ARCATA, Calif. -- A mixed bag of results this past weekend leave the 'Jacks in a three-way tie for second place in the CCAA standings with the halfway point of the season coming up this weekend. The Cal Poly Humboldt men's basketball team will head to Southern California to take on two tough opponents in Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino this Thursday and Saturday. 

Humboldt (9-7, 7-3 CCAA) got the result they wanted last Thursday when they came out victorious over Cal State Los Angeles (7-9, 4-6 CCAA), but dropped a tough one in the final minutes on Saturday against Cal State San Marcos (8-7, 7-3 CCAA) with 11 missed free-throws being what stands out most on the stat sheet. 

"We had a dogfight against Cal State LA, but we were able to make some plays down the stretch to secure that victory," Tae Norwood stated. "It was the polar opposite against Cal State San Marcos. We missed key free-throws, a lot of layups, and shots that we would like to have back. Credit to San Marcos for being resilient. I thought we gave that game away as a team by not executing and being thorough in our approach."

The 'Jacks aim to return to their normal ways and brush this past game off their shoulder. 

Marlon Ruffin will look to stay hot, as he averaged 19.5 points per game this past weekend on 55.2 percent shooting. Cam Timmons posted consistent performances, averaging 11 points and seven rebounds per game. The Jacks' rebounding and defense was led by Bryce Mitchell, as he had a total of 16 rebounds and four blocks. Malek Davis joined Ruffin on Saturday as he surpassed 1,000 total career points with his 14 point performance against Cal State San Marcos.  

Cal Poly Pomona (7-6, 4-5 CCAA)
The Broncos are coming off of two losses and are in need of a win to stay alive in the playoff hunt. With the top-six teams making playoffs, they currently sit one spot out in seventh place. Offensively, the Broncos are led by Christopher Mitchell who averages 12.2 points per game. Cal Poly Pomona stands out as arguably the best defensive team in the conference. They currently average the most steals per game in the conference with 9.15, have allowed the least amount of points scored, and have the second lowest opponent scoring average per game with 69.7 points allowed. 

"We're going to see a totally different approach because Cal Poly Pomona is a 100 percent zone defensive team," said Norwood. "They do a great job in their matchups and they give a lot of teams fits. We are going to have to be diligent with being efficient on offense. We do have a size advantage over them, so working the ball in the post, playing 'inside-outside' basketball, and bottom line just shooting with confidence when taking our shots will be huge for us."

Thursday's game will see a high powered offense in Cal Poly Humboldt face off against a high powered defense in Cal Poly Pomona at 7:30 p.m. from Kellogg Arena.

Cal State San Bernardino (12-2, 7-1 CCAA)
The biggest challenge for the 'Jacks yet so far will be the Coyotes of San Bernardino on Saturday. The Coyotes are coming off a split this past weekend, being upset by Stanislaus State last Thursday and edging Chico State for the triple overtime win on Saturday. Currently ranked 15th in the nation and first in the CCAA, San Bernardino can fill out the stat sheet.

The Coyotes offense is paced by senior guard Brandon Knapper, who currently averages 21 points per game. Knapper and junior guard Dontrell Shuler both rank top-five in scoring amongst the conference. Knapper, Shuler, and senior forward Eddie Davis, have all won CCAA Player of the Week honors this season. 

As a team, San Bernardino averages 87.6 points per game, just ahead of Cal Poly Humboldt's 80.6 points per game average. The Coyotes and Lumberjacks are the only two teams in the CCAA to score more than 1,200 total points this season, making them two offensive juggernauts. San Bernardino also rank first in field goal percentage (48.8%), is tied for first in three-pointers made per game (8.7), and is first in every single statistical category for rebounding. The 'Jacks aren't far behind, as they rank third in the CCAA overall for total rebounds.

When asked how Humboldt plans to keep the pace with San Bernardino come Saturday, Norwood responded, "We have to make sure we take care of the ball. It's going to be a track meet because they like to get out and run just like how we like to get out and run. We have to be locked in defensively, share the ball, and take quality shots. I'm looking forward to the game, it will be a fun one. They are a very well coached team and I know we are up for the challenge."

Tip-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 3 p.m. from Coussoulis Arena in San Bernardino.

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