ARCATA, Calif. – Despite returning to the court less than 24 hours after playing, and making a season-low 17 field goals, Humboldt State women's basketball found a way to earn a victory on Saturday night. The Lumberjacks (5-5, 1-2) defeated San Francisco State (5-5, 3-1) on its home court, 60-52.
"I thought the energy was great, the kids were fired up," said Head Coach
Joddie Gleason. "We have kind of figured ourselves out at this time of year. We had back-to-back games were we held our opponents under 35-percent shooting, which is a team goal. We were unselfish offensively, and we dealt with their double-teams and aggressive defense by finding the open player."
The game opened with back-and-forth action as each team was trying to establish a rhythm. Despite four lead changes, HSU held the one-point edge, 15-14, after the first quarter.
The second quarter was all Lumberjacks. HSU outscored the Gators 19-3 in the quarter and pushed the lead to 17 points as
Neika Puryear was able to complete a three-point play in the final seconds of the second quarter. Puryer drove the lane, hit the layups, and gave the Jacks the 34-17 advantage at intermission.
Kiana Brown hit the double-figure mark before the break, with half of her 20 points coming in the first half.
SF State responded to start the third quarter. In the first three and a half minutes, the Gators strung together a 10-3 run of its own to cut its deficit to 10. Humboldt State did not allow the game to return to single digits in the quarter, and carried a 13-point advantage into the final period.
Following a pair of
Amanda Kunst made free throws with 6:47 remaining in the game, the Gators chipped away once more to cut the 15-point deficit into eight in less than three and a half minutes. Strong free throw shooting down the stretch, notably from Brown's perfect 12-for-12 night from the line, gave the Jacks their second California Collegiate Athletic Association victory in as many days.
Teylor McMiller and
Amanda Kunst scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, to join Brown in double-figures. As a team, the Green and Gold shot an efficient 40.5-percent from the field and a season-best 54.5-percent from long range.
"We made them take tough shots, and that was beneficial to us," said Gleason. "We did not panic in the third quarter, but we kept our composure. I like the position we are in, as far as CCAA schedule goes. We're all about rest and having the girls think about finals before we focus on next Saturday."
Humboldt will not play another CCAA game until New Years Day, but will host a nonconference game against Western Oregon on Dec. 19 at Lumberjack Arena to close out the calendar year.
