ARCATA — Will Sheufelt drained 12 straight free throws during the final 34 seconds to help Humboldt State hold off Chico State, 97-93, allowing the Lumberjacks to gain a share of first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball standings.

The victory, combined with Cal State San Bernardino's loss Thursday to Cal Poly Pomona, lifted the Jacks into a tie at 6-1 in league games. HSU improved to 11-3 overall while Chico State dropped to 5-9 and 1-6 in the CCAA.

Sheufelt hit the last 12 of 15 straight free throws that the Jacks connected on when the WIldcats were forced to foul in an effort to catch up. Humboldt State repeatedly inbounded the ball to Sheufelt, and the senior rewarded his teammates' confidence with deadeye accuracy.

Sheufelt finished with 25 points to lead the Jacks, while Devin Peal added 21, Grayson Moyer 17 and Cy Vandermeer 14 points with eight rebounds. Mke Martin was the most successful of several WIldcats' weapons, finishing with a game-high 29 points to pace six Chico State players in double figures.

The Lumberjacks needed every one of the free tosses to keep the Wildcats from coming back from a 12-point deficit. In the final three minutes of the game, Chico State scored seemingly at will, Josh Jackson contributing a pair of three-pointers in the stretch on his way to a total of 13 points.

"I was disappointed about how we let them stay in the game," HSU head coach Tom Wood said. "There wasn't much we were doing defensively that was positive. What we did right was get the ball to the right guy to make free throws."

Both teams enjoyed a strong shooting performance, each hitting 56 percent from the field. But the Jacks took advantage of their tries from the foul stripe, especially in the second half when they made 25 of 29 attempts.

Humboldt State is back in action Saturday, hosting CSU Stanislaus at 7:30 p.m. in the East Gym. Chico State continues its roadtrip with a Saturday game against Sonoma State in Rohnert Park.

Chico State vs Humboldt State Men
01/18/08 7:30 PM at Arcata, Calif
At Arcata, Calif
HUMBOLDT STATE MEN 97, CHICO STATE 93
CHICO STATE (5-9, 1-6 CCAA)
MARTIN, Mike 12-20 2-2 29; JACKSON, Josh 5-7 1-2 13; BRADLEY, Shane 5-5 2-2
12; PHILLIPS, Darroll 3-10 3-3 11; SOTO, Jesse 4-6 1-1 10; HAWKINS, Rod 4-6
1-2 10; ARGENAL, Justin 0-3 4-4 4; FERRIN, Andrew 1-1 0-0 2; IGBEKOYI, Frank
1-4 0-0 2; MOLL, Casey 0-0 0-0 0; SANTIAGO, Luis 0-0 0-0 0; SMITH, Ryan 0-0
0-0 0. Totals 35-62 14-16 93.
HUMBOLDT STATE MEN (11-3, 6-1 CCAA)
SHEUFELT, Will 3-7 18-20 25; PEAL, Devin 7-11 7-12 21; MOYER, Grayson 5-7
4-4 17; VANDERMEER, Cy 5-10 3-4 14; SPADA, Ernie 3-5 0-0 8; GREEN, Nick 3-5
1-2 7; FIGGATT, Jameson 1-1 0-0 2; SMITH, Everett 1-3 0-0 2; DEL RIO, Efren
0-1 1-2 1. Totals 28-50 34-44 97.
Chico State...................   38   55  -   93
Humboldt State Men............   49   48  -   97
3-point goals--Chico State 9-23 (MARTIN, Mike 3-8; PHILLIPS, Darroll 2-5;
JACKSON, Josh 2-3; HAWKINS, Rod 1-2; SOTO, Jesse 1-2; ARGENAL, Justin 0-3),
Humboldt State Men 7-16 (MOYER, Grayson 3-5; SPADA, Ernie 2-4; VANDERMEER,
Cy 1-1; SHEUFELT, Will 1-3; SMITH, Everett 0-1; DEL RIO, Efren 0-1; PEAL,
Devin 0-1). Fouled out--Chico State-SOTO, Jesse; PHILLIPS, Darroll; ARGENAL,
Justin, Humboldt State Men-None. Rebounds--Chico State 26 (MARTIN, Mike 9),
Humboldt State Men 29 (VANDERMEER, Cy 8). Assists--Chico State 18 (HAWKINS,
Rod 6), Humboldt State Men 21 (MOYER, Grayson 7). Total fouls--Chico State
33, Humboldt State Men 11. Technical fouls--Chico State-None, Humboldt State
Men-SHEUFELT, Will. A-1227