Box Score SEASIDE – When the opposing defense stiffened, Humboldt State's Kersey Wilcox made her move to draw the contact and eventually lift her team to a 65-53 overtime victory.
 
Trailing by two in regulation, Wilcox was stopped at the left block, ducked under the Cal State Monterey Bay defender and drew the foul. The California Collegiate Athletic Association's best foul shooter knocked down both foul attempts to send the game into overtime, 51-51.
 
The Lumberjacks' point guard netted half of the team's extra period points including the sealing 3-pointer as part of a 14-2 five-minute period for the 65-53 final victory over the home Otters in The Kelp Bed.
 
In an area of emphasis by the HSU coaching staff, Humboldt had its best rebounding (54-41) and defensive game of the year in holding its foe to only 53 points to start the 2014 part of the schedule.
 
"We did great getting stops defensively (late) and getting rebounds," explained HSU head coach Joddie Gleason. "The team relies on offense so much, but tonight we used defense to win. We received huge late rebounds from Elle Anderson, Dani Gaumer, Kersey and Kelly Kime.  It was a whole team effort to finish possessions with rebounds."
 
Some of the Jacks' rebounding came from its shortest starter Wilcox, who grabbed a pair of her eight in overtime.
 
Wilcox had a solid all-around night leading HSU (5-4/2-3 CCAA) with a season-high 25 points on seven of 11 from the floor including both 3-point tries and nine of 11 from the charity stripe.  She also handed out three assists and swiped two passes.
 
"Kersey was solid. It was a pretty physical game, and she kept competing and continuing to attack," said Gleason.
 
Gaumer compiled her own quality night with her first double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jae Shin downed three triples including two to open the second half for nine points with three rebounds. Megan Shields banked home seven points to go with eight rebounds, three blocks and two assists. Anderson added nine rebounds and Kime six points.
 
After tying the game at 51, Wilcox and the Jacks established themselves in the overtime with the first seven points. Shields made a pair of free throws to start the scoring. Wilcox accounted for the next five points on a driving left-handed layup, before breaking the Otters' (3-5/0-5 CCAA) back, essentially, with a right wing 3-pointer to make it 58-51 with 1:19 remaining.
 
"I knew it was going in the moment it left my hand," said Wilcox.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay scored its only bucket of the extra period next. The Otters missed eight shots in the overtime frame, including four in the final minute.
 
HSU connected on seven of 10 free throws over the last 55 seconds to end the night.
 
Down by a point, 27-26, at intermission, Shin came out hot for HSU to down a pair of left side 3-pointers.  Wilcox added her own to follow to continue what would be an 11-0 run in the first 3:28 of the second half and 37-27 lead.
 
The Otters would battle back and tie the affair at 41-41 with 9:29 on the clock.
 
Neither team would lead by more than four points in the final nine minutes. 
 
Cal State Monterey Bay's leading scorer on the night, Jenna Bandy, who hit for 20 points with four 3-pointers, made one of two free throws with 26.3 seconds to make it 51-49.
 
HSU will continue its weekend swing on Saturday night with a 5:30 p.m. contest at Cal State East Bay in Hayward.
 
Cal State East Bay flew past Cal Poly Pomona, 83-58, Friday evening.