POMONA, Calif. – Humboldt State women's basketball tried to duplicate last year's conference tournament magic but came up short on the road versus Cal Poly Pomona, 77-72, Monday afternoon in Kellogg Arena.

The Lumberjacks trailed by just three points, 75-72, with five seconds to play following a Gabrielle Carbajal 3-pointer, but time wasn't on the side of the North Coast squad.

HSU started strong in sharp contrast to a lethargic start to Saturday's road loss against UC San Diego. The Green and Gold led by nine, 20-11, as Isamar Conde drained a long distance shot with 1:51 remaining in the first quarter, and it proved to be HSU's largest lead of the game. Pomona answered with 11 straight points and ended the first half with a 7-0 spurt which gave the home team a 40-36 advantage. Madeline Hatch led the Jacks with 13 points in the first 20 minutes, and the first half featured 10 lead changes and five ties.

Pomona built a 10-point lead late into the third quarter and looked to have taken command in front of its home crowd. The Jacks went on an 8-0 run punctuated by a Hatch trey with 44 seconds left in the third quarter to pull the visitors within two, 56-54.

The Green and Gold were outscored 21-18 in the fourth quarter. With Jovannah Arrington on the bench following her fifth foul midway through the frame, Carbajal came up big with all 10 of her points in the final 10 minutes. Pomona made 6-of-10 free throws down the stretch to secure its lead and second straight win.

Foul trouble plagued both teams Monday, but the Green and Gold suffered the whistle to the tune of 23-19. Both Hatch and Arrington fouled out of the game. The Broncos shot 49.1 percent from the field compared to the Jacks' 37.1 percent shooting. Pomona outrebounded HSU 38-37.

Conde led HSU scorers with 19 points, while Alexia Thrower recorded her team-leading sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds.

HSU hosts Cal State Los Angeles on Thursday, Jan. 10 in Lumberjack Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.