POMONA, Calif. – Cal Poly Humboldt erased a 16-point deficit and cut the margin to three with 10 minutes to play, but Cal Poly Pomona responded down the stretch to hand the Lumberjacks a 74-60 setback Saturday afternoon at Kellogg Arena.
With the loss, Humboldt moves to 13-13 overall and 11-9 in the CCAA, sitting tied for third place in the conference standings with Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State San Bernardino with two regular-season games remaining. The Broncos improve to 15-11 overall and 10-10 in league play.
After trailing 41-31 at halftime and falling behind by as many as 16 early in the second half, the Jacks chipped away behind timely baskets and defensive stops. A triple by Drew Ardouin and strong inside play from Wayne Hampton III and Shakir Odunewu helped Humboldt trim the deficit to 54-51 with 10 minutes left.
Pomona, however, answered with a key run fueled by Malcolm Bell and Jake Goldberg to push the lead back to double digits. The Broncos shot 55.1% from the field for the game and 47.8% in the second half to maintain control, while the Jacks were limited to 33.3% shooting overall and 27.8% after the break.
Four Lumberjacks finished in double figures, led by Ardouin's 11 points on three made three-pointers. Odunewu added 11 points and five rebounds in just 13 minutes of action. Brandon Bento-Jackson recorded 10 points and five rebounds in 40 minutes, while Hampton contributed 10 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
Tyriq McNeal paced the Jacks off the bench with eight points and six rebounds. Freshman Elias Roche also made a spark on the defensive end, coming in and recording two blocks in just nine minutes of action.
Humboldt tied a 37-37 battle on the glass and scored 30 points in the paint, but Pomona countered with 38 paint points and shot 42.9% from beyond the arc. Bell led all scorers with 22 points, while Goldberg added 18 for the Broncos.
The Lumberjacks now turn their attention to a pivotal final homestand at Lumberjack Arena. Humboldt can clinch a berth in the six-team CCAA Tournament with one victory next week. The challenge begins Thursday against Cal State Monterey Bay — who is tied with Humboldt for third place — followed by Saturday's regular-season finale against Cal State San Marcos, which currently sits tied for the sixth and final tournament spot and is battling for postseason positioning.
Tip-off times are set for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and 3:00pm on Saturday in Lumberjack Arena as the Jacks look to punch their ticket to the CCAA Tournament in front of the home crowd.
