ARCATA – Three players scored in double figures as the Steve Kinder era of Humboldt State men's basketball began with an 83-69 victory over the Bethany University Bruins (1-4) in Lumberjack Arena on Saturday night.
Boxscore
“We are going to celebrate this victory and enjoy the payoff of our hard work,” Kinder said. “This feels great. I have waited 20 years for this. It is an emotional moment that I share this with my entire family. This is a profession that takes everyone in the family to make it work and I have a wonderful family that has supported me."
The Lumberjacks (1-0) raced to an 11-4 lead in the first four minutes behind the sharp shooting of Brandon Sperling who finished the night with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the line.
A 13-to-4 run by Bethany over the next five minutes put them ahead 17-15 with 11:36 remaining in the half.
The teams went back and forth trading buckets and the lead until the 2:30 mark when a Scott Clark lauyup gave the Jacks a 32-30 advantage. HSU closed the half by outscoring the Bruins 8-to-3 to push their advantage to eight points, 41-33, at the break. Sperling led the way with 12 points.
The first five and a half minutes of the second half decided the game. HSU went on a 14-to-6 spurt capped off by a 3-pointer by Brian Morris, who led the Jacks on the night with 18 points. HSU also applied defensive pressure, which forced the Bruins into 28 turnovers.
“The commitment to stay in the press is difficult when you look up and see that you are up three or down one,” Kinder said, “but staying in the press, which we have done the last 10 years, was a key to this win, especially in the second half.”
HSU continued to use its defense to maintain control of the game and cruised to the 14-point victory.
Everyone on the Jacks roster saw action, with Randy Hunter leading the bench players with 17 points and seven rebounds.
“If you went down the roster you could make an argument that everyone played well at times and contributed in a positive way,” Kinder said. “We wanted to get everyone in and I'm pleased that we were able to do that.”
Despite the win Kinder still sees things to work on.
“Our offensive execution was poor, but Bethany did a phenomenal job. They were well coached, prepared and threw a multitude of defenses at us. They changed it up possession-by-possession and kept us on our heals most of the night.”
The Bruins were led by Brett Hoisington who scored a game-high 24 points. Marqus Crawford and Travis Derochowski added 14 and 12 points respectively.
The Jacks return to action next Saturday when they welcome Menlo College Oaks for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff in Lumberjack Arena.
