ARCATA —For a dress rehearsal, Humboldt State men's basketball looked like a team that knew where it was supposed to be on stage, but still needed to learn some of its lines.

The Jacks worked on their performance Thursday, cruising to a 94-72 win over the Afghanistan National Team in HSU's one and only exhibition game of the 2007-08 season. Humboldt State showed its readiness in front of a sellout crowd, pulling out to a 24-point lead during the opening half, but also displayed some of the work that lies ahead if the Jacks are to live up to their No. 9 national ranking.

"My point of reference is how we were playing at the end of last year, and we have a long ways to go to get there," HSU head coach Tom Wood said. "But that's why we play these exhibitions. We'll take a look at it, and smooth out the rough edges."

Five players reached double figures in scoring for the Jacks, showcasing the number of offensive weapons Wood can call on. Will Sheufelt led the way with 16 points, Devin Peal had 14, Ernie Spada 13, Cy Vandermeer 11 and Efren Del Rio 10 points.

As expected, HSU's corps of returners from last year's 26-4 team looked comfortable, if not completely sharp, during their share of minutes on the court. Among the newcomers, freshman guard Spada was most impressive, dishing a team-high seven assists without a turnover and knocking down three three-pointers.

The Afghanistan squad, representing their country for the second year after a 27-year gap in national basketball, offered resistance in the second half, playing the Jacks within one point. Former Cal Poly Pomona player Yousef Etemadi led his team with 28 points, while Nasif Mashriqui had 20 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds.

"We need to guard better, and we need to rebound better," Wood said. "Our fitness level also needs to improve if we hope to play at the level we want to for a longer time without falling off."

Humboldt State has a week to work on its game before opening the season at the Elgin Baylor Classic in Seattle. The Lumberjacks' first game is scheduled for Friday against host Seattle University.

Afghanistan National vs Humboldt State
11/08/07 7:30 pm at Arcata, Calif.
At Arcata, Calif.
HUMBOLDT STATE 94, AFGHANISTAN NATIONAL 72
AFGHANISTAN NATIONAL (0-0)
ETEMADI, Yousef 11-20 3-3 28; MASHRIQI, Nasif 8-13 4-9 20; KARIMI, Abdullah 4-11 4-5 12; SEKANDARY, Omar 1-1 2-2 4; ETEMADI, Massood 1-5 0-0 2; NOORZAD, Ali 1-4 0-0 2; ROSHAN, Abdul 1-4 0-1 2; MOJADDIDI, Safi 0-0 1-2 1; KABIR, Habib 0-1 1-3 1; AZIZ, Osman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-59 15-25 72.
HUMBOLDT STATE (0-0)
SHEUFELT, Will 4-9 4-4 16; PEAL, Devin 6-7 2-4 14; SPADA, Ernie 5-8 0-0 13; VANDERMEER, Cy 5-9 1-2 11; DEL RIO, Efren 3-4 2-2 10; MOYER, Grayson 2-2 2-2 7; BURNS, Tyler 3-4 1-3 7; GREEN, Nick 2-4 0-0 4; KEHRIG, Mike 2-2 0-0 4; SMITH, Everett 1-5 0-0 3; CORRAL, Carlos 1-4 0-0 3; GIVENS, James 1-3 0-2 2; FIGGATT, Jameson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-61 12-19 94.
Afghanistan National..........   30   42  -   72
Humboldt State................   51   43  -   94
3-point goals--Afghanistan National 3-15 (ETEMADI, Yousef 3-7; KARIMI, Abdullah 0-3; ETEMADI, Massood 0-3; NOORZAD, Ali 0-2), Humboldt State 12-24 (SHEUFELT, Will 4-7; SPADA, Ernie 3-6; DEL RIO, Efren 2-2; MOYER, Grayson 1-1; CORRAL, Carlos 1-3; SMITH, Everett 1-4; VANDERMEER, Cy 0-1). Fouled out--Afghanistan National-NOORZAD, Ali, Humboldt State-None. Rebounds--Afghanistan National 34 (MASHRIQI, Nasif 16), Humboldt State 37 (MOYER, Grayson 5; VANDERMEER, Cy 5). Assists--Afghanistan National 14 (KARIMI, Abdullah 6), Humboldt State 22 (SPADA, Ernie 7). Total fouls--Afghanistan National 19,  umboldt State 23. Technical fouls--Afghanistan National-None, Humboldt State-None. A-1400
HSU's only exhibition game of 2007-08 season.