LA JOLLA — Kevin Atkins scored a career-high 31 points and he and his Humboldt State teammates hit key free throws in the closing minutes on the way to a 87-79 win over UC San Diego and a share of the California Collegiate Athletic Association regular season championship.

The Lumberjacks improved to 21-6 overall and 18-4 in league, tying for the title with Cal Poly Pomona, a 77-54 winner over San Francisco State on Friday. The Jacks enter next week's CCAA Championships tournament as the No. 2 seed.

“I told the players that (assistant) Coach Kinder and I have had the good fortune of coaching championships teams before, and it never gets old,” HSU head coach Tom Wood said. “Winning a season title is a testament to the hard work and the resolve of our players. It's a grind that you have to go through, and I'm proud of our guys.”

Wood, who has announced he will retire following the season, guided his team to its third CCAA title in the four years the Jacks have been league members. To do so, the Lumberjacks won 13 of their final 14 games.

Supplementing Atkins' efforts Friday was senior Zac Tiedeman, who scored 20 points, including 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Kyle Baxter contributed 10 points and eight rebounds, as he, Atkins and Tiedeman all made free throws to help stem a late charge by the Tritons.

Christian Hatch scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds to pace UCSD, which finished its season 8-17 overall and 7-15 in the CCAA. Seniors Tyler Azevedo and Jordan Lawley added 16 and 14 points, respectively, for the Tritons.

Humboldt State led by as many as 13 points on three occasions in the first half, riding a 69-percent shooting effort that included 6-of-11 from beyond the 3-point arc. Atkins contributed two 3-pointers on his way to 21 first-half points.

Each time the Lumberjacks threatened to put the game away early, the Tritons surged back into contention. The senior tandem of Acevedo and Lawley led the way, pulling UCSD within eight at 51-43 by halftime.

HSU surged ahead again in the second half, opening up a 15-point lead before UCSD answered. The Tritons' final surge brought them within four at 77-73 when Hatch made a pair of free throws with 2 minutes, 24 seconds remaining.

“We stood our ground,” Wood said. “Because of our reputation, we seem to get everybody's best. We took the punches and remained on our feet. I'm proud of our guys.”

Lumberjack Arena will also serve as the site for the CCAA semifinals and final, scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

“It's not lost on me that it's my last go-round,” Wood said. “I'm very thankful for them to let me experience that. But it isn't over. We have more work to do.“

Humboldt State begins its quest for a tournament title Tuesday, facing Sonoma State at 7:30 p.m. on the Jacks' home court.

Humboldt State University vs CSU East Bay
2-24-10 7:30 PM at Hayward, CA
At Hayward, CA
HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY 64, CSU EAST BAY 50
HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY (17-4 CCAA, 20-6)
MORRIS, Brian 10-11 4-5 24; TIEDEMAN, Zac 4-6 4-4 15; ATKINS, Kevin 4-14 2-4
11; BABCOCK-KRENK, Ellio 2-6 0-0 6; SPADA, Ernie 1-6 0-0 3; KEHRIG, Mike 0-2
3-4 3; HOWARD, David 1-3 0-0 2; PETTY, Will 0-2 0-1 0; MATHEWS, Colt 0-2 0-0
0; BAXTER, Kyle 0-3 0-0 0; BROOME, David 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-56 13-18 64.
CSU EAST BAY (2-19 CCAA, 5-21)
OWENS, Demitrius 2-5 4-5 8; RUBIN, Jawaan 3-7 0-2 7; JACKSON, Donavon 2-9
3-4 7; POPE, Prince Ray 1-2 5-6 7; KNOX, Scott 2-4 0-0 6; NOISAT, Jacob 2-5
0-0 4; UCHIDA, Jun 1-4 0-2 3; WATERS, Jared 1-1 0-0 2; GATSON, Saeed 0-0 2-2
2; GREEN, Adam 1-4 0-0 2; SAMUELS, Mark 1-6 0-0 2; FLEMINGS, Melvin 0-1 0-0
0; MCWIRT, Frankie 0-1 0-0 0; FREEDMAN, Will 0-1 0-0 0; PARKER, Ryan 0-1 0-0
0. Totals 16-51 14-21 50.
Humboldt State University.....   29   35  -   64
CSU East Bay..................   30   20  -   50
3-point goals--Humboldt State University 7-21 (TIEDEMAN, Zac 3-3;
BABCOCK-KRENK, Ellio 2-5; SPADA, Ernie 1-5; ATKINS, Kevin 1-4; BAXTER, Kyle
0-2; BROOME, David 0-1; KEHRIG, Mike 0-1), CSU East Bay 4-14 (KNOX, Scott
2-4; RUBIN, Jawaan 1-2; UCHIDA, Jun 1-1; GREEN, Adam 0-1; SAMUELS, Mark 0-2;
MCWIRT, Frankie 0-1; JACKSON, Donavon 0-2; OWENS, Demitrius 0-1). Fouled
out--Humboldt State University-None, CSU East Bay-None. Rebounds--Humboldt
State University 40 (ATKINS, Kevin 8), CSU East Bay 38 (GREEN, Adam 6).
Assists--Humboldt State University 14 (TIEDEMAN, Zac 6), CSU East Bay 9
(SAMUELS, Mark 3). Total fouls--Humboldt State University 16, CSU East Bay
15. Technical fouls--Humboldt State University-None, CSU East Bay-None.
A-613