LOS ANGELES – After trailing by double figures throughout the first three quarters, Humboldt State women's basketball mounted a fourth quarter comeback to defeat Cal State Los Angeles, 65-63.
 
The Lumberjacks evened their conference record at 5-5 and moved to 8-9 overall with the win. The Golden Eagles (4-10, 2-6) evened its season-series with the Jacks, with both teams winning on the opponent's court.
 
"The kids have that 'never say die' attitude," said Head Coach Joddie Gleason. "We were playing assist basketball and finding people for open shots. The plays we were making on the defensive end helped us to transition and start our offense."
 
Down 14-10 after one quarter, and 32-22 at halftime, the Green and Gold found themselves in a familiar position; needing a second-half run to pull out the California Collegiate Athletic Association win.
 
Both sides totaled 16 points in the third period, and LA maintained a double-figure edge heading into the final quarter. No Lumberjack had more than eight points through three quarters.
 
An 11-0 run in the fourth quarter, capped by Jessica Johnson's made three, gave the Jacks their first lead of the game, 51-50, with 6:07 remaining. After a free throw tied it up on the home team's next possession, HSU responded with another big shot from downtown. Neika Puryear drained her lone three-pointer to give the advantage back to the Jacks at 54-51.
 
The back-and-forth action continued down the stretch with Cal State Los Angeles' Franeka Hall knocking down a jumper to put the Golden Eagles up three, 59-56, with 1:34 to play. The Jacks answered with the first of two late threes by Amanda Kunst to tie the game at 59-59 with 1:14 remaining.
 
Hall responded by draining a three with 49 seconds to play, giving the three-point edge back to the home team. Teylor McMiller made it a one-point game with her offensive rebound and put back with 26 seconds left, forcing the Jacks to foul on the ensuing possession.
 
Cal State Los Angeles split the free throws, allowing HSU to call a timeout and draw up a play down two with 11 seconds to play. Coming out of the timeout, the Jacks were able to find Amanda Kunst at the top of the arc where she calmly knocked down her third three pointer of the evening.
 
Trailing by two, the Golden Eagles attempted a long pass that carried out of bounds, giving the ball back to Humboldt. Kunst drew a foul in the final seconds of play, securing the win for the Jacks.
 
"It was not one person doing everything for us," said Gleason. "We have a whole team that plays hard and contributes."
 
Kunst finished 17 points, sharing the game-high with LA's Hall. The Jacks shot 60 percent (6-for-10) from long range in the final period, a vast improvement from thier 16.7 percent (2-of-12) shooting in the first three quarters. The fourth quarter featured four ties and five lead changes.
 
The Jacks will make a return trip to Southern California in a week to face Cal Poly Pomona on Jan. 23. Saturday's game is the lone regular-season matchup against the Broncos this season.