POMONA — Taylor Kilgore sank six straight free throws in the final 38 seconds, helping Humboldt State preserve a 67-58 win over Cal Poly Pomona in a key California Collegiate Athletic Association match-up Saturday.

The Lumberjacks' sixth straight victory improved their record to 19-6 overall, matching the program's all-time best single season mark for victories, achieved in 1993-94. They maintained a solid hold on second place in the CCAA at 14-4 in league games with two remaining in the regular season.

Katie Franci led the Jacks with 16 points and 14 rebounds, and Brittney Taylor added 12 points and four steals. Kilgore, Andrea Bobic and Paige Peterson all added 11 points to the balanced offense.

Cal Poly Pomona's Reyana Colson led all scorers with 27 points, but couldn't keep her team from falling to 15-12 overall and 11-7 in league. Stephisha Walton put up a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.

“I feel like we're remaining calm and have that feeling that we're going to pull it out, even when we get down by a basket or two,” Humboldt State's head women's basketball coach Joddie Gleason said. “We've learned a lot since some of those early losses. We've been able to grow from it.”

Scrappy defense on the interior helped keep Cal Poly Pomona off the scoreboard for the first five minutes of the game. The Jacks denied the post, repeatedly forcing turnovers.

After the Jacks had scored the game's first 10 points, CPP's Colson broke the drought with a drive and layup at the 15:00 mark. She added two free throws before Bobic opened up the perimeter game with a three-pointer from the corner to give HSU a 13-4 lead.

It wasn't long before Emily Nichols tightened the game with a three-pointer from behind a screen and a baseline drive by Colson made it 13-11. Colson kept it going, stealing the ball and driving for a layup that tied the score.

Cal Poly Pomona grabbed a 15-14 lead on another Colson drive, but Franci answered to put the Jacks back on top. Peterson popped in a 10-footer for an 18-15 lead on the Jacks' next possession.

Taylor picked a cherry at the top of the key and took the ball to the hole unimpeded for a 22-17 HSU lead, but that's as wide as the margin would grow. At halftime the Jacks were happy to hold onto a 25-22 advantage.

Cal Poly Pomona executed its offense much better in the early minutes of the second half, scoring the first five points of the period to take a 27-25 lead. The teams traded leads over the next 10 minutes before HSU began its decisive surge.

Peterson made a difference for the second straight night, driving for a layup and dishing for another as the Jacks pushed ahead. Bobic drained a three-pointer with five minutes left, giving Humboldt State a 54-44 lead and forcing the Broncos to foul down the stretch.

Humboldt State returns home for the final two regular season games this week, facing Cal State Los Angeles on Thursday and Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday.

Newspaper Box Score
Humboldt State University vs Cal Poly Pomona
02/21/09 5:30 p.m. at Pomona, Calif.
At Pomona, Calif.
HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY 67, CAL POLY POMONA 58
HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY (19-6, 14-4 CCAA)
FRANCI, Katie 6-14 4-4 16; TAYLOR, Brittney 4-11 4-5 12; BOBIC, Andrea 3-11
2-4 11; PETERSON, Paige 4-8 3-4 11; KILGORE, Taylor 2-4 7-8 11; ALABA,
Trisha 1-1 1-1 3; HALSEY, Bree 1-2 1-3 3; O'KEEFE, Kristina 0-0 0-0 0;
OSBORNE, Luiza 0-1 0-0 0; ENOS, Jennifer 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-53 22-29 67.
CAL POLY POMONA (15-12, 11-7 CCAA)
COLSON, Reyana 7-14 13-18 27; WALTON, Stephisha 4-12 3-6 12; KOTULA, Paulina
2-7 5-6 9; JOSHI, Neha 1-5 1-2 3; NICHOLS, Emily 1-3 0-0 3; SMITH, Ally 1-5
0-0 2; SERVIN, Stephanie 1-1 0-0 2; DERBY, Kaitlin 0-0 0-0 0; SMITH, Danah
0-1 0-0 0; SEMENERO, Sarah 0-2 0-0 0; ANDERSON, Unique 0-4 0-0 0; BEARD,
Rosslyn 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-54 22-32 58.
Humboldt State University.....   25   42  -   67
Cal Poly Pomona...............   22   36  -   58
3-point goals--Humboldt State University 3-12 (BOBIC, Andrea 3-7; TAYLOR,
Brittney 0-1; OSBORNE, Luiza 0-1; ENOS, Jennifer 0-1; FRANCI, Katie 0-2),
Cal Poly Pomona 2-7 (WALTON, Stephisha 1-1; NICHOLS, Emily 1-2; JOSHI, Neha
0-3; SEMENERO, Sarah 0-1). Fouled out--Humboldt State University-None, Cal
Poly Pomona-BEARD, Rosslyn; COLSON, Reyana. Rebounds--Humboldt State
University 33 (FRANCI, Katie 14), Cal Poly Pomona 42 (WALTON, Stephisha 10).
Assists--Humboldt State University 11 (FRANCI, Katie 4), Cal Poly Pomona 9
(COLSON, Reyana 6). Total fouls--Humboldt State University 22, Cal Poly
Pomona 22. Technical fouls--Humboldt State University-None, Cal Poly
Pomona-None. A-469