Box Score SAN RAFAEL – Growth and progress weren't enough to satisfy the HSU men's basketball team, who found itself on the short end of a 95-83 decision to Dominican University in Friday's season-opener.
Playing with a team predominantly composed of youngsters and newcomers, the Lumberjacks suffered one fatal lapse in falling to the host team at the CCAA/PacWest Challenge. Outscored 13-2 in the first three minutes of the second half, even a late surge wasn't enough to close the gap.
"We had a lot of possessions that were positive, but coming out at the half we definitely faltered," HSU head coach
Steve Kinder said. "We weren't playing winning basketball, and they went on a flurry."
HSU will try to bounce back Saturday when the Jacks face Academy of Art in the tournament's third game, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Academy of Art opened its season Friday with a 97-80 win over Cal State East Bay in the tourney opener.
On Friday, the Jacks and Penguins played on even terms throughout the first half, both teams coming out with strong defensive efforts that kept the score low. That all changed when Matt Hayes drained a 3-pointer to begin the second half, and Devin Golston's long-range bomb two minutes, 40 seconds later opened a 14-point lead that expanded to as many as 22.
Hayes finished the game with 25 points to lead all scorers, hitting 5-19 shots from 3-point range. Golston scored 21 and added six assists and seven rebounds for Dominican, while Connor Haysbert added 13 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
Pacing HSU were
David Howard and
Jordan Mackie, both of whom scored 21 points. Mackie – who scored the Jacks' first four points of the game but was forced to the bench with two early fouls in the opening period.– scored 15 in the second half.
Humboldt took advantage of Dominican's spotty free throw shooting down the stretch, closing a 19-point deficit to eight in only two minutes. Point guard
Allan Guei scored nine of his total of 19 points during the rally, while Mackie scored seven and Howard four to fuel the comeback attempt.
Will Taylor gave the Jacks a fourth double-figure scorer, contributing 14 points, including a 10-12 free throw shooting performance. Taylor also added six rebounds.
The loss came as the Jacks wrap up an 11-game roadtrip that featured exhibition games on the road against NCAA Division I programs Cal and St. John's.
"We were battle tested, in our exhibitions, and that showed tonight," Kinder said. "We didn't give up, we tried to make a run at the end."
