SAN BERNARDINO — For the second straight night Humboldt State achieved history, defeating Cal State San Bernardino, 68-61 and earning its first ever win on the Coyotes' home court.
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On Friday, the No. 13 nationally ranked Jacks defeated Cal Poly Pomona for the first time on the road. HSU is now 1-6 all-time at Pomona and 1-5 in the series at San Bernardino
Saturday's win improved HSU's record to 20-2, and the Jacks maintained their position on top of the California Collegiate Athletic Association with a 16-2 mark. Cal State San Bernardino fell to 12-9 and 10-7 in league.
On Saturday, a team effort again lifted the Jacks, who overcame adversity down the stretch to rally from an 8-point deficit. After taking the lead on a pair of free throws by Randy Hunter with 11 minutes, 51 seconds remaining, HSU never trailed again.
“We're very proud of our team, our accomplishments down here this weekend.,” HSU head coach Steve Kinder said. “Collectively, we have a powerful ingredient of belief. It doesn't matter how far we get down, when it comes down to crunch time we believe we're going to win.
When Aaron Hill's 3-pointer tied the game at 59-59 with 3:12 left to play, the Coyotes looked like they were grabbing the momentum that would carry them down the stretch. But the Lumberjacks answered with a jumper and free throw by Brian Morris, and maintained their narrow advantage in the waning minutes.
Morris, who was saddled with foul trouble that limited his court time to 21 minutes, still managed to put up 12 points. But both he and the Jacks' second-leading scorer, Randy Hunter on the bench, Brandon Sperling and Kyle Baxter rallied to carry the load.
Sperling finished with 18 points to pace the Jacks in scoring, and also dished three assists. Baxter contributed 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Hunter, who also was limited by foul trouble, contributed 13 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
Leading the way for the Coyotes was Theron Laudermill, with 13 points. Also in double figures were Corey Caston, with 12, and Aaron Hill, with 11 points.
Back on the road, the Jacks travel to face San Francisco State and Cal State Monterey Bay this week. HSU takes on the Gators at 7:30 p.m. Friday and the Otters at the same time Saturday.
