This Week's Games

The first Humboldt State California Collegiate Athletic Association sweep of the season fell short last week, but the challenge arises against two league rivals starting Friday.

The Lumberjacks gained a measure of revenge from an earlier year loss by taking the Pioneers of East Bay to begin last weekend. The pair of contests, though, was not a complete success as the Jacks saw a healthy-sized lead evaporate into a late-game loss to Cal State Monterey Bay.

HSU will have the task of taking on two conference rivals which both recorded a sweep of last weekend. The Jacks travel to take on San Francisco State on Friday, before moving up to Rohnert Park versus Sonoma State the next evening.

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: For Friday at San Francisco State: http://www.sfstategators.com/sports/2013/10/2/LIVE_VIDEO.aspx ... At Sonoma State: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/sonoma-state-seawolves

Live Stats: Follow the action online via San Francisco State's website at: http://www.sidearmstats.com/sfsu/mbball/xlive.htm ... Live stats at Sonoma State: http://www.sidearmstats.com/sonoma/mbball/

Head-to-Head History

Over the past two-plus seasons, the Jacks have been able to secure only four victories in 10 contests against this week's league foes ... HSU has enjoyed a bit of recent success against San Francisco State.  The conference rivals have 'held serve' the past two years by taking the action on their home courts, a trend HSU will try to continue on Friday.  On Jan. 11, it was a battle of premiere CCAA players between HSU's David Howard and SFSU's Nefi Perdomo. Howard won the individual battle 35 to 33 points, but Perdomo won the team war by an 82-73 final in favor of the Gators. In the last game at The Swamp, SFSU prevailed, 79-61. SFSU has won the last two in the Bay Area, while HSU claimed the two meetings there prior with the last one coming on Jan. 18, 2011 (78-65) ... The Sonoma State Seawolves saw its three-game win streak over HSU snapped on Jan. 9 by a 69-67 final. HSU edged ahead 5-4 over the past nine meetings with the victory. SSU pulled out an 83-68 in Rohnert Park during last season's matchup on Jan. 22 and also claimed the previous game in The Wolves Den. The Jacks last win on the Seawolves home floor came on Jan. 2, 2011 by an 86-74 margin

Statistically Speaking

The latest HSU standings among the CCAA statistical rankings heading into this week's competition.

Probable Starters

Lumberjacks

#10 Jordan Mackie, G, 6-6, 190, Jr., Los Angeles
#15 Brandon Pomrehn, C, 6-8, 230, Jr., Arcata
#22 Will Taylor, G/F, 6-4, 220, Fr., Eureka
#25 Allan Guei, G, 5-9, 163, Jr., Los Angeles
#32 David Howard, F, 6-7, 230, Jr., Chicago

San Francisco State

#10 Calvin Otiono, G, 6-2, 185, Sr., Sacramento
#13 Nefi Perdomo, G, 6-1, 170, Sr., Oakland
#15 William Overton, Jr., G/F, 6-5, 190, Sr., Perth Amboy, NJ
#24 Brandon Tatum, F, 6-6, 190, Sr., Oakland
#50 Max Fodor, F/C, 6-8, 250, Sr., Fremont

Sonoma State

#13 Steve Lackey, F/C, 6-7, 220, Sr., Cameron Park
#25 David Ahern, G, 6-0, 180, So., Novato
#33 Sterling Arterberry, G, 6-5, 195, Sr., Sacramento
#35 Justin Herold, F/C, 6-8, 235, Sr., Santa Rosa
#42 James Davis, G, 6-0, 170, So., San Lorenzo

Head coach Steve Kinder on his Jacks:

"The team continues to push forward in growth, our youth is gaining valuable experience for the future and picking up wins along the way. Splitting at home is never the goal at HSU, however, I'm proud of what we accomplished last weekend against two tough CCAA teams."

Support players help defeat Pioneers

It is always a great contest when a team receives additional scoring and production from its support players. The HSU support and up-and-coming players aided in the victory over Cal State East Bay last Thursday night. Freshman Colin Caslick produced his highest-point total of the year with 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Junior center Brandon Pomrehn added his own 14 points on the inside by making 7-of-8 tries.

Scouting San Francisco State Gators (11-8/9-7 CCAA)

San Francisco State brings a two-game win streak into Friday night. After being swept the previous weekend, the Gators bounced back with wins over CSU Dominguez Hills (70-57) and Cal State Los Angeles (63-58). ... With the two wins, SFSU has moved into a three-way tie for third in the CCAA standings with Cal State Stanislaus and Cal State Los Angeles at 9-7. ... Overall, SFSU has been a .500 club since the calendar turned 2014 where it has a 6-6 mark. ... The Gators have won their last three games at The Swamp and 5-2 overall ... Nefi Perdomo pumped in 24 points including 6 3-pointers in the win over CSU Dominguez Hills to start last weekend. In the lower scoring game, forward Max Fodor chipped in a team-high 15 points and 10 rebounds to defeat Cal State LA ... Perdomo is second to only HSU's David Howard in CCAA scorers at 19.7 ppg. The 6-1 guard leads the league with 2.2 steals per game and fourth in 3-point percentage (43.1%). Will Overton, Jr. leads the inside game at 13.1 ppg and rates second in the league on the foul line at 83.3%. Calvin Otiono adds 10.9 points and another 3-point threat (45.1%).

HSU coach Kinder's comments on the opponents:

"SFSU has proven they can play with anyone in the conference, at a very high level, and has one of the best guards in the league with Nefi Perdomo.

SSU will have a huge crowd waiting for us this Saturday night as they view this game as a rivalry. Coach Fuscaldo and the Jacks have a long time history that has a proven track record of battles between the two teams."

Scouting Sonoma State Seawolves (5-15/4-12 CCAA)

After winning only one of its first dozen games, Sonoma State has put together four victories over the past eight including its first back-to-back wins last weekend. The Seawolves held serve in both home games over Cal State Los Angeles (68-64) and CSU Dominguez Hills (61-53). ... The CCAA's leader in field goal percentage (60.0%), Justin Herold led SSU with 22 points in the close two-point loss at HSU on Jan. 9 ... James Davis and Steve Lackey led SSU with 21 and 18 points, respectively, in the upset of LA, before Herold made 7-of-8 shots for a game-best 16 points against Dominguez Hills ... On the year, the 6-8 Herold is sixth in CCAA for rebounding (6.4 rpg) and tops on SSU's scoring (14.8 ppg). Sterlin Arterberry leads the CCAA on the foul line at 84.0%, while netting 13.2 points per night.

###