ARCATA — Katie Franci and Trishal Alaba contributed clutch free throws in the final seconds, allowing Humboldt State to hold off CSU Dominguez Hills, 52-48 in a California Collegiate Athletic Association women's basketball game Friday.

The victory improved the Lumberjacks' record to 10-8 overall and  6-5 in the CCAA, while Cal Dominguez Hills fell to 9-9 and 3-8 in league games.

"The team did a nice job of defending tonight," said HSU's head women's basketball coach Joddie Gleason. "We're learning that if we don't allow easy shots, the other team has a tough time scoring."

Katie Franci led the Lumberjacks with a double-double of 16 points, and 14 rebounds, while Trisha Alaba added 13 points. Ennisha Kyles was the only CSUDH player in double figures, finishing with 10 points.

"Katie Franci is a warrior," said Gleason. "She's 5-9 and can defend players who are 6-0 and taller; she's fearless. Franci is a great player and shows those skills when we need her."

CSU Dominguez Hills led throughout most of the first half,  expanding its advantage to six points on three separate occasions. Alana Bailey fueled the Toros' offense, scoring a layup to move them ahead, 26-20 with 2 minutes, 37 seconds remaining in the period.

However, the Jacks grabbed the momentum back, finishing the half with a 10-2 run. Franci began the surge with a layup and Jennifer Enos hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, giving the Jacks a 30-28 lead at the break.

Early in the second half, Humboldt State continued where it left off, scoring the first eight points while the Toros remained scoreless for the first 10 minutes of the period. CSUDH missed its first 11 shots from the field to open the half before Ashley Johnson finally hit a layup to cut HSU's lead to 40-30.

CSU Dominguez Hill continued to battle, cutting the Jacks' lead to six points, but the Jacks reestablished it at 10 points when Franci drained a three-pointer from the top of the key. That still wasn't enough to check the Toros, who began their final surge with Kyles' layup with 4:01 remaining.

They pulled within two points at 48-46 before the Jacks hit their free throws in the closing second to seal the win.

Humboldt State is back in action Saturday, hosting Cal State Dominguez Hills at 5:30 p.m. in another CCAA encounter.

Cal State Dominguez vs Humboldt State
02/01/08 5:30 p.m. at Arcata, Calif.
At Arcata, Calif.
HUMBOLDT STATE 52, CAL STATE DOMINGUEZ 48
CAL STATE DOMINGUEZ (9-8, 3-7)
KYLES, Ennisha 4-11 2-3 10; BAILEY, Alana 4-7 1-3 9; MONTALVO, Kayla 3-9 0-0
8; JOHNSON, Ashley 2-5 2-2 6; GANTT, Whitney 2-5 0-0 4; KRIBELL, Michelle
2-4 0-0 4; BALDWIN, Aujanee 2-6 0-0 4; LIANG, Jessica 1-4 0-0 3; HOUSTON,
Barbara 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-51 5-8 48.
HUMBOLDT STATE (9-8, 5-5)
FRANCI, Katie 6-14 3-6 16; ALABA, Trisha 4-7 2-2 13; ENOS, Jennifer 3-7 0-0
8; HENRY, Kayla 2-6 1-4 5; HAAYER, Jessica 2-3 0-1 4; PETERSON, Paige 2-7
0-0 4; KILGORE, Taylor 1-8 0-0 2; O'KEEFE, Kristina 0-0 0-0 0; OSBORNE,
Luiza 0-0 0-0 0; TAYLOR, Brittney 0-0 0-1 0. Totals 20-52 6-14 52.
Cal State Dominguez...........   28   20  -   48
Humboldt State................   30   22  -   52
3-point goals--Cal State Dominguez 3-11 (MONTALVO, Kayla 2-7; LIANG, Jessica
1-2; KRIBELL, Michelle 0-1; BALDWIN, Aujanee 0-1), Humboldt State 6-15
(ALABA, Trisha 3-4; ENOS, Jennifer 2-5; FRANCI, Katie 1-1; KILGORE, Taylor
0-5). Fouled out--Cal State Dominguez-None, Humboldt State-PETERSON, Paige.
Rebounds--Cal State Dominguez 32 (BAILEY, Alana 8; KYLES, Ennisha 8),
Humboldt State 39 (FRANCI, Katie 14). Assists--Cal State Dominguez 9
(MONTALVO, Kayla 2; LIANG, Jessica 2; GANTT, Whitney 2), Humboldt State 10
(ALABA, Trisha 3). Total fouls--Cal State Dominguez 15, Humboldt State 12.
Technical fouls--Cal State Dominguez-None, Humboldt State-None.