CARSON, Calif. – Humboldt State men's basketball lost its second straight game following a 90-70 road loss to Cal State Dominguez Hills Saturday.
 
The Lumberjacks (8-6, 3-5 CCAA) stood toe-to-toe with the Toros (8-4, 4-2 CCAA) through 20 minutes, but Dominguez Hills outscored the North Coast team 53-32 in the second half.
 
The first half featured eight lead changes, and Tyras Rattler Jr. led the Green and Gold with 15 of his team-high 19 points.
 
Dominguez Hills never trailed in the second half, and the Toros took advantage of their numerous free throw opportunities. After reaching the charity stripe 13 times in the first 20 minutes, Dominguez Hills converted 15-of-17 opportunities in the final 20.
 
The Toros shot 64.3 percent from the field down the stretch, while the Jacks shot 41.4 percent.
 
Rattler (19), Nikhil Lizotte (12) and Tyler Green (11) had double-digit scoring totals for the North Coast team. Will Taylor led the squad with six assists and Rattler finished with a team-high six boards.
 
Dominguez Hills ruled the glass. The Toros outrebounded the Jacks 39-25, and the home team scored 12 second chance points.

"Rebounding becomes an issue when you have this kind of margin throughout the game," said Head Coach Steve Kinder. "We were battling throughout the game, but couldn't get it done on the boards. It was difficult to overcome a 30-5 discrepancy in free throw opportunities. It was a tough night."
 
Dharion Tanner was Dominguez Hills' top offensive performer with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Tanner connected on 4-of-6 attempts from outside the arc.
 
HSU remains in Southern California and travels to face The Master's University for the first time in program history on Monday, Jan. 9. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
"This will be a very competitive game. They are playing extremely well," said Kinder. "They have completely turned things around from last year with their new coaching staff and players."