ROHNERT PARK — Sonoma State survived a furious Humboldt State comeback, watching a 17-point lead dwindle to only six on the way to a 66-51 victory in a California Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball matchup Thursday.

The victory improved Sonoma State to 2-1 in the CCAA and 6-3 overall while Humboldt State dropped to 2-1 in league and 7-3 overall heading into Saturday's home game against UC San Diego.

The Seawolves benefited from HSU's poor shooting and a sizeable second-half foul advantage which eventually led to the ejection of HSU head coach Tom Wood. With only two minutes remaining in the game, the Seawolves had been whistled for only a single foul in the second half, and Wood's protests of perceived no-calls led to his second technical foul and ejection.

For the game, the Seawolves were led in scoring by Ben Washington's 16 points, while Andrew Kochevar and Blake Saunders each contributed 12 points to the effort. Missing leading scorer Devin Peal, who is scheduled for a Jan. 8 surgery on his left thumb, the Jacks were paced in scoring by WIll Sheufelt's 17 points, Grayson Moyer adding 13 and Cy Vandermeer 10.

Early in the contest, SSU grabbed an 11-10 lead on a Kochevar drive, and Keith Garner's layin moved the Seawolves ahead, 13-10.   Kochevar's three-pointer continued the run, giving the Seawolves a 16-10 lead near the midway mark of the period.

Steve Cornett's reverse layup extended Sonoma's advantage to seven points at 18-11 before the Lumberjacks could muster an offense. Moyer drove for a running jumper in the paint, but the Jacks were unable to pull any closer than a five point lead.

HSU continued its shooting woes, looking lackluster on offense while managing a mere 26 percent shooting from the field. Sonoma State was much healthier, hitting 50 percent of its shots, including Ben Washington's three-pointer from the top of the key that ended the half with a 27-19 SSU lead.

HSU scored first to begin the second half, but went silent while the Seawolves asserted themselves. Kochevar's three-pointer put them up by 11, and the run continued until Sonoma State had forged a 17-point lead.

Sheufelt found the range for HSU, hitting two three-pointers to help the Lumberjacks trim the lead down to six points. They missed two opportunities to pull closer, however, and Sonoma State forged well ahead again.


Humboldt State vs Sonoma State
01/03/08 7:30 pm at Rohnert Park, CA
At Rohnert Park, CA
SONOMA STATE 66, HUMBOLDT STATE 51
HUMBOLDT STATE (7-3, 2-1 CCAA)
SHEUFELT, Will 7-11 0-0 17; MOYER, Grayson 3-13 7-11 13; VANDERMEER, Cy 4-7
2-4 10; GIVENS, James 2-4 0-0 4; GREEN, Nick 1-5 1-2 3; FIGGATT, Jameson 1-2
0-0 2; SPADA, Ernie 1-5 0-0 2; SMITH, Everett 0-2 0-0 0; JEFFERSON, David
0-1 0-0 0; DEL RIO, Efren 0-3 0-0 0; BURNS, Tyler 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-53
10-17 51.
SONOMA STATE (6-3, 2-1 CCAA)
WASHINGTON, Ben 3-8 6-8 13; KOCHEVAR, Andrew 4-12 1-2 12; SAUNDERS, Blake
6-9 0-1 12; NELSON, Mike 3-5 2-2 9; GARNER, Keith 4-5 0-1 8; CORNETT, Steve
2-5 1-2 5; SHANDERA, Kyle 2-3 0-0 4; FLORES, Jay 1-2 0-0 2; WRIGHT, Duane
0-0 1-2 1; SMITH, Tyler 0-3 0-0 0; NOBLE, Doni 0-0 0-0 0; LINK, Gerred 0-0
0-0 0. Totals 25-52 11-18 66.
Humboldt State................   19   32  -   51
Sonoma State..................   27   39  -   66
3-point goals--Humboldt State 3-14 (SHEUFELT, Will 3-4; MOYER, Grayson 0-3;
VANDERMEER, Cy 0-1; SPADA, Ernie 0-3; SMITH, Everett 0-1; DEL RIO, Efren
0-2), Sonoma State 5-14 (KOCHEVAR, Andrew 3-9; NELSON, Mike 1-3; WASHINGTON,
Ben 1-1; FLORES, Jay 0-1). Fouled out--Humboldt State-None, Sonoma
State-None. Rebounds--Humboldt State 28 (VANDERMEER, Cy 10), Sonoma State 39
(CORNETT, Steve 10). Assists--Humboldt State 6 (MOYER, Grayson 2), Sonoma
State 16 (WASHINGTON, Ben 4). Total fouls--Humboldt State 13, Sonoma State
14. Technical fouls--Humboldt State-TEAM 3, Sonoma State-None. A-527