Box Score
ARCATA – It took 27 games, but the top-ranked UC San Diego Tritons have finally been dethroned. Humboldt State did what 16 previous teams couldn't do and beat the Tritons 74-73 Wednesday night.
The win puts the Jacks one step closer to hosting the first round of the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament with an overall record of 18-7, 14-7 in conference. With its first loss of the season, the Tritons now stand at 26-1 overall, 20-1 in the CCAA.
"To take down a qualtiy opponent like UC San Diego, it speaks volumes of our program," said head coach Joddie Gleason. "We're trying to climb the conference ladder to get a home game and this helps us break some tie-breakers if we do end up tied. It's a huge win for us and a huge win for the program, so we're really excited."
Entering the game, UCSD—who claimed the regular season CCAA title—had outscored its opponents by almost 20 points. Not letting the stats get the better of them, the Jacks focused in on their competition and studied the Tritons to better prepare themselves for the challenge. Come game time, HSU was ready to rise up to the occasion.
"It's indescribable right now," said Gleason. "I'm so proud of these girls. I'm proud of their focus and concentration the last few days with our scout, film sessions, practices and everything leading up to this game, and then the game itself. We talked about focusing for every possession since UCSD is such a good team that if you lose focus for one play, they'll make you pay."
Caitie Richards led the attack with 21 points, followed by
Lisa Petty and
Kayla Williams both getting 17 points. Williams dished out assists with careful precision, posting an 8:1 assist to turnover ratio on the night, which Gleason says isn't an easy feat against a pressure-oriented team like UCSD.
Bree Halsey played outstanding defense for the Jacks, registering nine rebounds, two blocked shots and three steals.
Richards, who went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc, helped HSU live up to its reputation of the conference's best three-point shooting team. The Jacks shot 39 percent from the perimeter, 42 percent in the second half alone.
"All of our players really bring a lot to our team, but Caitie and Lisa are our shooting guards," said Gleason. "We expect them to bring it every game. When they play well, our team usually does well. It's not just their ability to shoot because a lot of teams give them windows to shoot, but they have to recognize when that's not open and be able to get to the basket and create for their teammates."
Daisy Feder led four Tritons who scored in double figures, scoring 18 points of her own and led the team with eight rebounds and two steals. Chelsea Carlisle—who leads the CCAA in scoring and assists—posted 15 points and five assists, Lauren Freidenberg finished with 13 points, and Emily Osga rounded out the group with 10 points.
HSU came out determined to play, grabbing a nine-point lead at one point in the first half, but UC San Diego fired back and took the lead heading into halftime up 35-33.
In the action-packed second half, the lead changed 11 times, with the score being tied up 10 times—neither team was ready to go down without a fight.
The Tritons struck first, giving UCSD a four-point advantage just minutes into the half off a layup from Feder, but two perfect free throws and a perfect pass from Halsey to set up Petty with a layup tied the game at 39-39. The score continued to bounce back-and-forth between the two teams, with neither team grabbing more than a three-point lead.
Despite shooting an impressive 56 percent from the field, the Tritons hurt themselves at the free throw line, only finishing half of their shots from the line. Osga missed a critical free throw shot that could have put UCSD up by two in the final minute of the game, instead of leaving the game within a point.
As the time was winding down, the fans energized the Humboldt State squad as the Jacks fed off the excitement. Down by one point,
Kelly Kime finished a layup from Williams to put the Jacks up 72-71 with 38 seconds on the clock.
"Kelly doesn't get rattled," said Gleason. "It's the one of the biggest games of her life and she's calm and collected. We expect her to make those shots, so we're not surprised when she makes them."
Feder responded with a layup of her own, stopping the clock with 9.9 seconds left on the board. Seeing they had time to score, the Jacks knew the upset was within reach.
"When you put your heads down, that's when you lose," said Petty. "We all just kind of looked at each other and said, 'Let's Go! We're not losing!'"
With just seconds on the clock and all eyes glued to the ball, Williams sent it up toward the basket. As the ball fell through the hoop, the crowd erupted with cheers and the Jacks jumped into each others arms, overwhelmed with the feat they had just accomplished.
"We just beat the team ranked No. 1 in the nation," said Williams recalling what the team was feeling as the game ended. "It's amazing. There's no other feeling for that. It's why you play basketball."
Humboldt State will look to carry the high of beating the No. 1-ranked team in the nation over to Friday's matchup against Cal State San Bernardino, a team looking to snag a spot in the CCAA tournament.
"What does this win mean if we lose Friday's game?" said Petty. "It gives us more determination to finish the regular season strong. Then let's go to playoffs and make it to regionals."
In other CCAA contests: Sonoma State defeated Cal State San Bernardino 66-54, making Friday's game a decisive game for the Coyotes. Cal Poly Pomona downed Cal State Los Angeles 73-56. In a low-scoring contest, San Francisco State grabbed a 39-35 victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills.
