CARSON, Calif. --  The first conference road trip of the season saw the Cal Poly Humboldt men's basketball team take on Cal State Dominguez Hills on Thursday evening from the Torodome. The Jacks improved to 2-0 in CCAA play after a dominant first half and thrilling ending, walking away with a 71-69 victory on the road. 

MATCH SUMMARY
The first half saw five lead changes between the Lumberjacks and Toros that took place leading up to the 8:51 mark. With a 15-13 lead, the Jacks defense held the Toros to 23-percent shooting and only seven more points the rest of the half. With just under four minutes to go until halftime, Humboldt exploded for a 9-0 run that took them into the locker room with a dominant 34-20 lead over Dominguez Hills. 

Although the Toros outscored the Jacks in the second half 49-37 and fought back to come within just two points in the final minutes of the game, the Jacks kept their poise and never surrendered the lead, prevailing to a 71-69 victory and remaining at the top of the conference for CCAA play.

The Jacks bench played a big part in the win, outscoring the bench of Dominguez Hills 21-10. Humboldt also separated themselves from the Toros in second chance points 13-10 and fast break points 11-5. 

POST GAME QUOTE
"We did a great job in the first half defensively holding them to just 23-percent shooting" stated head coach Tae Norwood. "We maintained a double-digit lead going into halftime and pulled away in the final four minutes with a balanced scoring attack. Playing on the road in this conference is a challenge in itself. Showing that we are able to pull through in tonight's win after dropping some close non-conference games in the final few minutes is big for our guys. It's one game at a time, we need to get better each game and reciprocate tonight's first half on Saturday at East Bay."

NOTABLE STATS
- Jaden Edwards recorded his second double-double of the season behind a 13 point and 13 rebound performance. 
- Marlon Ruffin led the team in scoring with 16 points. He also grabbed four rebounds.
- Malek Davis had 10 points, five assists, and four steals.
- Cam Timmons notched eight points, eight rebounds, and four blocks.
- Ian Krishnan drained 10 points on 40-percent shooting. 

UP NEXT
On Saturday, December 3, the Jacks travel to Cal State East Bay to take on the Pioneers in a CCAA matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 PM from Pioneer Gymnasium in Hayward, Calif. 

"CSU East Bay will be offering free admission to the games for anyone who brings a new and unwrapped toy for the Holiday Toy Drive.

Any toy of any value, as long as it is new and unwrapped, will be donated to the Hayward Fire Department for distribution to families in need."

For more information on Cal Poly Humboldt men's basketball, please visit humboldtathletics.com and follow us on all social media platforms.