ARCATA, Calif. -- Humboldt State men's basketball committed 23 turnovers in Saturday evening's 77-70 loss to California Collegiate Athletic Association rival Cal State San Bernardino in Lumberjack Arena.
 
The Lumberjacks (2-1, 0-1 CCAA) led 33-28 at halftime, but the Coyotes (1-1, 1-0 CCAA) used 26 second-half points from Isaiah Morton to secure the victory.
 
"Everything was turned up 10 notches tonight because it was our first conference game and a rivalry game," said Head Coach Steve Kinder. "There was a big time atmosphere in the arena, but we had a lot of breakdowns tonight."
 
HSU shot 48 percent from the field in the opening half and Thomas Witzel and Allan Guei led the Green and Gold with eight points apiece. Witzel was a perfect 3-for-3 in the opening period, including two 3-pointers.
 
Morton led the Coyotes from their five-point deficit to the lead after the break. Cal State San Bernardino held HSU scoreless for 4:34 and Morton scored eight points over the stretch to give his team the 53-46 edge.
 
"The scoring drought was tough to endure," said Kinder. "We could not find an answer or a bucket."
 
Senior David Howard sank a trey to pull the Jacks within one, 60-59, of the Coyotes with 5:02 left in the game. Howard contributed 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench against Cal State San Bernardino.
 
Late turnovers ended HSU's attempts at a rally and Cal State San Bernardino extended its lead to as many as 10 points in the closing minutes.
 
The Coyotes improved their shooting from 41 percent in the first half to 62 percent in the second. Cal State San Bernardino's defense also came up with seven second-half turnovers.
 
Guei paced the HSU offense with 15 points, while Witzel and Austin Bryan added 10 and 11 points, respectively. Bryan scored only two points in the first half and both came from the free throw line.
 
The Jacks host non-conference opponent UC Merced Sunday evening at Lumberjack Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
"Tomorrow's game gives us an opportunity to redeem ourselves and get a win," said Kinder. "The game can help give us some momentum heading into next week versus Cal State San Bernardino. It will also be a learning experience and will help us prepare to play games back to back."