ARCATA — It may be only the start of the spring semester, but the tough tests continue for Humboldt State with this week's road games in Southern California. First up for the Jacks is Friday night's visit to Carson and the Torodome, where the Jacks will face Cal State Dominguez Hills. On Saturday they'll take the court against Cal State Los Angeles in the Eagles Nest. Both games tip off at 7:30 p.m.

On-the-Air: All Lumberjack basketball games are broadcast live locally on KATA, 1340 AM, the North Coast's ESPN radio affiliate.  Webcasts are also available for out-of-area listeners, accessed through the Humboldt State Athletics site at hsujacks.com. …Bicoastal Media Sports Director J.B. Mathers is back for another year of bring home the action from courtside for all home contests. He'll be joined by Humboldt State Athletics Hall-of-Famer Burt Nordstrom. On the road, Assistant Athletic Director Dan Pambianco provides play-by-play. All broadcasts begin 15 minutes prior to game time with the pregame show.

Coaches Show: For insight on the Jacks' basketball program and information on all of Humboldt State's athletics activities, catch "Humboldt State Tonight" on Fox Channel 2 local cable television at 6 p.m. Thursdays. J.B. Mathers hosts the show, which features interviews with Coach Tom Wood, student-athletes, and other HSU Athletics staff members. This week's guest is freshman David Howard.

Live Stats: Fans can follow the action from Lumberjack Arena on their home computers by accessing the Live Stats feature on hsujacks.com. Home games are linked at http://livestats.internetconsult.com/humboldt/mbball/. This week's game at Cal State Dominguez Hills can be found at http://www.csudh.edu/athletics/live/mbb/xlive.htm and Saturday's statistics can be tracked at http://www.csulaathletics.com/Sports/gen/2008/goldeneagleslive.asp.

Head-to-Head: Last year's series saw the Jacks win in Carson and the Toros turn the tables in Arcata. Those results leave the Lumberjacks with a 5-1 lead in the all-time series.…HSU emerged victorious from two tight battles with Cal State LA last year, improving its all-time record against the Golden Eagles to 4-1.

Lumberjack Notes: Coming off a home loss, the Jacks hope to have learned more lessons as the young and relatively inexperienced squad faces another rough roadtrip. Humboldt State struggled with CSU San Bernardino's physical style of basketball, turning over the ball a season-high 19 times in the home defeat. "Looking at the statistics, we were pretty even in most categories, but turnovers were the big difference," HSU head coach Tom Wood said. " …A source of concern early in the season was rebounding, a statistical category the Lumbjerjacks trailed opponents in for all but one game of the pre-CCAA season. However, HSU has now held a rebounding edge in five straight games, losing the battle of the boards by only one rebound in the only other game played since the CCAA season resumed on Jan. 2. …Eight games into the CCAA season with 12 to be played, the Lumberjacks share the league lead with CSU San Berardino and Friday's opponent, CSU Dominguez Hills. To maintain the position, they'll have to find more success on the road, with five of the next six games scheduled away from Lumberjack Arena. "We're no longer hiding in the weeds," Wood said. "We represent a big game for the teams in this conference. Teams spend a lot of time getting ready for us." …Last week redshirt freshman Will Petty was forced out of the lineup for the second time this season because of injury. The guard/forward from Castro Valley suffered a severe ankle sprain against Cal State Stanislaus the previous weekend, and a slower-than-expected recovery kept him sidelined Friday and Saturday. He'll test the ankle again this week and look for a return to the lineup on the road.  …Humboldt State's inside attack has improved considerably since the new year began, a development Wood expects to also open up room around the perimeter. Owen Newman, Jameson Figgatt, Kevin Atkins and David Howard have picked up the Jacks both on the boards and offensively, Howard narrowly missing a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds against CSUSB. "David Howard has stepped up, but Kevin Atkins has also stepped up in that same position," Wood said. "That's one of the strengths of this team. You don't know who will be at their best on a given night, and neither does the opponent." …Last Saturday's game against Cal State San Bernardino featured the largest home crowd in Humboldt State basketball history. Official attendance was 1,759 fans in Lumberjack Arena, which opened this year and boasts an increased capacity of nearly 400 seats over the old East Gym.

Opponents Notes: Senior forward Jerrell Smith has displayed his intent to finish off his CCAA career on top, and comes into the weekend averaging a team-best 11.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for CSU Dominguez Hills. Another senior, Michael Hernandez, averages 11.7 points per game and has dished 69 assists, and a third player in his final season, Rodney Yearby, scores 9.4 points per contest.… The Toros have won four of their last five games, including wins over Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus last weekend. Just before that, CSU Monterey Bay had interrupted their string with a 76-72 win in Carson. …Cal State Los Angeles has also put together a string of success, posting three wins in its past four games. The Golden Eagles slipped last weekend, defeated 73-71 by CSU Stanislaus, before bouncing back to blast Chico State, 67-49 in Chico.  …Junior transfer Chris Fields has been the Eagles top scorer, averaging 16.9 points per game to rank second in the CCAA. The 6-6 guard has hit a team-best 28 three-pointers. …Senior post Chris Mark has a 11.9 ppg scoring average, and is averaging a team-best 8.5 boards per game. Senior guard Christopher Hart gives CSULA a third double figures threat with an average of 10.2 points per game.

Wood's Words: "Cal State Dominguez Hills is yet another team that makes a coach appreciate the value of returning players. They have five seniors who have played a lot of basketball. They're a veteran, athletic team with a good inside game, athletic guards, and good outside shooters. That's a nice package." … "Cal State LA has bounced back from a couple of tough losses, most recently when they clobbered Chico State last week. They're awfullly good at crashing the glass and they like to penetrate. Chris Mark is an amazing inside player, and Chris Fields is an outstanding guard."

Roster: Humboldt State's roster is available online at the following link - http://hsujacks.com/roster.aspx?path=mbball&

Statistics: Season statistics and individual game boxscores can be found at the following web link - http://hsujacks.com/custompages/mbball/2008/teamstat.htm?path=mbball