ARCATA — Humboldt State lost for the first time in the six-year history of its own DeBeni Holiday Classic, falling to Western Oregon 85-76 in the event finale Saturday.

The Jacks, who had claimed all 11 previous games since the tournament began in 2003, dropped to 8-4 overall . Led by tournament MVP Travis Kuhns, the Western Oregon Wolves swept their two games at the tourney, improving to 5-2 overall.

Kuhns scored 27 points and teammate Sam Kelly, an all-tournament selection, added 26 to account for the bulk of the Wolves' offense. The pair helped WOU ease ahead early in the second half in a tight battle that found the game tied, 40-40 at halftime.

"We faced a polished, seasoned team tonight," HSU head coach Tom Wood said. "Hopefully, our young players learned some lessons that will help them become a polished team when we return to conference play."

All-tourney selection Zac Tiedeman hit his first three three-pointers to give HSU an early lead on his way to 11 points. Another all-tournament choice, David Howard scored 14 points for the Jacks, sharing team-high honors with Colt Mathews. Keith Davis added 12 off the bench.

Western Oregon fashioned a six-point lead in the first four minutes of the second half, moving ahead 47-41 on Gabe Thrash's layup. Humboldt State pulled within three points twice, but the Wolves kept the Jacks from getting any closer on the way to the final count.

The Wolves outshot the Jacks, hitting 52 percent from the field to HSU's 44, and also controlled the boards with 41 rebounds to only 25 by Humboldt State.

Humboldt State takes a break in the action during the next two weeks, returning to its home court on Jan. 2 for a California Collegiate Athletic Association game against San Francisco State.

DeBeni Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team
MVP – Travis Kuhns, Western Oregon
Sam Kelly, Western Oregon
Zac Tiedeman, Humboldt State
David Howard, Humboldt State
Steven Pratt, Sonoma State
Jake Bond, Simpson University