ARCATA - The steps are being taken more and more in the right direction and Humboldt State aims to continue the progress on the basketball court on the road.
The Lumberjacks steps led to their first California Collegiate Athletic Association victory and fell shy in the final minutes of earning the sweep.
"We were smarter and I do think we took a step in the right direction," noted Jacks head coach Steve Kinder. "Every player has been playing each weekend. Everyone is contributing. These team contributions causes a healthy environment Monday morning when we get back to the drawing board each week. We have to become more experienced in real time."
The Jacks will add to their experience for the young group when facing two tough athletic teams at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday night and the following night at Cal State Los Angeles with 7:30 p.m. tip-offs.
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: Friday's game will be streamed live on CSU Dominguez Hills' site athttp://www.gotoros.com/sports/2008/7/23/TorosLive.aspx?tab=torosportsnetwork2. On Saturday night, Cal vs. Cal State Los Angeles can viewed at: http://web.calstatela.edu/athletics/Live.htm.
Live Stats: Follow Friday's action online via CSU Dominguez Hills' live statistics viewer, located at the following link: http://www.sidearmstats.com/dominguez/mbball/. Saturday's updates will be available on Cal State Los Angeles' website at http://web.calstatela.edu/athletics/Live.htm.
Head-to-Head History
In the last five trips to Los Angeles, HSU has found a good rate of success against CSU Dominguez Hills and Cal State Los Angeles with three wins in each venue. The Jacks have split each of the past four trips to face the same CCAA foes. ... HSU prevailed 57-54 at Cal State Dominguez Hills and pulled out a close 56-54 victory in the 2011-12 meeting. Overall, the Jacks are 7-3 in the series last 10 matchups against the Toros. ... On Saturday, HSU will try to snap a two-game losing streak at the Eagles Nest. Cal State Los Angeles recorded a 77-70 win last Jan. 25th and a larger victory, 68-48, the prior year. The Jacks put a 'W' on their record the three yearly trips from 2008-09 through 2010-11. HSU is 6-4 in the last 10 matchups with Cal State Los Angeles with 3-2 marks in both locations.
Statistically Speaking
The latest HSU standings among the CCAA statistical rankings heading into this week's competition.
Probable Starters
Lumberjacks
#5 Meniru Ofodu, G, 6-4, 190, Jr., Brentwood
#22 Will Taylor, G/F, 6-4, 220, Fr., Eureka
#23 Chris Pender, G, 6-2, 190, Sr., McKinleyville
#25 Allan Guei, G, 5-9, 163, Jr., Los Angeles
#32 David Howard, F, 6-7, 230, Jr., Chicago
Cal State Dominguez Hills
#1 Chris Carvin, G, 6-0, 180, Jr., Elk Grove
#20 Steffon Neal, G, 6-4, 190, Sr., Compton
#21 Justin Sadler, F, 6-7, 235, Fr., Temecula
#24 Pierson Williams, G, 6-5, 190, Sr., Sylmar
#32 Everett Turner, Jr., G, 6-3, 185, Fr., Ontario
Cal State Los Angeles
#0 Quinton Watkins, G, 6-4, 220, Sr., Inglewood
#1 Joshua Munzon, G, 6-4, 170, So., Long Beach
#3 James Tillman, F, 6-6, 205, Sr., Oakland
#23 Aaron Alston, F, 6-7, 190, Jr. Hesperia
#32 Jordan Mitchell, C, 6-9, 210, Jr., Hawthorne
Another week and another pair of strong showings by Jacks' inside presence David Howard. The junior netted 53 points in 54 minutes of court time on 14 of 27 shooting from the floor and 21 of 22 at the line. ... In foul trouble against Sonoma State, Howard still led HSU with 18 points and four rebounds in 17 minutes for the win. ... The forward answered by almost singlehandedly taking the Jacks to victory before falling short versus San Francisco State. Howard pumped in a career-high 35 points including 14 of 15 free throws to go with seven boards and a pair of blocks and steals in 37 minutes.
Farris steps into spotlight
A first year player's development tells a lot of their future success. If last week is any indication, HSU's Parker Farris has a bright future over the next three seasons. The McKinleyville native produced 29 points and hit seven of 13 (53.8%) from 3-point range ... The freshman had a big night vs. Sonoma State with 15 points, five boards, four assists and two steals. He followed with another 14 points and two rebounds vs. SFSU. Farris has raised his average to 8.4 ppg and making 35.1% from long-range.
Scouting CSU Dominguez Hills (5-10/2-6 CCAA)
Cal State Dominguez Hills continues its search for the right winning combination. The Toros have claimed victory in only one of the last six contests and have dropped their last three affairs. ... Last week, CSUDH had a tough first half by falling down by 16 points, 38-22, and could not recover to fall, 79-65, at Chico State. The Toros had the opposite night the next evening as they faltered in the second stanza in a 70-54 loss at Cal State Stanislaus. ... The Toros received 30-plus points by nights from their bench players. Givon Crump (13.7 ppg) and DeShaun Freeman (10.5 ppg) led the team. ... "Athletic. They are not winning the majority of their games, so far, but are loaded with talented athletic and experienced players. A proven program that plays at a high level in the last five years and are figuring things out to put more W's in the win column," Kinder said.
Scouting Cal State Los Angeles (9-3/6-2 CCAA)
Cal State Los Angeles saw its seven-game winning streak last weekend. The Golden Eagles had a tough road trip as they dropped both ends of their road swing. The team had identical games as it fell behind 34-22 and 33-22 in the first halves, before losing, 66-49, at Cal State Stanislaus and 75-46 in Chico State. ... The second-leading scorer of the CCAA, Quinton Watkins accounted for a third of CSULA's points with 32 of the 95 points scored in the two games. Watkins netted 21 points at Cal State Stanislaus. The 6-4 senior holds a 21.0-point average, while hitting 51.0-percent (82 of 159) from the floor and almost 44-percent from 3-point land (31 of 71). ... Forward James Tillman is the Golden Eagles' top inside presence with 15.2 ppg and 5.9 rpg. ... "LA is athletic and same exact type team as Dominguez Hills. They are almost identical teams. LA is well-coached, athletic and comfortable playing at home. They know how to close out games," explained the HSU head coach.
