ARCATA — (Dec. 30) Jeremiah Ward and Kevin Johnson contributed big buckets down the stretch, and Devin Peal carried the Jacks the rest of the way during a 90-78 Humboldt State men's basketball win over Sonoma State on Saturday.

Peal scored 23 points as the Jacks finally took control of the contest in the final three minutes, after trailing by as many as six points during the second half. Ward scored five straight points to gain the lead ofr HSU with 4:38 on the clock, and Johnson's three-pointer with 3:03 remaining opened a seven-point HSU lead that the Jacks didn't relinquish.

HSU improved to 7-2 overall and 2-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with its second straight win over the Seawolves. Sonoma State fell to 1-7 overall, dropping to 0-4 in league play.

After a slow start, Johnson picked up his play in the second half to finish with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Peal contributed on both ends of the floor, adding six rebounds and three assists, and taking three charges in the second half that helped turn the momentum in favor of HSU.

Ward, who spent much of the first half on the bench with three fouls, contributed a key steal that he converted with a layin  during the Jacks' final surge. He ended the game with 14 points in only 20 minutes of playing time.

Humboldt State was also picked up by the play of Grayson Moyer, who scored 15 points while dishing three assists and grabbing six rebounds. Coming off the bench to spell Ward was sophomore guard Efren Del Rio, who hit all four of his shots, including two three-pointers, for a career-high 10 points.

Sonoma State was led by J.T. Tipton's 16 points and nine rebounds, while Andrew Kochevar added 14 points for the Seawolves. Also in double figures were Jeff Fuller with 11 points and Kevin Cornwell with 10.

The Seawolves forged a 43-40 lead at the break by going inside to Tipton and crashing the boards. They shot 60 percent from the field in the opening period, but fell off in the second half to finish with a tidy 50 percent effort.

Humboldt State took the opposite tact, hitting only 43 percent in the first half, but finishing 50 percent from the field overall. The Lumberjacks also bounced back from an early rebounding deficit to claim a 35-33 edge on the boards.

The Lumberjacks are back on the East Gym court on Thursday, matching up against UC San Diego at 7:30 p.m. in the second game of a five-game homestand.

Sonoma State vs Humboldt State
12/30/06 7:30 p.m. at Arcata, Calif.
At Arcata, Calif.
HUMBOLDT STATE 90, SONOMA STATE 78
SONOMA STATE (1-7, 0-4 CCAA)
TIPTON, J.T. 3-7 10-12 16; KOCHEVAR, Andrew 5-9 1-1 14; FULLER, Jeff 4-6 2-2 11; CORNWELL, Kevin 4-11 0-0 10; SMITH, Jeremy 4-7 0-0 8; MITCHELL, Patrick 4-9 0-1 8; WASHINGTON, Ben 3-5 0-0 6; CARR, Mike 2-2 0-1 5; WEISS, Barry 0-0 0-0 0; SMITH, Tyler 0-1 0-0 0; NOBLE, Doni 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-57 13-17 78.
HUMBOLDT STATE (7-2, 2-2 CCAA)
PEAL, Devin 6-9 11-15 23; MOYER, Grayson 5-10 4-5 15; WARD, Jeremiah 6-8 0-0 14; JOHNSON, Kevin 5-12 2-2 14; DEL RIO, Efren 4-4 0-0 10; SHEUFELT, Will 2-6 2-2 6; VANDERMEER, Cy 1-3 3-4 5; KEHRIG, Michael 1-3 0-0 3; WAY, Evan 0-0 0-0 0; CORRAL, Carlos 0-1 0-0 0; BURNS, Tyler 0-0 0-0 0; FLAGGS, Antonio
0-3 0-0 0. Totals 30-59 22-28 90.
Sonoma State..................   43   35  -   78
Humboldt State................   40   50  -   90
3-point goals-Sonoma State 7-20 (KOCHEVAR, Andrew 3-6; CORNWELL, Kevin 2-8; CARR, Mike 1-1; FULLER, Jeff 1-2; WASHINGTON, Ben 0-1; MITCHELL, Patrick 0-1; TIPTON, J.T. 0-1), Humboldt State 8-18 (WARD, Jeremiah 2-2; JOHNSON, Kevin 2-4; DEL RIO, Efren 2-2; MOYER, Grayson 1-3; KEHRIG, Michael 1-2;
CORRAL, Carlos 0-1; FLAGGS, Antonio 0-2; SHEUFELT, Will 0-2). Fouled out--Sonoma State-None, Humboldt State-None. Rebounds-Sonoma State 33 (TIPTON, J.T. 9), Humboldt State 35 (JOHNSON, Kevin 10). Assists-Sonoma State 11 (MITCHELL, Patrick 6), Humboldt State 15 (SHEUFELT, Will 5). Total fouls-Sonoma State 25, Humboldt State 17. A-1244

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