State. The ‘Jacks will now hit the road to face Stanislaus State on Thursday before facing rival Chico State on Saturday. With Chico just one game behind Humboldt in the league standings, both games will be pivotal as the Lumberjacks try to hold onto their spot and secure a spot in the postseason conference tournament.