Box Score SEASIDE — Men's basketball history was made Saturday, but for the Humboldt State men's basketball team it was an episode right out of the Dark Ages. Cal State Monterey Bay celebrated its first win in 18 match-ups against Humboldt State, a 70-61 California Collegiate Athletic Association victory.
 
HSU had triumphed every time since the all-time series with the Otters began during the 1998-99 season, but an explosive start Saturday allowed CSUMB to improve to 3-5 in the CCAA and 7-8 overall. Dropping their fourth straight game, the Lumberjacks fell to 5-7 overall and 1-7 in league.
 
For the second time on the two-game roadtrip, Humboldt State battled back from a huge deficit in the game's waning minutes, only to fall short. The Jacks trailed by 15 points midway through the second half, but cut the lead to six points when Austin Bryan connected on two free throws with 2 minutes, 33 seconds remaining.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay's Brandon Cole shut down the Jacks' efforts by sinking a 3-pointer, preserving the Otters' win.
 
Bryan led the Lumberjacks with 18 points, and Nathan Hentley contributed 10. Darren Turpin topped his team with six rebounds, as the Otters won the battle of the boards, 43-36.
 
Brandon Ward was the Otters' leading scorer with 21 points, and Kevin Loustale added 10 points for CSUMB.
 
"Despite our struggles, I'm proud of the effort and hustle by the players tonight," HSU head coach Steve Kinder said. "Man-to-man, from the top to the bottom of our roster, they battled hard and together. I'm proud of that."

Ice-cold shooting plagued the Lumberjacks early, as they missed 13 of their first 14 shots. For the game, they managed only a 24-percent shooting mark while Cal State Monterey Bay shot 45 percent from the field.
 
Most of CSUMB's early scoring came in the paint, the Otters exploiting the Jacks' thinned-out post due to the recent loss of two starters. Kris Gallop and Alex Fertig each scored easy baskets, and Fertig's free throw extended the CSUMB to 20-5 with 11 minutes, 30 seconds remaining until halftime.

CSUMB led by as many as 20 points before Humboldt State showed signs of life, scoring nine straight points before Ward hit a jumper to maintain his team's comfortable advantage at 28-15.
 
Bryan and Hentley kept the Jacks' momentum going, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers, Hentley's bomb cutting the Otters' lead to 30-24. Loustale finished the half with a layup for a 37-29 CSU Monterey Bay lead.
 
As the second half began, the home team quickly took advantage of HSU's fullcourt press, which had incited the Jacks' first half comeback. The Otters' adjustment resulted in a dunk and layup, beginning a 10-3 run that extended the lead to 15 points.
 
Humboldt State worked the lead into single digits three more times, the final occasion when Hentley drained a 3-pointer with 5:07 on the clock. That shot initiated the Jacks' final surge, but the Otters stiffened defensively to stop the charge.
 
The Lumberjacks return home for a pair of CCAA games this week, taking on San Francisco State on Thursday and Sonoma State on Saturday.