ARCATA, Calif. – Behind a dominant double-double from freshman Jordyn Smith and a wire-to-wire team effort, Cal Poly Humboldt clinched a spot in the CCAA Women's Basketball Tournament for the first time since 2020 with a 61-53 victory over San Francisco State on Saturday afternoon at Lumberjack Arena.
With the win, the 'Jacks improve to 16-8 overall and 14-4 in CCAA play, while the Gators fall to 5-19 overall and 3-15 in conference action.
Smith led the way with her 12th double-double of the season, pouring in a game-high 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting while grabbing 11 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. The freshman also added four blocks in an impressive 40-minute performance.
"I'm very happy for the team," said Head Coach Michelle Bento-Jackson. "They are being rewarded for all of their hard work and they deserve it. At the same time, we know that we must stay focused and now work even harder to continue to improve to be the best that we can be finishing out the regular season."
Humboldt set the tone early, jumping out to a 21-10 lead after the first quarter behind efficient shooting and strong defensive pressure. The 'Jacks never trailed in the contest and did not allow a single lead change, controlling the tempo throughout.
The Green and Gold shot 41.8% from the field and outscored the Gators 30-14 in the paint. Humboldt also capitalized on turnovers, converting them into 24 points, while adding 14 fast break points and 10 second-chance points.
Shade Satica added 13 points, six rebounds and a team-high six steals, disrupting San Francisco State's offensive rhythm all afternoon. Riley Sanz recorded a near double-double with 10 rebounds to go along with six points, while Kya Kanoho provided a spark off the bench with 11 points. Leamsi Acuna was efficient in limited minutes, scoring five points on 2-of-2 shooting.
Humboldt's balanced effort included 16 bench points and 32 total rebounds as the 'Jacks held San Francisco State to 36.2% shooting for the game.
After taking a 35-30 lead into halftime, Humboldt used a strong third quarter—shooting 50% from the floor—to extend its advantage. The 'Jacks maintained composure down the stretch, knocking down all three of their free throws in the fourth quarter to secure the eight-point victory in front their fans at Lumberjack Arena.
With the win, Cal Poly Humboldt officially punches its ticket to the CCAA Tournament, marking the program's first postseason appearance since the 2019-20 campaign.
Up Next
Cal Poly Humboldt will head to Southern California for a pair of CCAA games next week on the road. On Thursday, the 'Jacks will take on Cal State San Bernardino (11-12, 9-9 CCAA) at 5:30pm, followed by a Saturday matinee at No. 9 ranked Cal Poly Pomona (22-2, 17-1 CCAA) at 1:00pm.
For more information on Cal Poly Humboldt women's basketball, visit humboldtathletics.com, download our mobile app on Apple iOS or Google Android, and follow the Lumberjacks on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Facebook.
Instagram: @humboldt.athletics
Twitter/X: @HumboldtJacks
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