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ARCATA, Calif. – The Humboldt State women's basketball team will continue its 2018-19 campaign into the postseason after receiving the No. 7 spot in the NCAA Division II West Region Tournament. The Lumberjacks will travel to host UC San Diego and face No. 2 seed Northwest Nazarene on Friday at 2:30 p.m. in RIMAC Arena.

This marks the second straight season that the North Coast squad will make an NCAA Tournament appearance. HSU defeated No. 1 seed Azusa Pacific last year before dropping its next game against Alaska Anchorage.

Following a 72-62 loss to Cal State East Bay and an early exit from the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament, the Jacks enter the regional with a 19-7 overall record.

"I am really excited that we get to play after a disappointment like East Bay. There is no better time for a basketball fan than the month of March," said HSU Head Coach Michelle Bento-Jackson. "I wanted to make sure the team understood we are one of the 64 teams. We want to represent ourselves very well."

Junior forward Alexia Thrower was named the CCAA's Newcomer of the Year and also received First Team All-CCAA honors. Thrower's 17.6 points and 10.4 rebounds ranked second and fifth respectively in the conference.

Joining the Las Vegas native as First Team All-CCAA selections are teammates Isamar Conde and Tyra Turner. Conde continually stretched the floor with her long-range shooting ability as she shot 34.5 from behind the 3-point line while her 2.3 made treys per game were the third-best average in the CCAA. Turner's slashing ability combined with her exceptional court vision allowed the junior to lead the conference with 5.5 assists per game while her 2.5 steals ranked second.

Northwest Nazarene captured its first Great Northwest Athletic Conference title on Saturday after defeating Alaska Anchorage 70-64. The Nighthawks finished the season with an impressive 28-2 record. These teams last met in 2009 when Northwest Nazarene handed the Jacks a 80-66 defeat. The Nighthawks are led by guards Avery Albrecht and Ellie Logan who average 13.7 and 11.4 points per game, respectively.

"We are going into a very familiar gym, but at the end of the day it's the team that's the hardest or the toughest that will win," said Bento-Jackson. "We are going to get everybody's best punch. We want to leave this game, win or lose, knowing we played our hardest."

Six Rivers Brewery in McKinleyville, Calif., will be hosting a watch party while fans can also listen as JB Mathers will be covering the game on ESPN 92.7 FM / 1340 AM.