GAMEDAY CENTRAL
vs. San Francisco State
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE RADIO 
vs. Sonoma State
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE RADIO 
LUMBERJACK SOCIAL MEDIA
TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM

ARCATA, Calif. -- Looking to rebound from a 0-2 California Collegiate Athletic Association start, the Humboldt State men's basketball team travels south to face San Francisco State and Sonoma State this weekend.
 
The Lumberjacks (3-2, 0-2 CCAA) visit the Bay Area Friday to face the Gators, and the Green and Gold visit Sonoma State Saturday on their return trip. Both games tipoff at 7:30 p.m. PT.
 
Head Coach Steve Kinder and the Jacks aim to improve their conference record after an 82-71 loss to Cal State San Bernardino Saturday evening. With the win, the Coyotes swept the regular season series after defeating the Jacks 77-70 on Nov. 22.
 
"Cal State San Bernardino came out hot the first half and we had a difficult time stopping them," said Kinder. "(We will focus on defense) and trying to keep guys in front of us. We need to be aware (on the defensive end) and able to help out another teammate when needed. We are also going to focus on our toughness on the defensive end and also our mental toughness. The team has to be ready to play the entire 40 minutes of the game."
.
Cal State San Bernardino knocked down 69 percent of its first-half shots and took a nine-point, 41-32, advantage into the locker room. HSU cut into the lead late in the game, but was unable to recover from the deficit. The Jacks trimmed the Coyote lead from 14 to four with 1:56 left.
 
Saturday's loss was another early setback for the Jacks, but Kinder prefers to focus on the positives and knows that the season is a marathon, not a sprint.
 
"A bright spot was Ethan Dillard coming in and playing really well defensively in the press," said Kinder. "He made a few very critical plays that turned out in a positive way and got us going, got us right back in the game when we were down double digits for a long time. He showed toughness and mental poise, and he really was a spark for us in the game".
 
Dillard, one of the Jacks' top 3-point shooters with 10 long-distance baskets, caused a steal late in the Cal State San Bernardino rematch. The Reno, Nev., native was held scoreless versus the Coyotes, but has twice scored 13 points this season, including a 13-point outing last week versus UC Merced.
 
"Ethan is a spot up shooter. The conference knows that and he is a weapon that we have and they have to guard him," said Kinder. "If they don't guard him he's just going to knock it down, he is a lights out shooter. Having him on the floor creates more spacing for us in the interior and gives us more freedom for our drivers to create plays. Defensively, he has really stepped up. He just knows our system. He is very trustworthy on the court. So having him out there as a coach, you know we trust that he is going to do the right thing defensively, make the right rotations, and offensively he's going to run the correct lanes."
 
The Gators were part of the Carl's Jr. Mac Martin Invitational last weekend held on the Chico State campus. San Francisco State broke even during the event, as it lost the opener to Azusa Pacific before it topped Dominican in the finale.
 
Bren Haley, an All-Tournament Team selection, scored a team-high 15 points in the Saturday's 63-58 win over Dominican. The Chico, Calif., native was 3-for-8 from long range and connected on 50 percent of his shots. Haley ranks fourth on the Gators in scoring with 8.5 points per game.
 
San Francisco State's offensive efforts begin with 6-foot-6 senior Udon Osakue. Osakue leads the Gators with 10.5 points per game and he shoots 50 percent from the field.
 
Kinder expects the Jacks to snap their three-game losing streak versus the Gators, but admits it will be a challenge.
 
"The Gators are playing well," said Kinder. "They have a defensive-minded team and they will make it difficult for their opponents to score in transition and in the half court. They are well coached by (Head Coach Paul) Trevor and his staff. They get out on passing lanes and defend. They pressure the ball hard. They help fill in and rotate within the half court system and make it difficult to get buckets."
 
Following Saturday's game, Humboldt State travels north to face travel partner Sonoma State. The Jacks swept the regular season series with the Seawolves last season, which included a 75-63 road victory in Rohnert Park, Calif.  
 
The Seawolves are coming off a non-conference win against Dominican, 85-82, on Nov. 25. Junior guard James Davis led all scorers with 36 points on 11-for-18 shooting in his first appearance of the season. Davis drained seven 3-pointers and also tallied a pair of steals.
 
"Sonoma State just beat a very good Dominican team. A Dominican team that beat Chico State," said Kinder. "Davis is a weapon. He scored 36 points (against the Penguins), so he is a guy we have to pay attention to. He can shoot it so we have to get on the Sonoma State shooters and they are very good that way. The Seawolves are very deliberate about post-entry and sharing the basketball. They are very patient offensively and we know that we'll have to prepare for that on the defensive end. We will have to prepare to not just to play the first 20 seconds of the shot clock, but the complete 35 seconds."
 
Sonoma State ranks second in the CCAA in field goal percentage heading into this weekend's matchup. The Seawolves connect on 53.2 percent of their shots, which ranks second to the Chico State Wildcats (53.7 percent).
 
This weekend's road trip will challenge the Jacks toughness and endurance with their first back-to-back conference test. Kinder believes the two-night CCAA engagement will prepare his team for what is to come.
 
"This will be our first back-to-back CCAA traditional weekend," said Kinder. "Playing within a 48-hour period of time calls for physical and mental toughness. And we will be challenged that way and so will the other teams. (This weekend) we will see if we can withstand some of the hurdles and trials of traveling back-to-back weekends and playing back-to-back games."

TIP-INS
- Calvin Young II leads the CCAA in shooting percentage (69.2 pecent). Young went 2-for-2 and scored a season-low four points in Saturday's loss to the Coyotes. 
- The Jacks are the conference leader in 3-pointers with 48 made baskets from outside the arc. Guei is a 71.4 percent shooter from long distance and leads HSU with 13 points per game. 
- David Howard averaged 17.5 points per game in two victories last season versus Sonoma State. He averages nine points a game this season and has scored 12 points three times. The Chicago native has started two games so far during the 2014-15 season and averages 17.3 minutes per game.