ARCATA, Calif. – Humboldt State men's basketball dropped both games of last week's SoCal road trip, but returns to the North Coast to host Cal State East Bay (Thursday) and Cal State Monterey Bay (Saturday) this week in Lumberjack Arena. Both games tip off at 7:30 p.m.

The Lumberjacks have lost five straight and will have a chance to rise in the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings if they manage a pair of wins against two of the conference's bottom three teams.

"It's good to be home," said HSU Head Coach Steve Kinder. "We are looking forward to a great environment. Both East Bay and Monterey Bay are struggling in terms of wins and losses, because of the parity you will find up and down the conference. We are going to wear the black jerseys Thursday, and it's a great way to make it an event. It will be a curveball for our fans because they don't normally see us in those jerseys. We would like fans to come out and wear black and support the team."

East Bay is riding a six-game losing streak and is 4-12 in CCAA play. Fans are encouraged to wear black to Thursday's doubleheader versus the Pioneers and student-athletes will be recognized for academic excellence at halftime of the men's game. Drew Bender is the Pioneers' top scorer and the Phoenix, Ariz., native averages 12.1 points per game. Bender has been limited to single digits in two of the team's last four games and he scored four points last week against Cal State San Bernardino.

HSU suffered an 87-81 loss to Monterey Bay in their early-season meeting. The Otters haven't found much success since topping the Jacks back in late November. Monterey Bay is on the CCAA's longest losing streak with 10 consecutive losses heading into the Otters' Thursday showdown with Chico State. Sophomore guard Jahvon Johnson leads the Otters with 13.1 points and 2.7 assists per game.

Jack Kaub continues to prove he is one of HSU's top players. The junior from Los Alamitos notched his second double-double of the year versus Cal State Dominguez Hills with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Jacks are happy to be back in the friendly confines of Lumberjack Arena, a place where they have gone 4-6 this season.