ARCATA- The Humboldt State women's basketball team will travel south for a weekend of games on the road. The Jacks' first stop is Cal Poly Pomona for the Friday night match-up and Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday. The Lumberjacks are coming off back-to-back wins against Cal State Stanislaus (85-80) and historic rival Chico State (76-60).
Head-to-Head
Humboldt lost both games earlier in the season against this week's competition. The Jacks fell 62-69 against CSUSB and 47-61 to CPP, both at Lumberjack Arena. HSU holds a one-game advantage over Cal Poly Pomona (6-5) in the all-time series and has the chance to pull ahead of a series tie (5-5) over Cal State San Bernardino.
Lumberjack Notes
The Jacks completed the home stand with three out of four wins, including a victory over long-time rival Chico State. With the win on Saturday night, the Jacks improve their record to 12-8(9-7, CCAA), which holds them in sixth place in the CCAA rankings. “We are feeling confident,” said HSU head coach Joddie Gleason. “There are some early losses that we would like to get back because we are never happy to be in sixth place…but the progress is better and we are gelling as a unit well,” she added. Despite their success on the road (5-2), the Jacks know this week's competition will be a challenge. “Cal Poly (Pomona) and (CSU) San Bernardino are tough…they are number one and number three in the conference,” said Gleason. “We are preparing for it just like any other week and are up for the challenge of them playing well,” she added. Gleason is pleased with her team as a unit and especially with the duo, Lisa Petty and Taylor Kilgore. “Lisa and Taylor have really stepped up offensively for us,” commented Gleason. “They bring leadership and confidence on the court in the recent close games,” she added. The Jacks, who lost Kelly Kime during last weeks play due to a head injury, will now battle the absence of sophomore guard, Caitie Richards. Richards returned to play on January 27th after 5 weeks of being in a wrist cast but received news on Monday that she will return to the sidelines for the remainder of the season. Kime will resume play this Friday if she has no symptoms this week during practice.”
Opponent's Notes
Cal Poly Pomona is currently atop the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings with a 17-2 (14-1, CCAA) record entering Friday's game. The Broncos are coming off back-to-back wins against Dominguez Hills (66-43 and Cal State LA (71-47). The Broncos are led in scoring by Reyana Colson who is averaging 20.2 points per game and Megan Ford in rebounds with 7.7 per game…Cal State San Bernardino enters this week with a 16-3( 12-3, CCAA) record before they face Sonoma State on Friday night. The Coyotes all-star, Eisha Sheppard, leads her team in scoring with just over 15 points per game. Sheppard put up 20 points against HSU in early January.
Coach Joddie Gleason
Joddie Gleason enters her seventh season at the helm of the Humboldt State's women's basketball program, after leading the 2009-10 squad to a 20-11 overall record and 14-8 mark in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Finishing in a tie for fourth place in the conference, the Jacks went on a three-game tear and won the CCAA Tournament and earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It was the team's third NCAA Division II West Regional birth in the last five years and just the fourth in school history. Under Gleason, the Lumberjacks have won more games in the past five years than in any other six-year period and her .609 winning percentage is by far the best in school history. In her six years at HSU, Gleason has amassed a 117-75 overall mark and is 83-52 in league contests (59-36 in the CCAA and 21-15 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference).
Projected Starters
F-#00 Bree Halsey, 6-0, Jr., Fresno
G-#4 Jenna Hamilton, 5-6, Jr., Corona
G-#10 Lisa Petty, 5-11, So., Castro Valley
C-#25 Elle Anderson, 6-1, Fr., Carlton, Ore.
F-#33 Taylor Kilgore, 5-10, Sr., Rocklin
On-the-Air
Every Lumberjack basketball home game and conference road game is broadcast live over the local airways on KATA, 1340 AM, beginning with the pregame show 15 minutes prior to game time. Bicoastal Media Sports Director J.B. Mathers describes the action from Lumberjack Arena and HSU Assistant Athletic Director Dan Pambianco goes on the road with the Jacks. …Audio and video are also streamed live over the Internet through the hsujacks.com web site. The new UStream format allows an interactive chat between listeners during the webcast. The specific URL for access is located at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/humboldt-state-athletics.
Live Stats
All Lumberjack basketball home games can be tracked online by using the Live Stats feature. Real time statistics, momentum tracker and other information are featured on the game viewer. The feature can be found through:
http://livestats.internetconsult.com/humboldt/wbball/index.htm
Gleason's Comments
“We know this week is going to be a challenge…and we are facing two really strong guards.”…”Reyana Colson (CPP) and Eisha Sheppard (CSUSB) are a little bit different point guards so we have to have a defensive strategy to defend them…both are extremely fast and can attack the basket…in both games we have to stay in front and “corral” them as a unit and force them to take tough shots.”
