ARCATA — For the Humboldt State women's basketball team, there's no place like home. After starting the 2012-13 season on the road at two tournaments, the Jacks are ready to show their fans at home what they can bring to the table this year.
HSU hosts National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics member Hope International on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for one last non-conference tune up before California Collegiate Athletic Association action commences. The Jacks will look to put together the lessons they've learned over the past two weeks as they host a strong conference contender in Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
Head-to-Head
Last year marked the first time Humboldt State and Hope International faced each other, with the Jacks coming out on top with a 69-57 victory.
Cal Poly Pomona swept the conference series last season, claiming a 83-79 overtime victory in Lumberjack Arena and a 75-59 win at the Broncos' home court. The two defeats put the Broncos tied at 6-6 in the all-time series record with the Jacks. HSU is looking for its first win since Feb. 11, 2010, against CPP.
On-the-Air
Royal Notes
Hope International will finish its second game in-a-row tonight before facing HSU tomorrow night. The Royals currently stand 4-1 on the season, coming off a 99-58 loss to Southern Oregon Sunday night. HIU beat Bethesda 105-57 in its season opener and went on to win its next three games before the defeat to SOU. ... Four Royals average points in double figures, led by Brittany Bauman with 22.8 points per game. Andrina Rendon follows with 18.0 ppg and Krystal Canning and Rina Towne round out the top four with 10.2 ppg averages each. ... Rendon leads the Royals off the glass, averaging 9.8 rebounds per game. ... Towne has picked up 19 assists and Canning has stolen the ball nine times. ... Shawna Staves shoots at a .429-percentage from beyond the arc and is second on the team with 7.8 rpg.
Bronco Notes
Cal Poly Pomona comes off a bit of a rest after last playing on Nov. 14. The Broncos beat Fresno Pacific 72-61 to put their overall record to 1-1 after falling 80-75 in overtime to open the season against Dixie State. ... As a team, CPP averages 73.5 points per game, 44.5 rebounds per game, 16.0 turnovers per game and 14.5 steals per game. ... Three Broncos average double-digit points, led by J.J. Judge with 18.5 ppg. Mian Dingle isn't far behind with 12.5 ppg and Ashley Boggs follows closely with 11.0 ppg. ... Boggs leads the Broncos' rebounding game, grabbing 10.0 boards per game. ... Lauren Goecke tops the squad with nine assists and shoots at a .500-percentage from inside the arc. ... From downtown, Rachel Hatch leads the team with a .600 shooting percentage and has picked up seven steals.
Lumberjack Notes
Humboldt State looks to shake off a 72-56 loss to No. 13-ranked Grand Canyon, standing at 2-2 overall. As a team, the Jacks average 65.5 points per game—but give up 68.5 ppg to their opponents—and 39.3 rebounds per game. When inside the three-point arc, HSU shoots at .316-percent, while shooting at a .348-percentage from the perimeter. At the line, the Jacks finish 72.0-percent of their free throw shots. ... Three Jacks average scoring in double figures, led by
Lisa Petty with 14.8 ppg.
Caitie Richards takes a close second with 14.5 ppg and
Kelly Kime follows behind with 11.8 ppg. ... Petty also tops the team's rebounding effort, grabbing 6.8 boards per game. Kime and
Tiana Maxwell tie for second on the team with 5.3 rpg averages. ... Kime and Petty have initiated multiple fast-break chances, stealing the ball 13 and 12 times, respectively. ...
Elle Anderson has registered seven blocks on the season and shoots at a .550-percentage at the post.
Ali Orlich has also been getting good looks, shooting at .571-percent from within the arc.
Gleason Gabs
"We played two really good teams over the weekend at the Grand Canyon tournament and managed to get the split, but more importantly, we were able to see what we're made of and what potential we have. Although we lost to GCU, we came away with excitement and hope for our team. We played good basketball at times, there's just so much promise. It was a fun game to be a part of. ... Hope is a high-octane type of team. They are going to be a lot smaller in size than we've seen so far. We've been the smaller team the past couple of games, but this time we'll have more of the size advantage. With that said, they average a lot of points per game and come after you on defense. It'll be a completely different style of game than what we've seen. ... We always have a battle with CPP. They graduated a lot of key players last year, as did we, so we'll see different faces out there, but we always respect them. They're going to bring a lot of energy and definitely make you work. We expect a tough game on Saturday. ... We're excited to play at home! We've been on the road the past four games, so it'll definitely be great to be home with our two openers this week, including our conference opener on Saturday. ... Our conference is just so tough top to bottom. Playing against a conference opponent this early in the season is always a challenge since these games are equally as important as the ones late in February. We still have a ways to go and are growing as a team and getting better as a team. We hope to give our best effort on Saturday, and getting a W would be huge. We're still trying to improve day by day though."
