LOS ANGELES – Humboldt State's men's basketball scored the first 11 points of the game and pressed the issue late at Cal State LA Friday night, but ultimately fell to the Golden Eagles by the final of 81-77.

Free throw shooting proved to be HSU's undoing on this evening, as they shot just 18-of-34 (52.9 percent) from the line.

"If you look at the stats and the free throw percentages it wasn't just the difference at the end of the game, but it was deflating during the game emotionally and strategically," said HSU Head Coach Steve Kinder. "Poor free throw shooting magnifies itself and can become an epidemic in a game, it can become an Achilles heel and lead to a loss."

HSU fell to 6-14 overall, 3-11 in California Collegiate Athletic Association conference play. LA is now 9-11, 5-10 CCAA.

The Jacks pushed their lead to as much as 16-3 with 13:05 left in the first half on a Will Taylor layup before LA began to claw its way back. HSU's final lead was 21-20 at the 8:04 mark before the Golden Eagles started to gain some separation, taking a 37-30 advantage into the break.

"Rebounding was the key of the first half, and I think communication was important to us getting a good start," said Kinder. "I was really happy that we came out and played hard in the first half."

LA's defense limited the Green and Gold sharpshooters to 2-of-11 shooting from outside the arc, and the Golden Eagles' press caused 12 HSU turnovers a problem Kinder addressed with the team at intermission.

"Cal State LA was pressing us full court and got us to turn the ball over often in the first half," said Kinder. "So we talked about press breaker situations and moving the ball safely, which we did at times in the second half. I was proud of our communication that was pretty good at times tonight."

The Jacks found themselves down by as many as 11, 68-57, with 7:21 left in the game, but they gradually fought their way to within a couple points. A Tyras Rattler Jr. free throw cut the deficit to 72-70 with 52 seconds remaining, but the Golden Eagles' Garrett Carter hit four crucial free throws down the stretch en route to a game-high 24 points. Kenneth Cyprian drained his team's final two opportunities from the charity stripe to ice the game with three seconds left.

Justin Everett, 7-of-9 from the field, and Ashton Pomrehn, 5-for-10 from downtown, both scored 15 points for the Jacks. Calvin Young II contributed 10 points, while Jack Kaub led the team with eight rebounds, and Kameron Curl had six assists on the night.

HSU outrebounded LA 42-33, and outshot the Golden Eagles 44.8 percent to 42.1, but was unable to overcome its struggles from the line.

The Jacks look to rebound quickly, as they take on Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson on Saturday night with a tip time of 7:30 p.m.

"I think we need to stay positive with each other," said Kinder. "The dynamics of the team needs to stay positive and upbeat. The most important message we can send them right now is take care of their bodies, hydrate, get rest and stay positive."