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ARCATA, Calif. – The Humboldt State men's basketball team has secured its spot in the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament and will travel to face Cal Poly Pomona Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
"We are proud to be back in the postseason, for the 16th time in the last 19 years, and get another opportunity to win a CCAA Tournament Championship," said HSU Head Coach
Steve Kinder. "Five very good CCAA basketball teams have finished their seasons, and our team is fighting to extend its season while appreciating the opportunity to still be playing in March."
The Jacks enter the tournament as the No. 8 seed after finishing with a 17-13 overall record and an 11-11 mark in CCAA play. HSU is the second-highest scoring offense in the conference, averaging 77.5 points per game, while Pomona owns the most efficient defense and limits opponents to just 61.7 points per contest. Senior forward Justin Everett is averaging a conference-best 15.7 points per game and ranks seventh in rebounding, averaging 6.7.
The nationally-ranked Broncos have been on a tear, winning their last 12 matchups. Pomona finished with a 17-5 record against CCAA opponents and captured a share of the regular season championship with UC San Diego. Junior guard William Christmas leads the Broncos averaging 15 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
The Green and Gold split the season series with the Broncos and handed Cal Poly a 70-65 loss on its home court the last time the Jacks traveled to Pomona.
"We have a tough task playing a red-hot Pomona team that has won its last 12 games," said Kinder. "Our effort, focus, and ability to play 40 minutes of championship-caliber basketball will be needed to win the game. Our guys have a lot of confidence coming off two good performances last weekend in Lumberjack Arena where we played well together and stayed tough, both physically and mentally."
The winner of Tuesday's contest will advance to the CCAA Tournament Semifinals and will face the winner of San Francisco State and Cal State Los Angeles on Friday in Hayward. The semifinal and final rounds are Hosted by Cal State East Bay.
