ARCATA — Ten days after returning from an 11-day roadtrip, the Lumberjacks have had plenty of time to re-familiarize themselves with their own court.  They'll resume competition this week in Lumberjack Arena starting with Tuesday's home-opener against Pacific Union College.

Tip-off for that game is set for 7:30 p.m., as it is for Saturday's home contest against Pacifica College.

With no games scheduled since his team's last competition, held Nov. 8, Coach Steve Kinder has also utilized the gap in the competition to further develop the team he'll send back into battle this week. The Lumberjacks hope to gain experience while building on their pre-league 1-1 record during the first three games of their five-game homestand before opening California Collegiate Athletic Association action on Dec. 5 against UC San Diego in Lumberjack Arena.

Track the Jacks
Audio: Every Humboldt State men's basketball game is broadcast live on the local airwaves on KATA 1340 AM, the North Coast's ESPN affiliate owned by BiCoastal Media. J.B. Mathers handles the play-by-play responsibilities, beginning with the pregame show 15 minutes prior to tip-off. The audio is also streamed live online at http://socialstreamingplayer.crystalmedianetworks.com/radio/kataam.

Video: HSU Athletics offers live streamed video online, coming direct from Lumberjack Arena at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/humboldt-state-athletics.

Live Stats: Follow the action online via Humboldt State's live statistics viewer, located at the following link: http://www.sidearmstats.com/humboldt/mbball/

Head-to-Head History
Humboldt State claimed a 108-69 win in the only official meeting between the Lumberjacks and Pacific Union Pioneers, played in Arcata in 1998. Last year the Jacks hosted PU in an exhibition game on Oct. 26, coming away with a 87-45 victory. …HSU has hosted Pacifica the past two years, earning a 86-70 win in 2011 and claiming a 112-57 victory early last season. The school itself, located in Covina, has only been in existence since 2011.

Part of the Plan
From facing a pair of NCAA Division I powerhouses to a tournament featuring in-region Division II rivals, then finally coming home to face NAIA programs is all part of Kinder's strategy. The step-by-step approach is geared toward readying the Lumberjacks for the CCAA regular season. "We were thrown in the fire and came out with a dose of experience," Kinder said. "Then we ran into two solid Division II teams, and came away with a win in the second game that helped us in several ways. Now we hope to come away with victories against our visiting NAIA opponents, keep making progress offensively and defensively, and go into our CCAA opener firing on all cylinders."

Learning Experience
As Kinder alluded to, HSU's victory over Academy of Art in its second game at the PacWest/CCAA Challenge presented a situation that most teams prepare for but rarely see. With four seconds remaining, Humboldt State led by three points, but AAU was in possession of the ball. The Urban Knights used a 30-second timeout to set up their plan, and Kinder countered with a timeout of his own to set up the defense. AAU inbounded to Alexis Moore, who was fouled by Allan Guei immediately after he crossed the halfcourt stripe. Moore sank his first free throw, but on his second attempt he fired the ball at the glass, hoping it would bounce into the hands of a teammate for a last-second shot. Instead, his shot did not touch the rim, thereby rendering it a deadball and turnover. "We took a situation that everyone practices, and executed it perfectly," Kinder said. "That was a great opportunity in only the second game of the season."

Injury Update
The entire season will be one of coping with the loss of four key players plus another whose return is in question.  Of the quintet, only senior post Brett McConnell has a chance of rejoining the team. He will undergo knee surgery this week and his prognosis will be further determined following the procedure.

Probable Starters
Lumberjacks
#10 Jordan Mackie, 6-6, 190, Jr., G, Los Angeles
#15 Brandon Pomrehn, 6-8, 230, Jr., C, Arcata
#4 Parker Farris, 6-4, 180, Fr., G, Arcata
#25 Allan Guei, 5-9, 163, Jr., G, Los Angeles
#32 David Howard, 6-7, 230, Jr., F, Chicago

Pacific Union Pioneers
#33 Ben Vincent, 6-5, 205, So., F, Modesto
#44 Jordan Greenwell, 6-5, 230, Jr., F, Vallejo
#2 Demetrius Deason, 6-0, 160, Jr., G, Compton
#24 Gupreet Sangha, 6-3, 210, Jr., G, Livingston
#3 Trevor Nogueira, 6-1, 165, So., G, Manteca

Pacifica College Gladiators
#3 Jonathan Earl, 6-4, 190, Jr., G, Pomona
#24 Nico Colon, 6-5, 195, Fr., C, Chino Hills
#25 Rafael Morelos, 6-6, 230, Jr., F, Baldwin Park
#2 AJ Hecox, 6-1, 180, Fr., G, Chino
#13 Alex Mendiola, 5-10, 168, Jr., G, Downey

Scouting the Opposition
Pacific Union (0-5) has struggled to come up with a full game effort, but showed signs of what it is capable of in a Nov. 10 loss to CCAA school Cal State L.A. In the opening half, the Pioneers repeatedly broke the Eagles' press and shot well from beyond the arc, battling to a 41-40 halftime lead. The game remained tight for the first eight minutes of the second half before CSULA found its long-range touch and pulled away for the win. …Junior forward Jordan Greenwell has powered the Pioneers' offense, averaging team highs of 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.

Pacifica College (0-2) visits Arcata for the third consecutive year, and will have played the Jacks every year since the school's inception. The Gladiators fell to Fort Lewis College (Colo.), 89-49, and fell to Division I UC Irvine, 110-73. …Rafael Morelos, a 6-6 junior, was Pacifica's leading scorer in both contests, putting up 16 points against Fort Lewis and 22 against UC Irvine.

Looking Ahead
Humboldt State's third pre-conference game, a Nov. 30 match-up against Simpson University in Lumberjack Arena, will leave one non-conference game on the schedule. After opening CCAA play against UC San Diego on Dec. 5, the Jacks play another league game on Dec. 7 vs. CSU San Bernardino. The final non-conference outing is a Dec. 16 home game vs. Linfield College.