ARCATA — Leaving the stress of final exams behind, the Humboldt State men's basketball team will have to take another test Saturday when the Lumberjacks travel to face Cal Poly Pomona. Tip-off at the Broncos' Kellogg Gym is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Paired as travel partners this year, Humboldt State and Cal Poly Pomona already played the first game of their home-and-away series. On Nov. 21, the Broncos visited Arcata, then went home with a 66-54 victory.
Cal Poly Pomona has continued to roll through the early season schedule, posting a 7-0 overall record and 3-0 California Collegiate Athletic Association mark heading into this week's game. After playing two of its first three league games on the road, Humboldt State is 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the CCAA.
Head-to-Head
Consistently two of the top CCAA squads, Cal Poly Pomona and Humboldt State have seen several tight outcomes. After winning this season's first meeting between the teams, the Broncos hold a 13-11 advantage in the all-time series. Humboldt State and Cal Poly Pomona split last year's regular season games, each team winning on its home court.
On-the-Air
Humboldt State basketball can be heard over the airwaves on KATA, 1340 AM, the North Coast's ESPN radio affiliate. BiCoastal Media Sports Director J.B. Mathers describes the action. Airtime is 7:15 p.m. The broadcast will also be streamed live at
http://socialstreamingplayer.crystalmedianetworks.com/radio/kataam.
Streaming VIdeo
Saturday's game will be streamed live from Pomona, and can be viewed at http://broncoathletics.com/news/2012/12/10/MBB_1210124035.aspx.
LiveStats
Cal Poly Pomona offers live statistics viewable at http://sidearmstats.com/csupomona/mbball/scoreboard.aspx
Projected Starters
Humboldt State Lumberjacks
Guard – #3 Brandon Woods, 6-2, So. from Compton
Guard – #22 Cody Kale, 6-3, Jr. from Rocklin
Forward – #2 Deaundray Robinson, 6-5, Jr. form Baton Rouge, La.
Forward – #4 Alec Williams, 6-7, Sr. from Laguna Niguel
Forward – #21 Aaron Chamberlain, 6-7, Sr. from Coronoa
Cal Poly Pomona Broncos
Guard – #11 DeRonn Scott, 6-6 Jr. from Etiwanda
Guard – #10 Barry Bell, 6-2 RS-Fr. from Oakland
Guard – #24 Shannon Sharpe, 6-1 Jr. from Corona
Guard – #25 Mitchell Anderson, 6-7, Sr. from Temecula
Center – #5 Mohamed Fall, 6-7, Jr. from Dakar, Senegal
Injury Report
It's still early in the season, but thus far the Lumberjacks have avoided the usual onset of injuries and illness. All 15 HSU players begin the week in good health.
Lumberjack Notes
A 14-day break in the schedule has provided plenty of time to prepare for Saturday's rematch while also allowing the Lumberjacks to focus on final exams. They'll have four more practices before departing for Pomona on Friday. …After starting the conference campaign against a perennial power, HSU earned a split on its first roadtrip. Head coach Steve Kinder has kept his team's collective keel even despite the tough scheduling, pointing to similar past predicaments. "I shared with the team how we had started 0-2 a few years ago and eventually won the CCAA title," Kinder said. "You have to stand on your feet and keep working. It's a long season." …Two years ago the Jacks began the league season 1-2, slipping to 2-4 three weeks in. HSU finished the year 22-8 overall and 15-7 in the CCAA, earning the conference regular season championship. …Defense arrived ahead of offense this year, allowing HSU to establish itself among the nation's leaders. Humboldt State ranks 41st among 286 teams in scoring defense, allowing only 61.1 points per game. The Jacks are 45th in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 39.3 percent shooting from the field. …Senior Alec Williams has consistently been the Lumberjacks' leader on offense, his 17.3 points per game ranking No. 4 in the CCAA. He also lists No. 4 in rebounding with an average of 7.7 boards per contest. …Aaron Chamberlain ranks 10th in the CCAA in blocks per game with an average of 1.0. .…Accuracy hasn't been a problem for the Jacks, who rank third in shooting percentage at 47.2.
Broncos Notes
Coach Greg Kamansky's Broncos appear interchangeable, especially on defense, where they are annually among the nation's leaders. Cal Poly Pomona is at it again, ranking No. 2 in scoring defense with an average of only 54.9 points allowed per game. …The Broncos are efficient instead of physical, committing an average of only 13.3 fouls per game to rank fifth nationally in that category. …Senior guard Mitchel Anderson leads his team in scoring and rebounding with averages of 16.6 and 7.4 per game, respectively. He's supported offensively by Mohamed Fall and Terrence Drisdom, both of whom average 10.2 points per outing. In the first match-up between HSU and CPP, Anderson scored 19 points, Fall had 13 and Drisdom put up 10. …In the Nov. 21 meeting, Humboldt State trailed by as many as 17 points before unleashing a furious rally that pulled the Jacks within six points with two minutes remaining. That's as close as the Lumberjacks could get, however, as consecutive misses on 3-point attempts and a pair of Drisdom layups put the game out of reach. "We'll look at video of that game and learn from our mistakes," Kinder said. "We didn't find the holes in their defense like we wanted to so we could manufacture points."
Kinder's Comments
"We still need to work on our execution on offense and our ability to share the ball consistently. Players need to trust each other as capable teammates." …"We're far enough into the season that our new players understand the measuring stick difference between a small NAIA team and a conference opponent." …"(Cal Poly Pomona) is really rolling. They're in a position to establish a solid early lead in conference heading into the holiday break. They have to be considered the team with the X on their back. We'll use that as motivation along with the revenge factor."
