ARCATA, Calif--- Humboldt State Lumberjacks will look to extend its season beginning winning streak this week when the 'Jacks host Western Oregon and Dominican in a pair of non-conference games at Lumberjack Arena. HSU will entertain Western Oregon this Tuesday, November 23 at 7pm and Dominican (Calif.) this Saturday, November 27 at 4pm. The 'Jacks have started their season 3-0 including this past Saturday's 81-78 win over Lincoln (Calif.).
COACHING STAFF: The 'Jacks are coached by second-year head coach
Tae Norwood. Coach Norwood has a .714 winning percentage during his two-years as a head coach. Norwood led the 'Jacks to a 4-5 record during the pandemic season. He came to Humboldt State from Florida, where he guided Keiser University to a 23-7 record during the 2019-20 season including a share of the conference regular season title. Keiser also appeared in the NAIA Tournament.
On his staff are
Andy Harre (first year), HSU Alum and former men's basketball player
Colin Caslick (third season) along with volunteers Jason Hodges and Baron Parks.
RECAP OF LAST WEEK'S GAME: The Lumberjacks trailed 74-67 with 3:36 left in the game and finished the game outscoring Lincoln 14-4 to defeat the Oaklanders 81-78.
Jaden Edwards scored the game-winner on a pass from
Will Johnson with seven seconds left to cap the Lumberjacks' come-from-behind thriller.
Amari Green sealed the win with two free throws in the final seconds. Edwards finished the night with 22 points while
Thomas Melonja chipped in 12 points.
AJ Sims and Green each added 10 points off the bench for the 'Jacks.
UPDATE ON THE LUMBERJACKS: Humboldt State is 3-0 and averaging 71.3 points per game while giving up 68.78 points per game. The 'Jacks are out-rebounding their opponents 38.7 to 31.7. HSU is forcing its opponents into 15.3 turnovers per game while holding them to 35% shooting from three's.
Jaden Edwards leads the way with his 17.7 scoring average and 9.7 rebounding average.
Will Johnson is averaging 9.7 points per game while dishing out a team high 15 assists with a team leading four steals.
AJ Sims is next on the team with his 9.0 scoring average while shooting a team best 55% from the field. Melonja has connected on a team high 41.2% of his attempts from beyond the arc with a team high seven made three's.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE: In his first two games as a 'Jack,
Jaden Edwards recorded two double-doubles. He started the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds against Western Washington on November 12. The junior transfer came back with a 15-points, 10-rebounds performance in the Lumberjacks' win over Simon Fraser.
BENCH PLAY: Humboldt State's bench outscored the Oaklanders' bench 27-17 with
Amari Green and
AJ Sims each scoring 10 points. The duo went a combined seven-for-16 from the field, four-for-eight from three's and two-for-two from the line. They also had five assists with just two turnovers and one steal. Green made two clutch free throws to seal the win for the 'Jacks while Sims had two defensive charges late in the game to key HSU's come-from-behind rally.
WESTERN OREGON WOLVES: Western Oregon is 1-3 after going 1-1 at the Ron Logsdon Classic in Rohnert Park, Calif., this past weekend. Cal State East Bay defeated the Wolves 85-72, but Western Oregon came back the next night and defeated Sonoma State 77-56. WOU is averaging 71.8 points per game while giving up 76.3 points per game. The Wolves are being out-rebounded 48 to 37. Cameron Crankston leads the way with his 20.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game averages. He is shooting a team best 13 three's and 41.9% shooting from three-point land. Crankston also has a team high 10 assists and eight steals. Yosani Clay is next on the team with his 9.8 scoring average while John Morrill-Keller is shooting a team leading 61.5% from the field.
ALL-TIME SERIES (HSU vs. WOU): Humboldt State leads the all-time series between the two teams 9-7, but Western Oregon has won the last three including 82-65 in Monmouth, Ore., on March 11, 2016 in the first round of the NCAA Division II West Regionals. HSU's last win over the Wolves was on March 25, 2006, an 89-82 'Jack win in Chico.
DOMINICAN: Dominican enters its game with a 1-3 record after losing 61-43 at home to Stanislaus State this past Saturday. The Penguins are averaging 56.0 points per game while giving up 63.3 points per game. They are out-rebounding their opponents 35.3 to 32.0. Jorden Josephs leads the way for DUC with his 13.0 scoring and 9.0 rebounding average along with his five steals. Anthony Dennis is next on the team with his 9.0 scoring average. Jake Blazona has dished out a team leading 14 assists while Terique Brown has made a team best 46.2% of his attempts from beyond the arc and a team leading six three's. Justin Brown is shooting a team high 55.5% from the field while Michael Diaz has connected on a team leading 88.9% of his attempts from the charity stripe.
ALL-TIME SERIES (HSU vs. DUC): Humboldt State leads the all-time series with Dominican 2-1 with HSU winning the last meeting 87-84 in Arcata on Nov. 26, 2016.
LIVE STATS/VIDEO: To view the video stream, go to www.ccaanetwork.com/hsu. For live stats, go to https://hsujacks.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary.
IMPORTANT REGION GAMES: Even though these games are non-conference games, HSU's first two games were important games for HSU as they were both in-region games. Both Western Washington and Simon Fraser are members of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). HSU's two other in-region non-conference opponents are Western Oregon (GNAC) and Dominican (PacWest). The 'Jacks will also face Lincoln (Calif.) and Simpson.
22-GAME CCAA SCHEDULE: The Lumberjacks will play a 22-game CCAA schedule beginning Dec. 2-4 when they host SF State and Cal State Monterey Bay. The 'Jacks will entertain the Gators on Dec. 2 and the Otters on Dec. 4. Tip-off for both games is set for 7:30pm at Lumberjack Arena.
CCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN LUMBERJACK ARENA: Humboldt State will host the 2021-22 CCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, March 3-5 at Lumberjack Arena. The top six teams will receive a berth to the CCAA Championships. March 3 will be the quarterfinal round with the top two seeds receiving a bye. The semi-final round games are set for March 4 with the championship game set for March 5. The winner of the CCAA Championships will receive the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Championships.
UP NEXT: The Lumberjacks will continue its six-game home stand on December 2 and 4 when they open up CCAA play. HSU will entertain SF State on Dec. 2 and Cal State Monterey Bay on Dec. 4. Both nights' tip-offs are set for 7:30pm.
