ROHNERT PARK — (Dec. 20) Claiming their first-ever win as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association, the Humboldt State Lumberjacks raced away to a 72-57 victory over Sonoma State in men's basketball action Wednesday.

Kevin Johnson paced HSU with 19 points and 12 rebounds, most of his production completed in the first half, to help the Jacks take an 18-point lead by the break. Johnson spent most of the second half on the bench in foul trouble, but was picked up by the play of teammates Jeremiah Ward and Will Sheufelt, who finished with 17 and 15 points, respectively.

For the Seawolves, J.T. Tipton led a second half charge that trimmed the Jacks' lead down to seven points before HSU pulled away again. Tipton topped all scorers with 24 points, also grabbing 10 boards to lead SSU.

Sheufelt provided steady direction for HSU from his point guard position, dishing five assists with no turnovers to help Humboldt State improve to 6-2 overall and 1-2 in league play. Sonoma State fell to 1-6 overall and dropped to 0-3 in the CCAA.

Sonoma State effectively slowed the game down in the early minutes, and cold shooting by both teams also helped keep the score low. Perimeter shooting was notably absent on both ends of the floor, with the teams combining for only two three-pointers in their first 16 attempts.

Sheufelt got the Jacks going from long distance, hitting a three that Jeremiah Ward matched and raised with another during a 9-0 Lumberjacks' run. Johnson powered home three straight layups to help the Jacks to their largest lead of the half at 36-18.

Tipton added a pair of free throws to his first half ledger before Ward finished the period with a slick move and layup to send the Jacks into the break with a 38-40 lead.

Whatever Sonoma State head coach Pat Fuscaldo said in the lockerroom was effective, sending his team on a 9-2 run to start the second half that didn't end there. The Lumberjack's defensive efforts, so prevalent in the first half, were rewarded with foul calls in the second, and the Seawolves cut the lead to 50-43 on Kevin Cornwall's pair of free throws with 10:37 remaining.

The foul situation became more desperate when Johnson picked up his third, joining teammates Cy Vandermeer and Ward in trouble. Ward nailed a three, but with Johnson on the bench Tipton took over in the paint, scoring consecutive layups to keep his team in the game.

Tipton's efforts continued to fuel the Seawolves' offense, the senior working for a dunk and layup that cut HSU's lead to nine points in the waning minutes. But Ward kept the comeback from developing further when he drained a three-pointer that gave the Jacks a 67-55 lead with only 1:48 left to play.

Humboldt State takes a holiday break before returning to the court to face the Seawolves again on Dec. 30. The Lumberjacks will host Sonoma State in the East Gym this time, scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

Humboldt State vs Sonoma State
12/20/06 7:30 pm at Rohnert Park, CA  (Seawolf Gym)
At Rohnert Park, CA  (Seawolf Gym)
HUMBOLDT STATE 72, SONOMA STATE 57
HUMBOLDT STATE (6-2, 1-2 CCAA)
JOHNSON, Kevin 9-19 1-1 19; WARD, Jeremiah 6-11 1-2 17; SHEUFELT, Will 4-7 5-6 15; PEAL, Devin 2-4 4-5 8; MOYER, Grayson 2-4 1-2 5; VANDERMEER, Cy 0-3 4-6 4; BURNS, Tyler 1-1 0-0 2; FLAGGS, Antonio 1-3 0-0 2; CORRAL, Carlos 0-2 0-0 0; KEHRIG, Michael 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-55 16-22 72.
SONOMA STATE (1-6, 0-3 CCAA)
TIPTON, J.T. 10-16 4-6 24; WASHINGTON, Ben 4-9 0-0 9; WEISS, Barry 3-8 0-0 6; MITCHELL, Patrick 2-5 1-2 6; FULLER, Jeff 2-6 0-0 5; KOCHEVAR, Andrew 2-8 0-0 5; CORNWELL, Kevin 0-0 2-2 2; SHANDERA, Kyle 0-2 0-0 0; SMITH, Jeremy 0-1 0-0 0; SMITH, Tyler 0-3 0-0 0; CARR, Mike 0-2 0-0 0; GARNER, Keith 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-60 7-10 57.
Humboldt State................   38   34  -   72
Sonoma State..................   20   37  -   57
3-point goals-Humboldt State 6-21 (WARD, Jeremiah 4-7; SHEUFELT, Will 2-4; MOYER, Grayson 0-2; FLAGGS, Antonio 0-2; CORRAL, Carlos 0-1; KEHRIG, Michael 0-1; JOHNSON, Kevin 0-4), Sonoma State 4-17 (KOCHEVAR, Andrew 1-5; FULLER, Jeff 1-3; MITCHELL, Patrick 1-1; WASHINGTON, Ben 1-2; SMITH, Jeremy 0-1; SMITH, Tyler 0-3; WEISS, Barry 0-1; TIPTON, J.T. 0-1). Fouled out--Humboldt State-None, Sonoma State-None. Rebounds-Humboldt State 35 (JOHNSON, Kevin 12), Sonoma State 37 (TIPTON, J.T. 10). Assists-Humboldt State 14 (SHEUFELT, Will 5; MOYER, Grayson 5), Sonoma State 13 (MITCHELL, Patrick 5). Total fouls-Humboldt State 16, Sonoma State 18. A-590

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