ARCATA — Randy Hunter stepped up, scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to help Humboldt State overcome the absence of their leading scorer, Brian Morris, in a 78-67 win over Cal State East Bay on Thursday.

Morris was missing from the lineup while serving a one game suspension.  Hunter  took up the slack, taking the ball to the basket down low and finding his way to the free throw line frequently.

In fact, the Jacks earned an incredible 52 chances at the line, but the leading team in the California Collegiate Athletic Conference made only 29 for a 55 percent shooting mark. Hunter dropped in eight free throws, while Brandon Sperling and Ernie Spada each made seven. That helped the pair hit double digits in scoring, Sperling with 17 points and Spada with 16.

From the midway point of the first half, Humboldt State struggled to shake free of the Pioneers, who fell to 2-14 overall and 0-13 in the CCAA. Cal State East Bay grabbed tied the game at 24-24 on Kenneth Farr's layup with 5 minutes, 9 seconds remaining until the half, but layups by Hunter, Kyle Baxter and Sperling provided HSU with a 33-28 lead at the break.

Humboldt State, now 15-2 on the season and 11-2 in league play, built a nine-point lead in the second half when Spada hit one of his three  3-pointers. As a team, the Jacks also struggled from beyond the 3-point line, finishing 3-of-17.

Cal State East Bay made it's surge midway through the second half, pulling within two points on Roshun Wynne's jumper with 11:58 left to play. Wynne scored 18 points on the evening, and teammate Mark Samuels led the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Donavon Jackson chipped in 10 points for the Pioneers.

A free throw by Spada gave HSU its largest lead, 69-57 with 3:27 to go, and the Jacks maintained their cushion by hitting enough free throws in the waning minutes.

Humboldt State returns to Lumberjack Arena on Saturday, hosting UC San Diego at 7:30 p.m.