Box Score ARCATA — Humboldt State's uphill struggle to join the lead pack in the California Collegiate Athletic Association turned into an even steeper climb following a 72-69 loss to UC San Diego on Saturday.

The loss on their home court dropped the Lumberjacks to 5-5 overall, but more importantly, they are now 1-5 in the CCAA standings. UC San Diego claimed its first conference victory, improving to 2-6 overall and 1-4 in league. The win was only the third for UCSD in 16 previous meetings with HSU.

UCSD's hot hands from 3-point land proved to be the Lumberjacks undoing, as the Tritons hit 8-of-16 long range bombs while HSU dropped in only 5-of-17.  Two of the Jacks' misses came in the final eight seconds of the game, preventing them from forcing overtime.

"We knew from our scouting report that they were a very intelligent, very good shooting team," HSU head coach Steve Kinder said. "(UCSD's) record doesn't reflect how well they've played this year."

On Saturday, the Lumberjacks led 34-33 at halftime, but were unable to contain UCSD sharpshooters Drew Dyer and MacKenzie McCullough, who each were 3-of-4 on 3-point attempts. Dyer's long-distance connection continued a Triton second-half surge, putting the visitors ahead, 52-43 with 11 minutes, 58 seconds remaining.

Rocky Brown led an HSU comeback, nailing a 3-pointer and contributing a steal and assist that pulled HSU within two points at the 8:23 mark. Two minutes later, Brown's jumper tied the game at 61-61, knotting the score for the sixth time. McGrath's layup and free throw moved the Tritons up by three again, but HSU's Nathan Hentley answered from beyond the arc to square the score again at 64-64.

A pair of free throws by James McCann gave the Tritons a lead they wouldn't relinquish, though the outcome remained in doubt when Darren Turpin's jumper pulled Humboldt State within a single digit with 39 seconds remaining. McCann drove for a layup that eventually accounted for the final point difference when the Jacks were unable to convert their final two 3-point attempts.

"We're going to go back to working on the fundamentals of executing on offense and working effectively on defense," Kinder said. "I'm obviously disappointed at how we've been unable to break bad habits that have landed us where we are."

The final score prevented the Jacks from celebrating outstanding individual performances by Hentley, Austin Bryan and Darren Turpin. Hentley came off the bench to score a career-high 11 points, six more than his previous best. The sophomore connected on 3-of-4 shots from 3-point range.

Turpin, a senior, contributed career-high performances of 15 points and five rebounds. Bryan totaled an all-time best six assists without committing a turnover, and also scored 12 points. Brown was the fourth HSU player in double digits, tacking on 12 points in his second game as a Lumberjack.

Dyer scored 17 points to top the Tritons' offense, while McCann and McGrath chipped in 16 points each. McCullough ended the evening with 11 points.

Humboldt State returns to action Friday, going on the road to face Cal State East Bay before traveling further for Saturday's contest against CSU Monterey Bay.