Box Score FRESNO – In a prolific display of late game shooting, Humboldt State's newcomer Jae Shin almost single-handedly shot the team back into the season opener only to run out of time in the end.
 
Shin pumped in 22 points over the final 8:57 by making all nine of her tries from the floor to lead a furious Lumberjacks' comeback attempt against the potent Seattle Pacific Falcons. But the Jacks fell short, 71-66, in the first night of the West Region Challenge held at Fresno Pacific University.
 
"Jae did a great job of knocking down big shots tonight, and we did a good job of finding her," said HSU head coach Joddie Gleason.  "We were struggling to score in the early part of the second half as we were forcing some shots and making turnovers.  We just made too big of a hole against too good of a team in Seattle Pacific tonight."
 
Trailing 53-36 with 9:46 left in the contest, Shin took over the HSU (0-1) charge.
 
The junior transfer downed a pair of triples and two field goals over the next seven minutes only to see Seattle Pacific (1-0) still hold a 67-54 at 2:25.
 
Shin, though, was not done.  The South Korean native tripled Seattle Pacific's output in the final two minutes.  She hit five more buckets with two more from long-range to pull HSU within five points, 69-64, with 24 seconds left.
 
The wing player finished her evening 11 of 17 from the field and six of eight from three-point range for 28 points.  She also swiped two balls and handed out two assists.
 
Another new Jacks player, Kersey Wilcox, was the other double-figure HSU scorer with 13 points including seven of seven from the charity stripe.  The junior handed out nine assists and grabbed three boards.
 
Senior Kelly Kime narrowly missed a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds while having three assists and a steal.
 
The two HSU centers, Elle Anderson and Megan Shields, combined for seven points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots.
 
Dani Gaumer came off the bench to provide five points and three assists, while Sumayyah Wiggins contributed four points and four caroms. 
 
Outside of Shin's six-of-eight line from three-point range, HSU's other shooters made just two of 18 tries.
 
Receiving votes in the preseason NCAA Division II poll, Seattle Pacific won the battle on the boards, 43-37, and hit .417 from the field.
 
The Falcons were led by their two preseason Great Northwest Athletic Conference players, Katie Benson and Aubree Callen.  Benson produced 20 points with 10 of 16 from the foul line and pulled down 10 rebounds, stole three passes and dished out three assists.  Callen added 18 points.
 
The two foes committed a total of 40 turnovers.
 
Leading by one point in the first half, the Falcons netted the next three baskets to open a 19-12 advantage with 7:40 on the clock.
 
A Shin triple and Wiggins jumper tied the affair at 23 with three minutes left in the opening half.  Gaumer drained a three-pointer for a 28-25 lead, before Seattle Pacific netted the final four points in the last minute for a 29-28 intermission edge.
 
The Falcons outscored the Jacks, 14-4, in the first seven minutes and 24-8 over the third 10 minutes of the night to open its 17-point lead, 53-36.
 
HSU will get no breather in its second contest of the two-day Challenge.
 
The Jacks will tip-off with sixth-ranked and last year's national semifinalist Western Washington University starting at 5:30 p.m.
 
"Western Washington is a perennial powerhouse.  We need to play well and have a short memory (of what happened tonight)," concluded Gleason.
 
Western Washington defeated host Fresno Pacific, 75-46, in the first game of the night.