SAN FRANCISCO — Countering the nation's fifth-ranked defense with big stops of their own, Humboldt State held on for a 62-61 win over San Francisco State in men's basketball action Sunday.

Boxscore

Ernie Spada, last night's offensive hero in HSU's win over CSU Monterey Bay, forced an off-balance shot by SFSU's Marquel Hoskins that rimmed off at the buzzer to preserve the win. Humboldt State improved its record to 8-3 overall and moved to 5-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.

Hoskins finished with 17 points, equaling teammate Nefi Perdomo for game-high scoring honors. The Gators fell to 10-3 overall and dropped to 3-2 in league.

With his team trailing, 61-60 with 29 seconds remaining, Humboldt State's Zac Tiedeman drove to the basket and was fouled. The senior from Santa Rosa hit both free throws to give the Jacks the lead, setting up the game's final seconds.

Tiedeman led the Lumberjacks with 12 points and teammate Kevin Atkins added 11, including 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Brian Morris had 10 points and paced HSU with seven rebounds.

Rebounding was critical to the Jacks' success, as they out-boarded the Gators, 30-23. Included in the total were 12 offensive boards, including five by Morris.

HSU led by two points at the half and eventually built an 11-point lead on Morris' jumper with just over six minutes remaining. But the Gators stormed back, going on a 14-2 run to take a 61-60 lead on Tim Pratt's layup.

Humboldt State goes back on the road this week to face Cal State San Bernardino on Friday and Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday.