ROHNERT PARK — Kevin Atkins calmly drained a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining, allowing Humboldt State to preserve a 73-69 victory over Sonoma State in men's basketball action Wednesday. The win improved HSU to 15-6 overall and 8-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.

Atkins, whose minutes were limited because of foul trouble, made the most of his time on the floor by scoring 14 points. Santa Rosa native Zac Tiedeman impressed his hometown fans with several clutch shots on the way to a game-high 22 points, and Jameson Figgatt cleared a career-high 14 boards to help seal the win.

Casey McRobers scored 12 points to lead Sonoma State, who fell to 7-11 overall and 3-8 in league. Chad Chambers, James Sandoval and Duane Wright all contributed 11 points, and Mike Nelson added 10 for the Seawolves.

A nip-and-tuck first half forecast the exciting finish, HSU gaining an early edge before SSU's McRoberts tied it at 25-25 on a three-pointer at the 7-minute mark. Two unproductive minutes later, Wright benefited from a nice exchange of passes, laying the ball off the glass to give his team its first lead at 27-25.

Both teams tried to grab momentum in the final minute of the half, but Sonoma State failed on two chances to score and the Jacks turned the ball over in their lone opportunity. The result was a 33-33 deadlock at the buzzer.

Early in the second half, crisp passing helped a more-focused unit provide provide a brief cushion for the Lumberjacks, who worked the ball around the perimeter before finding an open Elliot Backcock-Krenk in the corner for three. The next trip downcourt a quick whip around the edges found Spada in the corner, moving HSU up 44-34.

The lead down to three points at 50-47 on inside move by Pratt brought the crowd of 1,521 SSU fans back into the game. But after Figgatt rescued the Jacks' possession with an offensive board, Humboldt State again found Spada in the corner for an open three-pointer, which he banged down to make it a 53-47 advantage.

Unable to break free, HSU saw its once 10-point lead dwindle to two points when Chambers banked the ball off the glass. Trading shots with Sonoma State down the stretch, Humboldt State stretched it to as many as five points just under two minutes remaining when Tiedeman hit a three-pointer. But the Seawolves went inside to Wright, who drove for a quick two points.

That set up the exciting final seconds and Atkins' heroics. For the evening, Atkins missed only a single shot, finishing 5-of-6 from the field, including two three-pointers, and making both free throws.

UC San Diego offers HSU's next oppposition when the Tritons visit Arcata Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff in Lumberjack Arena. HSU dropped the first meeting between the two teams, 80-67 in La Jolla on Dec. 5.