Second half dooms men’s basketball, ‘Jacks fall 95-69
The ‘Jacks men’s team fell to 0-2 on Saturday after a 95-69 home loss to Western Washington.
Western Washington’s offense was firing as they shot over 60% from the field and over 55% from three and Humboldt couldn’t slow the Vikings’ offense, especially in the second half.
Humboldt trailed by just six heading into the half but was out-scored by 20 over the game’s final 20 minutes. It was the second game in a row where the ‘Jacks struggled to put together stops in the second half, they’ve allowed 114 points in their two second halves played this season.
Junior forward Jordahn Johnson led the ‘Jacks with 20 points in just 19 minutes off the bench while junior guard Emanuel Steward added 16 including going 4-4 on threes.
Western Washington’s junior guard Kai Johnson led all scorers with 27 to go along with seven assists and led the Vikings past the ‘Jacks.
Next for the men’s ‘Jacks team is a game Saturday afternoon against Cal State Maritime at 3:30 p.m. just ahead of the women’s game.
‘Jacks women’s basketball opens season in Idaho
The Cal Poly Humboldt women’s basketball team began their 2023-24 season in Nampa, Idaho, taking on Northwest Nazarene on Monday night, falling 83-71 despite Humboldt’s junior guard Kenya Edelhart scoring a game-high 22 points in her ‘Jacks debut.
Edelhart, a transfer from Ventura College, played all but four minutes for head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson, going 9-13 from the floor along with three steals but the Nighthawks did enough to get the home win.
Northwest Nazarene shot 54.5% from three-point land along with hitting 21 of their 22 free throws, capitalizing on opportunities. Both teams struggled with turning the ball over, with the ‘Jacks coughing it up 16 times while the Nighthawks had 19. With the three more turnovers, Northwest Nazarene was able to create more points off of the turnovers.
Senior guard Sara Ahmadpour was the only ‘Jacks player with double-figure scoring outside of Edelhart, Ahmadpour had 11 points on 4-6 shooting and going 3-3 from three.
Outside of Ahmadpour and Edelhart, Humboldt went a combined 3-16 from three and shot 30% from the field for the game.
Humboldt dominated both fast break points and bench scoring, more than doubling the Nighthawks in both categories, but Northwest Nazarene’s shooting proved to be the deciding factor guiding them to the 12-point win.
Humboldt returns to play Saturday night for their home opener, facing Concordia University Irvine at 5:30 p.m.
Track and field added as winter sport
On Monday, Cal Poly Humboldt announced a new sport to join their athletic program starting this winter — men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams.
The new indoor track and field team is the latest sport to be added, with wrestling added back in June. With the new teams, Cal Poly Humboldt has 14 sports teams competing at the NCAA Division II level.
“We are thrilled for this advancement of our program to offer a more robust student-athlete experience, to compete with the rest of the top performing teams in the country in the indoor season, and offer additional championship opportunities for our student-athletes,” said ‘Jacks head coach Sarah Ingram in a news release Monday.
The team itself will consist of members of Humboldt’s outdoors track and field team, which competes in the winter, they will now have chances to compete indoors throughout the winter as well.
“The inclusion of indoor track and field allows athletes to dedicate more time during the fall and winter to refine their skills and participate in competitive races that surpass the benefits of regular practice sessions in the winter months,” said Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics in the release.
The Humboldt indoor track and field season opens in less than a month when they’ll head to Spokane, Washington, for the Spokane Invitational. The teams’ second and third events will also be in Spokane, as they return for the Inland Northwest Invitational in January and the WSU Invitational in February. That will be followed by a trip to Michigan for the GVSU Big Meet before the NCAA Division II Championships in Kansas later on in March.
“We are thrilled with the additional sponsorship of men’s and women’s indoor track and field. This addition reflects our commitment to offering a diverse array of sports, promoting development, and enhancing the overall student-athlete experience,” said Cal Poly Humboldt executive director of athletics Nick Pettit.
Dylan McNeill can be reached at 707-441-0526.