SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Humboldt State men's basketball topped Cal State San Bernardino 84-81 at Coussoulis Arena Saturday night. It was the Lumberjacks' first road win over the Coyotes since the 2011-12 season.
With the win, HSU improves to 11-1 overall and 5-1 in California Collegiate Athletic Association action. San Bernardino slips to 0-6 in conference play and 3-7 overall.
Saturday's victory also moved the Jacks into a four-way tie for first place in the CCAA. HSU, Cal Poly Pomona, UC San Diego and Chico State each have a 5-1 conference mark.
"The win tonight was a grinding, tough battle, and we are very proud of our ability to fight through adversity," said Head Coach
Steve Kinder. "Getting a sweep on the road is something we haven't done in a while."
HSU led by as many as eight points in the first half, despite foul trouble that almost proved to be the squad's undoing. A
Rakim Brown layup with 5:45 to play gave the Green and Gold their largest lead of the half, 33-25.
San Bernardino, led by newcomer Everett Turner, showed its resiliency throughout the game and trimmed the HSU advantage to two, 45-43, at the break.
The Jacks shot 50 percent from the field in the opening half and even found their rhythm outside the arc shooting 42.9 percent.
Thomas Witzel and Brown paced the Green and Gold scoring effort with nine points apiece in the first 20 minutes.
Malik Morgan followed with eight points and three assists.
One major issue for HSU at the conclusion of the first half was Morgan's foul situation. The sophomore guard accumulated three fouls before the break and logged just 11 minutes.
An 8-0 run for the Jacks early in the second half rebuilt the squad's 10-point advantage, 55-45, but that momentum proved to be short-lived.
A pair of free throws by Turner at the 7:03 mark began a 16-6 run for the Coyotes. Juan Martinez sank a pair of shots from the charity stripe to end the run at the 1:16 mark and give San Bernardino its first lead of the half, 80-79.
HSU connected on 5-of-8 free-throw opportunities in the final minute of play to seal the win.
Poor free-throw shooting looked like HSU's Achilles' heel late in the game. The Jacks missed 11 free throws and were 13-of-24 from the line in the second half.
Despite Morgan fouling out with 4:20 to play, freshmen
Tyras Rattler and
Nikhil Lizotte rose to the challenge. Rattler scored a team-high nine points in the second half and finished with a team-best 17. Lizotte handled Morgan's responsibilities at the point and chipped in eight points after intermission.
Six Lumberjacks scored in double figures, and the Green and Gold shot 50.8 percent from the field. Rattler (17), Witzel (16), Brown (14), Lizotte (13), Morgan (12) and
Ethan Dillard (10) all reached double-digit scoring totals.
Brown notched his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Rattler was one rebound shy of his first career double-double with nine boards.
"We made some adjustments tonight that we needed to make," said Kinder. "Our coaching staff challenged the team and they answered on the offensive and defensive ends. We were without two of our offensive weapons late in the game, but we played extremely well without them. We are becoming a very seasoned group, despite having so many freshmen and sophomores playing valuable minutes."
HSU returns home to face Chico State on Thursday, Jan. 7. Fans are encouraged to bring a new Teddy Bear or stuffed animal to the game to be donated to Toys for Tots at the first media timeout. The annual Teddy Bear Toss game will tip off at 7:30 p.m.
