ARCATA, Calif. ­– Humboldt State men's basketball struggled to find its offensive spark in the first half and was not able to overcome a 17-point halftime deficit as Cal State Monterey Bay captured a 70-57 upset Saturday night in Lumberjack Arena.
 
The Otters (3-9, 1-5 CCAA) shot a blistering 55.2 percent from the field in the first half and used a 22-5 run in the final six minutes to take a 37-20 lead into the locker room. Not only did Cal State Monterey Bay dominate on the offensive end, it cleaned up on the glass and outrebounded HSU 21-9 before the break.
 
Colin Caslick led the Green and Gold with six points in the first 20 minutes, and HSU connected on just 29.2 percent of its shot attempts. The Jacks' 20 first-half points were a season-low.
 
"We got out to a nice lead early, but then we looked up and the game was tied," said Head Coach Steve Kinder. "Momentum changed on us. Athletes and coaches underestimate their opponent, they don't show them enough respect and when that happens you emotionally become flat. With our roster and our trends lately we haven't been handling that well."
 
A Calvin Young II dunk with 5:52 left in the second half trimmed the Otters' lead to four, but it was the closest the Jacks would get to completing the comeback. Young scored 10 points after intermission and finished the game with a team-high 14 to go with seven rebounds and three blocks.
 
HSU finished the game shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from outside the arc.
 
Malik Morgan scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting for the Jacks, while Nikhil Lizotte had nine points and accounted for a team-high five assists.
 
The Otters bench chipped in 37 points and was led by Kevin Warren with a team-leading 25 points. Cal State Monterey Bay shot 49.2 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range.
 
"We didn't play with a lot of heart tonight, and that was very disappointing to see," said Kinder. "I hate to say that about my team, but I don't think we were physically or mentally tough tonight."
 
HSU returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 7 on the road against Cal State Dominguez Hills. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.