Box Score ARCATA — Sitting on the bench at the start of the game for only the fourth time in his Humboldt State career, Randy Hunter didn't like the view. So when the senior forward was inserted into the lineup with his Jacks trailing Sonoma State 8-0, Hunter quickly took advantage of his opportunity.

Hunter scored HSU's first bucket with a short jumper, his first two of a game-high 21 points that led the Lumberjacks past Sonoma State, 73-68, in California Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball action Saturday. No. 8 nationally ranked Humboldt State improved its overall to 6-1 and CCAA mark to 2-1, while the Seawolves dropped to 2-5 and 0-3 in league.

Coming off their team's first loss of the season last week at Cal State East Bay, the Humboldt State coaching staff decided a shake-up was in order. Hunter and senior forward Kyle Baxter were relieved of their starting duties, but after the Jacks quickly fell behind both players came in to lead the charge.

"I've been frustrated with the way I've been playing, and the coaches made a decision to not start me," Hunter said. "That got me motivated, and the fact that we were down 8-0 added fuel to the fire. We didn't want to lose two games in a row."

Also figuring prominently in the outcome was the play of senior guard Scott Clark, who scored a career-high 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. Baxter took control on the boards, yanking down a career-high 12 rebounds, and another senior, Brandon Sperling, knocked down key free throws in the game's waning moments to hold off SSU.

"I felt like I'd played the wrong cards when we got behind early," HSU head coach Steve Kinder said. "It was a matter of coming off a loss, and trying to correct that reasons for that. But in the long run, it feels good when you go with your gut feeling and it works out."

Jason Walter and Steven Pratt found their shooting stroke early, each dropping in a three-pointer to help Sonoma State grab a 10-2 lead. But the Jacks charged back, tying the game at 10-10 on freshman Ethan Dillard's three-pointer.

For the next six minutes, the teams exchanged the lead before Ashley Arnott's three-pointer gave the Seawolves a 33-31 halftime lead. Arnott's long-range bomb was one of five scored by SSU in the opening period on the way to a team total of eight in 19 chances.

The back-and-forth trend continued for the first 15 minutes of the second half, neither team able to push the advantage past two points. But with 3 minutes, 54 seconds remaining, Hunter scored a layup and dropped in the free throw to provide a four-point lead at 58-54, and Sperling converted two more free throws following a technical foul on the SSU bench to further expand the cushion.

Humboldt State expanded the lead to nine points on Baxter's floating layup, and Sperling converted five free throws to keep the Seawolves at an arm's length before time expired.

Patrick Scott led Sonoma State in scoring with 16 points, and Pratt added 15, including a 2-of-3 effort from three-point range.

"I'm proud of what our players accomplished," Kinder said. "Any time you play Sonoma State, it's going to be a battle. It's always a difficult challenge to beat such a well-coached team."

Humboldt State remains home for its next two games before taking a break for the holiday. The Lumberjacks play a CCAA game against Chico State on Saturday, then face Cal State Stanislaus in another conference-counter on Monday, Dec. 19.