ARCATA – The Humboldt State women's basketball team shot 67 percent from the field in the second half and used a 24-4 run to open the half, keyed by six 3-pointers, en route to blowing out Chico State 85-55 to win the 2009-10 California Collegiate Athletic Association basketball championship and an automatic berth into the Division II NCAA Basketball Tournament.
The Jacks who averaged 81 points per game and held opponents to just 63 in the Tournament are now 19-10 overall. Chico State is 21-9.
Box Score
Three Lumberjacks were honored with All-CCAA Tournament selection;
Brittney Taylor,
Paige Peterson and
Andrea Bobic. Bobic who averaged 17.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists was named CCAA Tournament MVP.
“When I hit my first shot in a game I feel like everything else is going to go in for me,” Bobic said. “If I get my legs under me and follow through, good things will happen.”
Bobic finished the night with a game-high 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 7-of-10 from beyond the 3-point arc. She also grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds Taylor was equally hot, shooting 10-of-12 from the field for 23 points and four blocks. The other Lumberjack in double-figure scoring was
Lisa Petty, who equaled her career high with 14 points. Peterson dished out 12 assists and added nine points.
For the Wildcats, Courtney Harrison had 15 points off the bench to lead the team. Natasha Smith finished with 12.
Both teams came out a bit tight in the first four minutes, but a Bobic three at 15:28 tied the game at 5-5 and HSU went on a mini-7-0 run to open a 12-5 lead with 13:46 to go in the half. It looked like the Jacks might bust the game open early, but Chico State fought right back. Smith hit a 3-pointer to open a 7-0 run and the Wildcats tied the game at 12-12 then forged ahead to a 22-16 advantage with 7:51 left in the half.
Bobic then hit a three and a layup, followed by a Petty 3-pointer to once again even the score, this time at 24-24. Over the last five minutes of the half HSU, led by two Taylor layups and another Bobic 3-pointer, took a 33-29 lead and went to the locker room with that 4-point advantage.
The second half opened with Humboldt State hitting nine of its first 10 shots, including six-of-seven from beyond the arc, and pushed its lead to 24 points, 57-33, with 14:14 to go in the game.
“The way we went to work on the offensive end in the second half was amazing,” Bobic said. “On the defense we made sure to box out and keep them from hitting the offensive glass. We are probably playing our best basketball right now. Clean up a few things and we will be where we want to going into the regional.”
Chico's Harrison hit a 3-pointer with 10:07 to go to trim the lead to 19 points, but that was as close as the Wildcats would get as the Jacks won going away 85-55.
This is the first CCAA Championship for the women's basketball team and the fourth time in six years under head coach
Joddie Gleason that the team will play in the NCAA Tournament.
“Throughout this entire weekend our senior leadership was huge for us,” head coach
Joddie Gleason said. “That is what has taken us to the next level.
“In the second half we did a much better job of taking care of the ball. I told the team at the half that if we did that we could open up a good size lead. We got the run to start the half and cruised from there.”
HSU will find out who and where they will be playing next week on Sunday.
