TURLOCK, Calif. — Cal Poly Humboldt men's basketball showed its trademark fight late, but second-chance opportunities proved decisive as the Lumberjacks fell 74-67 to Stanislaus State on Saturday afternoon inside Fitzpatrick Arena.
The loss marked Humboldt's third straight, closing out a challenging four-game road trip, but not without a late surge that reminded everyone why the "Cardiac Jacks" have been one of the CCAA's toughest late-game teams this season.
Stanislaus State built a 10-point halftime lead and leaned heavily on its work on the glass, out-rebounding Humboldt 46-25 and converting those extra possessions into 25 second-chance points. Despite holding the Warriors to just 35.9 percent shooting from the field, the Jacks were unable to overcome the rebounding margin.
Humboldt flipped the script offensively in the second half, shooting an impressive 61.9 percent from the floor and 54.5 percent from beyond the arc after the break. The surge fueled a late rally that trimmed the deficit to just three points with under a minute remaining, but the comeback ultimately came up just short.
Drew Ardouin led the Lumberjacks with a team-high 16 points, knocking down four triples off the bench. Zaveion Bineyard added 12 points and five rebounds, while Tyriq McNeal provided an efficient spark with nine points and three rebounds, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field in just 20 minutes of action. Brandon Bento-Jackson chipped in nine points and five boards, and Humboldt's bench finished with 28 points.
Cal Poly Humboldt now returns home looking to get back on track inside Lumberjack Arena, where it boasts a 6-1 record this season, the second-best home winning percentage in the CCAA.
Despite the loss, the Lumberjacks' 12-10 overall record and 10-6 mark in conference play remain good for third place in the CCAA standings with six games to go. With four of those six games slated for Lumberjack Arena, every contest becomes increasingly critical as Humboldt pushes toward the postseason and battles for CCAA Tournament seeding.
That pivotal home stretch begins with a major test on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., as the Lumberjacks host No. 3-ranked and undefeated Cal State East Bay (22-0, 16-0 CCAA), who clinched a spot in the CCAA Tournament earlier this week. Humboldt will then wrap up the week on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. against San Francisco State (3-19, 2-14 CCAA).
For more information on Cal Poly Humboldt men'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.
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