ARCATA – While everyone else is getting ready to countdown the new year, Humboldt State will battle it out one last time in 2011 against Sonoma State. The California Collegiate Athletic Association matchup will have an earlier tipoff time of 1 p.m. in Rohnert Park.
HSU is currently on a three-game winning streak after beating Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus before the holiday break. The Jacks stand in fourth place in the CCAA rankings with an 8-1 overall record, 4-1 in conference action, behind UC San Diego, Cal State Monterey Bay—the Jacks' only loss—and Cal Poly Pomona.
Head-to-Head
Earlier this year, Humboldt State hosted Sonoma State in a close battle. The Jacks beat the Seawolves 57-54 with
Lisa Petty sinking two free throw shots with 0:00.3 left on the clock to give the Jacks the three-point cushion and the Seawolves no hope for a tying basket. Sonoma State still holds the overall series record in its favor, beating HSU 36 times. The Jacks are catching up, however, winning 30 of the contests, including this season's victory. Last year the two teams split the series with each team winning on the road.
Multimedia
Lumberjack Notes
After playing non-stop, the Jacks had time off to enjoy their holidays, something head coach
Joddie Gleason thinks will help rejuvenate her team.
"The Dec. 20-26 break is mandated by the NCAA, so everybody is in the same boat when it comes to taking that time off," said Gleason. "Since the basketball season is extremely long and student-athletes just completed final exams, they need that mental break. It also helps heal nagging injuries and gives our players some well deserved time with family. The down side, however, is that they haven't been on the court for a week, but I expect us to get back into game shape and be ready to go for the weekend."
Petty leads the Jacks' attack, averaging 13.6 points per game.
Whitney Howard and
Caitie Richards follow closely behind Petty with 11.3 and 11.2 ppg, respectively. HSU rebounds well as a team, led by
Bree Halsey with 6.1 rpg and Petty with 4.9 rpg.
Richards earned CCAA Player of the Week honor after posting 25 points last Monday against the Cal State Stanislaus Warriors.
Amongst the CCAA leaders, Petty sits in the No. 12 spot with her 13.4 ppg average in conference only games. Richards is six spots behind her, tied for 18th, averaging 11.0 ppg against CCAA opponents. Halsey ranks second amongst the conference's top rebounders, posting 10.2 rpg in CCAA games. Howard's .636 shooting percentile places her second in conference for shooting from inside the arc.
Seawolf Notes
Sonoma State hosts a non-conference game against William Jessup on Wednesday, Dec. 29, entering the game with an overall record of 3-5, 2-3 in CCAA play. The Seawolves lost to Chico State 62-56 before the holiday break even though Aly Conway scored a team-high 12 points, with three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals. SSU trailed by 18 points at halftime and it proved too much for the Seawolves to overcome.
Jaclyn Bisordi leads the attack for Sonoma State, averaging 8.8 points per game (10.2 ppg in conference-only games). Conway has been shooting above the 50-percent mark, going 16-for-31 in basket attempts. Marie Sweet posts up well for the Seawolves and averages 5.6 rebounds per game.
Gleason's Gabs
"We are excited to be back after the break and are ready for a battle at Sonoma State this weekend. Sonoma will be ready to avenge a loss earlier in the year and we need to be prepared for that challenge." ... "It is always a different story the second time you play an opponent and Sonoma is one of those teams that is always prepared and well coached." ... "We have really improved our offensive efficiency in the weeks prior to the break and are taking better care of the ball. It will be necessary for us to continue improving on that to be successful in the tough CCAA."
