HAYWARD — Humboldt State won the marathon, but Cal State Dominguez Hills captured the sprint, earning a 51-50 win in the title game of the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship tournament over the CCAA regular season champion Lumberjacks on Saturday.
Robert Willhite was the hero of a battle worthy of championship status. WiIlhite's desperation 3-pointer at the final buzzer swished home, snatching the win out of HSU's grasp.
“Our job now is to remember that this wasn't the end of the season,” HSU head coach Steve Kinder said. “There are a lot of disappointed players right now, but they have bigger games ahead of them next week.”
Humboldt State, 26-3 overall and the No. 2 regional seed most of the season, is a virtual lock for a berth in the NCAA Division II West Region Championships. CSU Dominguez Hills, 23-6, earned an automatic berth in the event by virtue of its win Saturday.
Both teams will learn Sunday where they'll be going for the postseason event, and what their final seed is. The NCAA will webcast the selection show live on NCAA.com starting at 7 p.m. Pacific Time.
On Saturday, the Toros scored the final six points of the game after two free throws by Brian Morris gave the Jacks a 5-point lead with just under three minutes remaining. Randy Hunter came up with two big rebounds for HSU down the stretch, but was called for traveling on one and missed a free throw on another after being fouled.
Morris and Hunter both were named to the all-tournament team, Morris also selected as CCAA Championships MVP to sweep the regular season and postseason top honors. The senior from Portland, Ore. topped all scorers with 25 points Saturday, and Hunter added a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Neither team found it easy to score from the beginning, both squads clamping down to force a defensive battle. Humboldt State shot only 32 percent from the floor, and CSU Dominguez Hills was at 36 percent, Willhite's 3-pointer the only Toros' successful long range shot in 8 tries.
HSU wasn't much more effective, making only 4-of-17 3-pointers. Morris, the Jacks' big man, accounted for three of them without a miss. Even worse was the Jacks' free throw shooting. Humboldt State made only 12 of 18 chances from the line.
Humboldt State's largest lead was seven points in the first half. But the Toros finished the half with momentum on their side when Marquintice Davis made two free throws and scored a jumper to tie the game at 22-22 at halftime.
Davis also helped CSUDH out-rebound HSU, 45-30. He scored nine points, just behind a team-high 15 contributed by Michael Cox.
During the second half, the teams traded narrow leads, with the game also tied 11 times. HSU grabbed its largest advantage of the half on Hunter's layup and Morris' free throws with 2 minutes, 58 seconds remaining.
Miss opportunities plagued both teams in the final minute, but the Toros got the final chance taking the ball with 5.2 seconds left. Davis pushed the ball down the court, finding Willhite in the corner. With his back to the basket, Willhite spun and launched the the game-winner, his only field goal of the evening.
HSU has an outside chance of hosting a portion of the regional this week, depending on what teams qualify for the eight seeds. More likely, the Jacks and six other squads will traveling to Ellensburg, Wash. for a tournament hosted by last week's No. 1 seed, Central Washington.
