Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics

Top scoreboard

CAL POLY HUMBOLDT ATHLETICS
Justin Everett Stare DH 19
Thomas Allie

Men’s Basketball Continues Rivalry with Wildcats this Weekend

| By:
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO
RADIO: ESPN 92.7 FM / 1340 AM


ARCATA, Calif. – The Lumberjacks aren't lacking confidence following their victory over No. 13 ranked UC San Diego, and the Humboldt State men's basketball team looks to keep that momentum going as it faces rival Chico State Saturday. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. inside Art Acker Gymnasium.

"We have been playing very good basketball and we've beaten some good teams," said Head Coach Steve Kinder. "We have always known that we are capable of playing very good basketball, but we were still looked at as underdogs versus UC San Diego. It was a tall order, we had to play nearly perfect basketball for 40 minutes. I thought the team executed the defensive gameplan extremely well, they did a great job of focusing and doing what we asked from them as a coaching staff. I am very proud of the maturity and the communication level in front of a huge crowd Saturday night to pull off the victory."

The Lumberjacks (15-7, 9-5 CCAA) bounced back from a disappointing loss to Cal State San Marcos last Thursday by defeating UC San Diego with a thrilling buzzer-beater by Amari Green. The Green and Gold are the conference's highest scoring team averaging 81.6 points per contest. Senior Justin Everett leads the North Coast squad with 16.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

HSU got the best of its NorCal rival the last time these teams met as Green once again saved the day with his late-game heroics. With 22 seconds remaining and the game tied at 53, the Jacks ran a play for sharpshooter Jackson Strong. Strong's shot missed the mark and bounced to a streaking Green, who tipped the ball in with 1.2 seconds left on the clock for the win.

"When you play a rival you can throw out the records, and it doesn't much matter if it's home or away," said Kinder. "When the ball goes up, it's going to be scrappy, physical and emotional. Chico State is a very difficult place to play. The crowd is loud, they do a great job of game management, they are well-coached, and they have talented players."

Chico State currently holds a 6-9 overall record with a 5-9 mark during CCAA play. The Wildcats enter the week after splitting a pair of games last week, first dropping a game to UC San Diego before closing the weekend with an 88-64 win over Cal State San Marcos. Chico boasts a well-balanced offensive attack and has three players on its roster who average double-digit scoring figures. Malik Duffy leads Wildcat scorers with 11.2 points per game.

The Wildcats lead the all-time series with a record of 128-76. HSU has not won a road game versus Chico State since 2014.
Print Friendly Version