Box Score ARCATA – As is the case in most sports, basketball is more mental than physical many times. Humboldt State had enough costly times of mental breakdowns against the California Collegiate Athletic Association's top team and was unable to rebound to finish the 2013 schedule on a winning note.
In almost a mirror of a week ago, Cal Poly Pomona showed why it's leading the CCAA by putting together two strong stretches of play to end each half to take away the 79-71 victory over HSU and sweep the home-and-home series.
"We played well. We feel they are the best team we have seen this year," pointed out Lumberjacks' head coach
Joddie Gleason. "We feel they should be a nationally-ranked team, but we also showed that we can play with the top teams - both in the preseason and four conference games so far."
Kersey Wilcox paced the Jacks' attack with 20 points on six of nine tries to go with seven assists.
Jae Shin drained five triples for 15 points, while
Megan Shields add her own 15-point night with five rebounds and three assists.
Senior
Elle Anderson tied her season- and career-high with 15 rebounds, nine offensive. She contributed five points, three assists and three blocks.
Dani Gaumer chipped in 12 points, eight caroms and three assists.
The Jacks' mental mistakes were the huge swing of momentum and set the course for the rest of the night to end the first half.
Leading 30-17 with eight minutes left in the opening stanza, HSU was able to hit only three of its last 10 shots of the half, while turning the ball over three times. The home club, more importantly, made costly mental mistakes in giving up breakaway layups after Broncos' rebounds.
Cal Poly Pomona (7-1/4-0 CCAA) took advantage of the HSU miscues to a tune of a 20-6 run over the final eight minutes for a 37-36 intermission lead.
"This is a really good Pomona team and we can't make mental mistakes against a team like they are. We gave seven points away to end the first half on mental lapses and a good team like that makes you pay," said Gleason.
HSU came out strong in the second half to open up a six-point lead, 50-44, capped by a Shin triple from Wilcox at 15:39.
Cal Poly Pomona bounced right back with its own spurt to where the game was tied at 55 on a Ashley Lovett jump shot with 10:07 in the game.
As was the case last week in Pomona, center Jada Blackwell, who had a game-best 21 points with 17 of them coming in the second 20 minutes, drained a three-pointer on the Broncos' next possession at 9:12 and her team would never trail again.
The Jacks would get no closer than a
Sumayyah Wiggins' jumper in the lane on the ensuing offensive trip to make it 58-57 at 8:34.
An Anderson layup made it a 66-64 contest at the five-minute mark and a Gaumer three-pointer a 73-70 affair at 1:46 remaining. The home team, though, could never get back over the hump and in the lead and fell, 79-71.
Along with her 21 points, Blackwell grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked two shots. Her rebounding work and her teammates won the battle on the glass, 43-36 with 16 coming on the offensive ends to keep possessions alive.
"Blackwell is probably the best player in this conference," said Anderson of her inside foe.
"I felt they did a good job finding Blackwell inside in the second the second half and they rebounded. We didn't come away with rebounds down the stretch," added the HSU coach.
Ariel Marsh hit for 17 points and kept the Broncos in the game in the first half, while Blackwell was in foul trouble.
"This one hurts as we are definitely able to win these games, but we had too many mental errors. We didn't finish at the end," added Anderson. "We will take the break week and come back and be a force to be reckoned with (the rest of the year)."
"We just have to continue to work and to get better and we will get better," coach Gleason concurred with her inside post player.
HSU will have its second break in the season over the next 12 days. The Jacks will return to action on Friday night, Jan. 3 with a 5:30 p.m. contest at Cal State Monterey Bay.
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