ARCATA, Calif. – Despite one of the best first-quarter scoring efforts this season, Humboldt State women's basketball lost 62-51 to Sonoma State Thursday night in Lumberjack Arena.
 
Ashlynn Cox provided the Green and Gold's offensive spark with nine first quarter points. The Arcata native went 3-of-3 from the field and sank three 3-pointers. The Jacks' 20 points were the second most in the first 10 minutes this season.
 
The Seawolves defense locked down the Jacks in the second quarter. Sonoma State outscored the home team 12-3 and took a 25-23 advantage into the locker room. HSU was 1-of-9 shooting in the second quarter.
 
"We came out ready to go and got some good offensive looks that we knocked down," said Head Coach Michelle Bento-Jackson. "I told the girls at halftime that I never felt like we got in any offensive flow in the second quarter. One reason was because we were turning the ball over. We got some good looks that we didn't knock down, but we were constantly putting the pressure on our defense."
 
HSU made halftime adjustments and trimmed the Sonoma State lead to five, 37-32, with 2:49 remaining in the third quarter. Mikaela Shannon supplied four points and four rebounds off the bench for the Jacks.
 
Trailing 42-34 after 30 minutes of action, the Green and Gold began to chip away at the visitor's lead. Catharine Rees made a layup with 5:02 left in regulation, but that was as close as HSU got to catching Sonoma State. The Seawolves went on a 16-6 run to close out the must-win game.
 
"I have to give Sonoma State credit for keeping their composure when we made our run in the fourth quarter," said Bento-Jackson. "They were knocking down shots in the fourth quarter, and we were always on our heels."
 
Shannon was the Jacks top scorer with a career-high 12 points and led the team with nine boards. Cox finished with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
 
The loss eliminated HSU from the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament and punched Sonoma State's postseason ticket.
 
The Jacks close out the 2016-17 season at home Saturday night against San Francisco State. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
 
"Obviously our season is over on Saturday, and we have done so much this season," said Bento-Jackson. "I just want our team to come out and play with pride, play for our fans and play for themselves. That is all I want them to do. I want them to display that with their effort, intensity and competitiveness."