ARCATA, Calif. — The Humboldt State men's basketball team prepares for a favorable stretch in its schedule which includes five consecutive home games. The Jacks begin the homestand as they face off against Cal State Monterey Bay Thursday night followed by Stanislaus State Saturday with both games scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip.

Last week HSU (4-4, 1-2 CCAA) captured its first conference win of the year as it defeated Cal State San Marcos, 86-75, but the Lumberjacks failed to complete the SoCal sweep ending the weekend with an 83-73 loss to Cal State San Bernardino. With eight games played, Humboldt State is the California Collegiate Athletic Association's top scoring offense averaging 87.9 points per game. Senior forward Justin Everett leads the North Coast squad with 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

"Our starting lineup is playing good basketball," said HSU Head Coach Steve Kinder. "They take care of the basketball. We're not turning it over and we're defending well. Our guys are also prepared with their scouts. They identify the other team's best players and try to defend them the best way they can."

Cal State Monterey Bay enters the weekend fresh off a heartbreaking 86-84 loss to Cal State Dominguez Hill, handing the Otters their eighth straight defeat. The Otters are statistically the league's worst defense and allow 83.5 points per game. Junior guards Jahvon Johnson and Charlie Tooley will look to carry the offensive load for the Otters as they lead the team with 14.3 and 13.3 points per game, respectively.

"Don't let Monterey Bay's record fool you," said Kinder. "They have had extremely close games lately against UC San Diego and Dominguez Hills. They have very capable players and some weapons. We are going to have our hands full on Thursday night."

Stanislaus State will look to build off its exciting 78-71 overtime win over No. 7 Cal Poly Pomona last Saturday. The Warriors are 4-3 overall and sit at 1-2 in CCAA play. Stanislaus State boasts a well-balanced offense with three of the top 10 scorers in the conference with Andy Cleaves (16.1 points per game), Vasilije Saraba (15.7), and Ty Davis (15.3) leading the way.

HSU split last season's series with both programs. The Jacks won at home against the Otters, but lost on the road. Stanislaus State was unable to defend its home court, and the Warriors picked up a victory in Lumberjack Arena.