ARCATA, Calif. – Humboldt State women's basketball will open its 2016-17 non-conference slate when it travels to Seattle to play in the West Region Challenge. The Lumberjacks face Western Washington at 1 p.m., Friday before taking on host Seattle Pacific at 5 p.m., Saturday.
 
In the preseason finale last week, HSU lost to Southern Oregon, 89-72. Mikaela Shannon scored 12 points in the game while Jovanah Arrington added 11.
 
"We were careless with our passes and turned the ball over too much," said Head Coach Michelle Bento-Jackson. "However, we played to the end and didn't throw in the towel. We showed a lot of energy, even in the last minutes of the game. "
 
Western Washington returns four starters from a team that finished last season with a record of 20-9 overall, and went 16-4 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Senior Taylor Peacocke, who averaged 16.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game last season, leads the Vikings along with fellow senior Kiana Gandy, who averaged 11.5 points.
 
"I haven't seen any film from this year, but we are familiar with their personnel and their tendencies" said Bento-Jackson. "Going into this weekend the focus is more on us and working on the things that we need to improve on.
 
After the matchup with Western Washington, the Jacks will take on Seattle Pacific.  The Falcons return four starters from a team that went 12-15 overall and 9-11 in the GNAC.
 
Junior Courtney Holander, who averaged 12.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game last season, leads Seattle Pacific.  Her teammate, Jordan McPhee put up 11.7 points and six rebounds per game during the 2015-16 campaign.
 
"Both Western Washington and Seattle Pacific are very good teams," said Bento-Jackson.  "We open up the season with a bang this weekend against two really tough competitors and then come home for a conference game."
 
After concluding the West Region Challenge, the Lumberjacks return home and begin California Collegiate Athletic Association play when they host Cal State San Marcos at 7 p.m., Nov. 17.