Box Score LA JOLLA – Fairytale time came to an abrupt end for Cal Poly Pomona when Humboldt State ended the Broncos' recent buzzer-beating heroics in Friday's first semifinal game of the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament. But after building a 14-point first half lead, the Jacks had to rally from behind in the game's final two minutes to earn a 74-70 win and advancement into Saturday's championship game at 5 p.m. They'll face Chico State, who claimed Friday's second semifinal with a buzzer-beater over Sonoma State.

Randy Hunter scored a game-high 24 points for HSU, and Brandon Sperling contributed 17 to send the Jacks to the championship game for the second year in a row. Scott Clark scored 11 points and D.J. Broome added his second career-high performance of the week, following up Tuesday's 14 points with nine assists Friday.

"We want to keep playing. Nobody wants this to end," Hunter said. "Last year we lost the final when I missed a free throw and Cal State Dominguez Hills made a buzzer-beater. Now it's time for redemption."

Down to the final two minutes, Cal Poly Pomona fans could feel confident after the Broncos had hit long shots as time expired to grab wins in their final regular season game and first round CCAA matchup. Another tight game on the line, HSU head coach Steve Kinder decided to leave the Jacks' five seniors on the court, but Kyle Baxter was forced to exit when he picked up his fifth foul. That foul sent Anderson to the free throw line, where he made both tries to put the Broncos on top, 68-67.

The drama continued when Hunter hit a jumper for an HSU one-point lead, and after Broome came up with a steal, he was fouled and hit two free throws. Matt Rosser drove to cut CPP's deficit to one again, but Clark drained a fade-away jump shot from just beyond the free throw line for another Jacks' three-point advantage. Rosser's next layup, with 13 seconds remaining, was the final Broncos' points, and Sperling iced the Lumberjacks' win with two free throws with nine seconds remaining.

Rosser was CPP's high scorer with 18 points, including a 10-for-11 effort from the free throw line. Tyquan Brown added 12 points for the Broncos, who fell to 19-8 on the season. They'll wait until Sunday's NCAA postseason field is announced to learn if they'll play again.

Now 21-7 overall, the Lumberjacks could earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Division II West Region Tournament by winning Saturday's championship game. If they fall, they'll also will wait until Sunday's selection show to learn if they've been awarded an at-large berth. The show will be streamed live on ncaasports.com at 7 p.m.

After Cal Poly Pomona scored the first bucket of Friday's game, the Lumberjacks quickly began to build a lead.  Austin Bryan's three-pointer, sandwiched between layups by Baxter and Hunter, gave the Jacks an 18-11 lead, and after holding the margin for four minutes, two layups from Bryan and Hunter's three-pointer extended HSU's cushion to 14 at 29-15.

The Broncos took advantage of Jacks' turnovers and flexed their muscles on the offensive boards, surging back in contention before halftime. Rosser scored a layup while being fouled, and hit the ensuing free throw, and a Dwane Fells free throw cut the Lumberjack lead to 37-31 at the break.

Humboldt State maintained a six- to eight-point lead for the first seven minutes of the second half, most of the scoring provided by Hunter. CPP went inside to Fells, who bowled over Matt Lipski on his way to the two-pointer and successful free throw that cut the Jacks' lead to three points.

Unlike the game's early minutes, the Lumberjacks shooting touch suffered, and by the 12:02 mark of the second half they had made only three of eight shots from the field. CPP kept its rally going from the foul line, pulling within one point when Daniel Rodriguez dropped in one of two free throws.

Anderson came up big defensively on HSU's next possession, tipping the ball away from Bryan and taking it the other way for a dunk that gave the Broncos their first lead since the 19:23 mark of the first half. They didn't stop there, expanding the cushion to six points before layups by Broome and Sperling pulled HSU close again, but Fells' layup made it 61-57, Broncos with 5:36 on the clock.

"Coach Kinder and (assistant) Coach (Hardy) Asprilla kept reminding us that everybody goes on runs," Hunter said. "We had a couple of turnovers, and they capitalized. But we came up big toward the end and put them away."

The Jacks stormed back, Clark's jumper bringing them within one again before Sperling's layup gave HSU a 67-66 lead. Cal Poly led once more on two Anderson free throws, but after re-taking the lead on Hunter's clutch jumper from the left side of the foul line, the Jacks didn't trail again.

Humboldt State's victory avoided a potential controversy. With 8:47 remaining to play, Anderson launched a shot that was counted for three points, but television replays showed him well within the men's line and just outside the women's three-point stripe.