’Jacks earn third straight win
Team outscores Stanislaus State 36-19 in second half; date with Chico State next
The Cal Poly Humboldt women’s basketball team exhibited their renewed focus with another win, cruising past Stanislaus State in a 61-45 victory on Thursday. It extends the Lumberjacks’ winning streak to three games after they ended their fivegame skid last week.
The game also continued a trend of second-half dominance for the ‘Jacks. They outscored the Warriors 36-19 in the second half, overcoming a narrow 1-point deficit at halftime. Humboldt will face Chico State on Saturday, aiming to avenge their loss to the Wildcats in the first matchup back in December.
The Lumberjacks have recently found success in a more patient approach in the first half that precedes an explosion of offense in the second half. That was the case again on Thursday, as Humboldt’s defense laid the foundation in the first half. But unlike prior games, the ‘Jacks dealt with a severe drought offensively in the first quarter as they shot only 20% from the field. No field goals were made in the first two minutes of the game, but the ‘Jacks got out to a narrow lead before the Warriors surged back to tie things up at 1111 to end the first period.
The offensive struggles continued into their second quarter, but the Lumberjacks sustained themselves with outside shooting. 4 of the team’s 5 made field goals in the quarter came from beyond the arc. The made 3-pointers also came at key moments, multiple times cutting the Warriors’ lead from 7 points down to 4. The game continued to be evenly matched with Stan State leading 26-25 at halftime.
But Humboldt burst out of the gates in the second half, going on an 8-0 run early in the third quarter to take a commanding lead. Meanwhile, the defense of the ‘Jacks continued to tighten and suffocate the Warriors’ offense. Humboldt held Stanislaus State to just 23.3% shooting from the field in the second half and 16.6% from 3-point range. By contrast, the Lumberjacks’ offense improved from an abysmal 27.5% on field goals in the first half to 48.1% in the second half. Despite that offensive and defensive dominance for the ‘Jacks, Stanislaus State would not go down quietly.
Humboldt held a 4236 lead heading into the fourth quarter but Stan State quickly cut that lead to just 1 point. That would prove to be the Warriors’ final gasp, as the Lumberjacks outscored them 19-4 to close out the game in decisive fashion.
The final numbers reflected a steady performance from Humboldt as they prevailed on the road. The two teams were essentially even in the turnover battle and in the battle on the glass. The final offensive numbers for Humboldt didn’t reflect a dominant effort, as they finished at 37.5% from the field and were essentially dead even with Stan State in efficiency from 3-point range. It was simply the Lumberjacks’ consistent defensive effort that set the tone for the win.
Individually, Madison Parry led the way offensively for Humboldt with 16 points and 8 rebounds in addition to 2 blocks and 1 steal. Zyan Smith was close behind with a great performance coming off the bench, finishing with 15 points and 5 boards. Jaydon Smith was also key with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists along with 2 steals. The team effort on the glass was key as four different players finished with 8 rebounds.
The win improves Humboldt to 9-10 on the season as they remain 7th in the CCAA standings. It sets up a crucial game against rival Chico State, a considerably tougher opponent. The Wildcats are 15-6 and tied with Cal State LA for fourth place in the league standings. Chico won by double digits when they faced the Lumberjacks in December.
Now, the ‘Jacks will need to beat them on the road as they try to stay in the hunt for the postseason. And with only seven games remaining and five of them coming against the top five teams in the conference, Humboldt will need to pull some upsets if they want to keep their hopes alive.