CHICO, Calif. – In another tight contest between two rival women's basketball programs, Dani Gaumer and Megan Shields scored a combined 27 second-half points to power Humboldt State past Chico State, 89-84, Friday night.
 
Trailing 48-41 less than three minutes into the second period, Gaumer hit a trey, drew a charge and downed a second 3-pointer to start the Lumberjacks' key run. Gaumer followed by stealing the ball and going coast-to-coast with a layup to surge HSU ahead, 51-50, over a 1:30 time frame. The Jacks never trailed after the Gaumer layup over the final 15:57. Shields banked home all 14 of her points in the second period including the other bucket in the key 12-2 spurt.
 
"Chico State played great and came out ready to play tonight," said HSU Head Coach Joddie Gleason. "We had people step up and make plays, especially in the second half. Dani Gaumer went on her run and we had a variety of people, who made plays when we needed it."
 
For the second time in a row after 17-straight losses at Acker Gym, HSU came away with the win at Chico State. The Jacks' victory is the team's 10-straight and ties the longest winning run under Gleason, which was from Feb. 6 to Mar. 6, 2009. HSU improved to 11-1 overall on the year, stayed perfect in the California Collegiate Athletic Association at 7-0 and extended its league-winning streak to 11 dating back to the final four games of last season. Chico State dropped to 3-8 and 1-6 in the CCAA.
 
Gaumer hit 6-of-10 shots from the floor and 4-for-5 from 3-point range for her 18-point night. The senior had 13 of her 18 points in the second half. She also grabbed six rebounds, stole the one ball and assisted on one bucket.
 
"Chico is always a hard place and tough environment to play in," said Gaumer. "We have a pretty veteran team, which doesn't get too rattled."
 
After picking up two fouls in six seconds less than three minutes into the game, a well-rested Shields made her mark in the second period. The center made 5-of-9 attempts and all four free throws for 14 points to go with three rebounds.
 
Following a cold-shooting night last Saturday, Jae Shin came out on fire for the Jacks. Shin registered 17 first-half points by hitting 5-of-7 treys. She finished 6-for-10 in the game.
 
"Jae took advantage of her open looks in the first half, but Chico State gave her nothing clean in the second half. It opened up Megan (Shields) inside in the second half and Dani (Gaumer) hit some big shots late," said Gleason.
 
Point guard Kersey Wilcox produced her second double-double of the season. The senior handed out a career-high 12 assists and scored 11 points. She made 5-of-7 shots from the floor and pulled down four rebounds. Wilcox posted her 12 assists, while she committed only three turnovers.
 
The CCAA Player of the Week A'Jaee Foster scored nine of her 15 points in the second half. She made 3-for-6 of her shots and 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. The forward also pulled down a game-high seven rebounds and dished five assists.
 
Off the bench, Nikki Powell chipped in eight points, five rebounds and two blocked shots. Neika Puryear added five points.
 
As a team, HSU had its best shooting night of the season. It made 31-of-59 shots for a season-best 52.5 percent, including 16-of-26 second-half tries. The Jacks' offense also made 10-of-20 treys and 17-of-21 (81 percent) from the foul line. HSU posted another season high of 23 assists, while it committed only 13 turnovers.
 
On the glass, HSU finished with a 41-20 advantage over Chico State and a 14-8 offensive rebound margin.
 
Chico State had four double-figure scorers led by Hannah Womack and Michelle Walker with 16 and 15 points, respectively.
 
After a Shin 3-pointer, HSU led 13-12 with 4:31 into the contest. Chico State netted the next five points, 17-13, and it held the advantage for the next 14-plus minutes. A pair of Foster free throws tied the game, 39-39, before the Wildcats' Womack drained a trey right before the buzzer for a 42-39 intermission score.
 
The Wildcats put the first five points on the second-half scoreboard to make it eight-straight points, 46-39. The home team held a 48-41 lead at 17:27 when Gaumer led a 12-2 run to give HSU a 53-50 lead.
 
The Jacks saw their lead cut to a single point four times, including 70-69 with 5:18 remaining. A Gaumer left-wing 3-pointer answered it and started seven HSU points in a row, 77-69.
 
Chico State made one last gasp as Whitney Branham's two free throws made it 87-84 with 48.1 seconds left.
 
It was Gaumer's night in the end. After she missed a 3-pointer with 17 seconds, HSU maintained possession when the rebound went off Chico State. Gaumer was fouled after the inbounds pass and converted both free throws to seal the 89-84 victory.
 
HSU travels south to play at Cal State Stanislaus Saturday night, Jan. 10, in a 5:30 p.m. contest.
 
"(Cal State) Stanislaus will give us pressure for 40 minutes and attack offensively off the dribble tomorrow night," said Gleason.