ARCATA – Head coach Joddie Gleason knew it would be a battle for the boards Saturday night against San Francisco State ... and that is exactly what she got.

After struggling to box out and snag rebounds two nights before, the Jacks were able to hang with the Gators, picking up 40 rebounds on the night. Although it wasn't enough to overcome the Gators' 48 boards, Humboldt State pulled away with a 66-61 victory against the visiting San Francisco State team.

"There's no night that's going to be easy," said Gleason. "We just have to be ready for that and come out, and I think we did a nice job of that tonight."

The win puts HSU at 11-3 overall and 7-3 in California Collegiate Athletic Association games, while the Gators drop to 3-12 overall and 2-7 in conference action. 

Bree Halsey collected her fourth double-double of the season with a mirrored 13 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Jacks' attack. 

"I felt really comfortable taking shots back to the basket more than I had before," said Halsey. "I focused on putting my body into it to try to make the shot and see if I could get the foul, too. Just wanted to go in there strong and with confidence."

Kayla Williams and Caitie Richards also picked up points in double figures, with Williams grabbing a team-high 14 and Richards adding 11 points. Williams got into the rebound battle as well, grabbing a career-high seven rebounds herself.

"We wanted to get our guards more active in rebounding and Kayla really took it to heart," said Gleason. "She's thin in stature and  it's tough to get in there, especially when you get knocked around. I think our seniors see this is our last go-around and know they have to make plays, whether it's offense or defense."

Richards started the scoring for the Jacks, sinking two three-pointers in the first minute of action. The score continued to bounce back and forth between the two teams, with neither team taking more than a three-point lead until eight minutes into the contest. A  seven-point run, capitalized by Kelly Kime's basket from beyond-the-arc, gave the Jacks the seven-point cushion.

The Gators kept the high-intensity play up, led by Nicole Hicks' game-high 24-point effort, and dropped the lead to just three points heading into halftime at 28-25.

"Hicks is a great player," said Gleason. "We could have taken away some of her transition points and her number would've been a lot lower. She's so quick and gets to the free throw line so fast, so it's tough to stay in front of her."

Humboldt State looked like it would pull away from SFSU, grabbing an 11-point lead with just over two minutes left to play, but the Gators continued to put up a battle for the Jacks. A six-point run, brought the Gators within five with 30 seconds left. 

"SFSU always harasses and puts a lot of ball pressure on for the whole game," said Gleason. "They're athletic and they're going to use their athleticism in ways that they can get an advantage."

Farrah Shokoor—who also posted a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds—finished a layup to make the game within reach with three seconds left on the clock, but two free throw shots from Lisa Petty sealed the victory for the Jacks.

The Jacks head back out on the road for their next four games, making their second swing to Southern California where they'll face tough opponents Cal State San Bernardino and No. 2-ranked UC San Diego on Jan. 20 and 21, respectively.