ARCATA — Just past the midway point of the California Collegiate Athletic Association season, the second-place Lumberjacks hope to gain further ground in the standings when they go on the road this week. Their first game is a 7:30 p.m. tip-off against Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson on Friday, and they complete the trip with a game starting at the same time Saturday at Cal State Los Angeles.
Coming into this week's action, the Jacks are 11-5 overall, and their 9-3 record in league games places them one-half game back of CCAA leader Cal State San Bernardino.
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.…CSUDH will offer live video streaming on its web site this weekend, located at http://www.gotoros.com/sports/2008/7/23/TorosLive.aspx
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/. …Friday's game at CSU Dominguez Hills can be followed on the Toros' web site at http://www.csudh.edu/athletics/live/mbb/xlive.htm. Saturday's game at Cal State Los Angeles features live statistics at http://www.csulaathletics.com/custompages/livestats/gel.htm
Head-to-Head
The Jacks defeated the Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles at home earlier this year, taking a 77-60 win in the league-opener. CSLA earned a late-season win against the Jacks a year ago in Lumberjack Arena, evening up the season series at one each. Humboldt State still holds the overall edge, 7-2, however. …HSU leads the series with CSUDH, 7-2 following a 76-58 victory in December. Last year the squads split two games, each squad earning a win on its home court in 2008-09.
Projected Starters
G - #12 Ernie Spada, 5-11, 175, Jr., Lake Oswego, Ore.
G - #22 Zac Tiedeman, 6-1, 180, Sr., Santa Rosa, Calif.
C - #32 Brian Morris, 6-9, 270, Jr., Portland, Ore.
F - #34 Elliot Babcock-Krenk, 6-3, 205, So, Lake Oswego, Ore.
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
Coming off four straight wins at home, the Jacks will have to rise to the road test this week, something that has proven challenging thus far. HSU is 8-1 in Lumberjack Arena this season, but only 3-3 away from home, including two CCAA losses. Six of the Jack's final 10 league games are on the road. …Zac Tiedeman's 13-for-13 weekend from the free throw line contributed to a 38-for-42 team total in the last two games, or 90 percent accuracy. HSU is shooting .749 percent from the line overall this season, the top mark in the entire CCAA. …Shooting seems to be an overall area of excellence for the Jacks, who also lead the league in 3-point percentage at .354. They've launched 362 long bombs this year, 33 more than the next closest opponent, Chico State. …Among individuals, Tiedeman is the lone Lumberjack topping a statistics category. His impressive 2.8 assists/turnover ratio is best in the CCAA. …Brian Morris continues to be HSU's scoring leader with an average of 14.9 points per game. That mark, and his .613 field goal percentage, both rank third in the league. …With league play half completed, only three schools currently occupy the positions they were predicted to finish in by the preseason coaches' poll. HSU, voted to finish second, holds down that spot. CSU Monterey Bay, in 10th, and CSU East Gay, 12th, are the other two schools.
Opponents' Notes
Cal State Dominguez Hills (7-9, 7-4) has been one of the hottest teams in the CCAA since the new year began, posting a 7-2 record since Jan. 1 and winning five ot its last six games. Last week the Toros defeated Cal State Stanislaus, 56-41, and Chico State, 55-40, both wins coming on the road. …Key to the Toros' recent success is the addition of three players to the roster at the semester break. Forward Michael Cox, 7-0 center Amir Aguilar and guard Marquintise Davis werent' available the first time the Jacks faced the Toros, way back on Dec. 3 in Arcata. …CSUDH's leading scorer is guard Tim MCLaurin, with an average of 11.1 points per game. Cox averages 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest, and Tim McGrath is scoring 8.9 points per game. …Cal State Los Angeles (11-5, 7-4) comes home to host the Jacks following four straight road games. During that stretch the Golden Eagles are 2-2, with wins over Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Stanislaus, and losses to Chico State and Cal State San Bernardino. …Chris Fields is the second-leading scorer in the CCAA, averaging 15.8 points per game. The senior 6-6 guard also tops his team in rebounding with 7.4 boards a game, a mark that also ranks second in the league.
Wood's Words
"The last time we went on the road, we didn't play with energy. We weren't happy with our performance because we didn't measure up in those toughness areas. Since then, we've been playing harder, which always gives you a chance to win. We've improved at getting the ball inside, and players are becoming more confident in their roles." … "This weekend is really important. Both of our opponents are tough teams that have improved drastically in recent weeks." … "Dominguez Hills has three additions to its roster that have all played roles in the team's success. (Davis) is a very good point guard, (Cox) has been scoring, and Aguilar) gives them a nice player off the bench." … "Cal State Los Angeles is still doing what they were doing earlier this season, only with more success. They've defined some of the go-to guys who are making big plays. And obviously, Chris Fields is a premier player in this league."
