CHICO, Calif. – On the strength of a 19-11 first quarter, the Humboldt State women's basketball team staved off a late Chico State run and triumphed in its visit to Art Acker Gymnasium on Saturday night, beating the Wildcats 69-60.

The Jacks had a decisive edge in the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Wildcats 31-19. HSU's largest lead was 17 points, 44-27, at 6:28 of the third period, and the Green and Gold knocked down 16-of-18 free-throw attempts.

"I am very proud of our team tonight," said Lumberjack Head Coach Michelle Bento-Jackson. "We knew we were coming into a tough environment playing against a very good Chico team. Our team was resilient, weathered the storm when Chico made a run and did a terrific job of finishing the game off. We prepared well all week and executed our game plan extremely well. This is a great road win for us. We will enjoy this win and get back to work on Monday."

The victory moves HSU into sole possession of third place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association at 9-4, 10-8 overall. Chico State drops to 8-5, 10-7 overall and suffered its first home loss of the season.

The Turner sisters both finished with 14 points, and Tyra led the way with eight rebounds. Isamar Conde had 11 points and Jovanah Arrington chipped in 10.

After staking themselves to the early lead, the Jacks saw Chico creep to within three, 21-18, at 5:29 of the second period before extending their advantage for the remainder of the quarter into the third. They took what would be their biggest lead on two Tyla Turner free throws.

Chico did not quit and cut the Jacks' lead to 51-45 at the 1:43 mark of the third quarter on a Whitney Branham 3-pointer. HSU had the answer on this night, though, finishing strong and eventually taking a 69-55 lead on a Tyra Turner layup with 2:03 remaining before cruising home.

The Jacks are now off until a visit next Friday to Cal State LA followed by a Saturday date at Cal State Dominguez Hills, both with 5:30 tip times.