ARCATA — Hoping to head into the holiday with high spirits, Humboldt State goes on the road for Tuesday's single game against travel partner Sonoma State. The Lumberjacks and Seawolves tip-off at 7 p.m. in Rohnert Park, with the pregame show on KATA 1340 AM radio airing at 6:45 p.m.
Following two wins at their own DeBeni Holiday Classic, the Jacks have improved to 5-3 overall. They stand at 2-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, the loss coming to these same Seawolves on Dec. 12 in Arcata.
On-the-Air
Every Lumberjack basketball game is broadcast live over the local airways on KATA, 1340 AM, beginning with the pregame show 15 minutes prior to game time. Bicoastal Media Sports Director J.B. Mathers describes the action from Lumberjack Arena and HSU Assistant Athletic Director Dan Pambianco goes on the road with the Jacks. …Audio is also streamed live over the Internet through the hsujacks.com web site. The new UStream format allows an interactive chat between listeners during the webcast. The specific URL for access is located at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/humboldt-state-athletics.
Live Stats
All Lumberjack basketball home games can be tracked online by using the Live Stats feature on hsujacks.com. Real time statistics, momentum tracker and other information are featured on the game viewer. The feature can be found at http://www.sidearmstats.com/humboldt/mbball/. Tuesday's game at Rohnert Park can be accessed through the SSU athletics web site at http://sidearmstats.com/sonoma/mbball/xlive.htm.
Head-to-Head
Humboldt State is 41-35 against Sonoma State in the all-times series, which included home-and-away games just like the current league schedule when both were members of the Northern California Athletic Conference in the 80s and 90s. HSU won both of last year's match-ups, but dropped a 65-50 decision to the Seawolves earlier this year.
Projected Starters
G - #4 Keith Davis, 6-3, 190, So., Long Beach, Calif.
G - #15 Mike Kehrig, 6-2, 195, Sr., Danville, Calif.
G - #22 Zac Tiedeman, 6-1, 180, Sr., Santa Rosa, Calif.
F - #23 Colt Mathews, 6-7, 205, Sr., Eureka, Calif.
F - #24 Kevin Atkins, 6-6, 220, Sr., Long Beach, Calif.
Lumberjack Links
Following are links to more information on the Lumberjack basketball program.
Complete Roster
Schedule
2009-10 Statistics
Lumberjack Notes
Two blowouts in their own home tournament helped the Lumberjacks get over the loss to Sonoma State sustained the previous week. Along with restoring confidence, the wins helped the Jacks get back to their customary physical, up-tempo style. "I was disappointed in my coaching last time (against Sonoma State)," HSU head coach Tom Wood said. "We'll be geared up to get back to our style this time. That's tough to do on the road, but I believe it suits us better." …Key to maintaining an aggressive approach on offensive and defense is having fresh bodies to sub in. In their two wins last week, the Jacks were fortified by the return of Keith Davis and David Howard, both of whom had missed the Sonoma Stage game because of illness. With that pair back in action, Wood and his assistants spread the playing time between all 13 available players. The court time by any single player last weekend were the 22 minutes Zac Tiedeman saw against Academy of Art. …Missing from action last weekend and from practice all week was freshman Matt Stover, who injured his back during workouts. Stover remains unavailable. …Also showing steady recovery from the knee injury sustained earlier this year was junior post Brian Morris. Against Academy of Art, Morris scored a team-high 12 points in only 13 minutes of playing time. He followed that up with a 23-point effort in 15 minutes in the win over Notre Dame de Namur, leading to his selection as DeBeni Holiday Classic Most Valuable Player.
Opponent Notes
A tough preseason schedule has kept the Seawolves beneath the .500 mark overall at 3-5. They stepped it up when most important, however, claiming a league win over CSU Dominguez Hills to pair with their victory over the Jacks for a 2-1 CCAA record. …Since facing HSU in Arcata, Sonoma State has played only one other game. The Seawolves traveled to Belmont to face Notre Dame de Namur on Dec. 15, coming home with a 79-67 victory. …Sophomore guard Steven Pratt continues to pace the Seawolves in scoring with an average of 12.8 points per game. Junior guard Mike Nelson also averages in double figures at 11.8 points per game. … …In the team's previous meeting, senior forward Chad Chambers paced SSU with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Chambers is shooting 55 percent from the field this year, and tops his team with an average of 5.8 rebounds per game.
Wood's Words
"This time of the year I think it is better to play an opponent again soon after you met them before. One advantage is the last time we played is still fresh in our minds. Our motivation is also aided by the fact that they beat us." … "We're still working out combination of players in our platoon. It was nice to see how the depth helped us out. I looked out on the court during our recent games and I didn't see many signs of tired players. That was a result of managing their minutes."
