For the first time this season the Cal Poly Humboldt women’s basketball lost at Lumberjack Arena on Saturday 62-56 to Cal State San Marcos.
San Marcos came into town in first place of the CCAA with an 10-2 conference record, Humboldt wasn’t intimidated however, taking a 12-2 lead to open the game thanks to a pair of made three pointers by junior guard Emilia Long. The ‘Jacks would lead by as much as 11 in the first quarter but the Cougars rallied back and finished the period down only four at 20-16.
Back-to-back threes by sophomore Julia Calvin boosted the Humboldt offense along with Long scoring 18 of her 23 points in the first half with the ‘Jacks taking a 36-29 lead into the intermission.
In the fourth quarter, a layup by Long gave Humboldt a 52-49 lead with 7:28 remaining, the Cougars would go on a 13-4 run to close the game and give the ‘Jacks their first home loss. It was a defensive battle with neither shooting above 36% from the field but San Marcos owned the rebounding edge 48-30 and Humboldt committed twice as many fouls as the Cougars (22:11).
The loss knocked Humboldt down to 8-9 overall with the team being tied for 6th in the CCAA with a 6-7 record.
Humboldt’s men’s team couldn’t replicate the success found in their win on Thursday as the team fell 80-65 to San Marcos. The Cougars got off to a 13-0 start, a deficit Humboldt would never grow out of. The ‘Jacks never led and now their conference record sits at 1-12 and 4-14 overall.
Four Humboldt players finished with double-figure scoring with senior Kareem Clark leading the way with 12, freshman Brandon Bento-Jackson scoring 11 and freshmen Sage Wayans and Rob Diaz III scoring 10 apiece. The ‘Jacks finished with more turnovers (19) than assists (11).
Humboldt’s homestand resumes on Thursday with both teams welcoming San Francisco State starting with the women’s game at 5:30 before the men’s game at 7:30. The women’s team enjoyed a 65-33 win over the Gators earlier this season while the men’s ‘Jacks team lost by a single possession.
College of the Redwoods grab road wins over Shasta College
Last year’s 1-9 conference record for the women’s College of the Redwoods’ basketball team is just a memory at this point, while last year’s team battled injuries that led to the challenging season. A year later and the Corsairs are 3-1 through four games of conference play after their 73-46 win over Shasta on the road Saturday.
Trailing 17-15 heading to the second quarter, the Corsairs exploded to take a 19-point halftime lead after outscoring the Knights 29-8 in the period to gain control of the game.
“Our press really kind of got us going, Olivia Railsback came in and just had a ton of energy, fired up, getting steals, causing havoc within Shasta’s offense,” Corsairs head coach Jain Tuey said of the run. “We came alive in that second quarter and it really stemmed from our defense.”
It took a quarter for CR to get going, but once they got there they did not let up, allowing just 29 points over the game’s final three quarters. Freshman Ellie Pesch led the team with 15 points with freshman guard Moriah Bowles adding 13 with three made threes and Railsback scoring 11 along with her defensive efforts.
“I think the pace of the game, the three point line being moved back a little bit was an adjustment for her, taken her a little bit to find her groove,” Tuey said of the freshman Bowles. “I’ve been waiting for her to have a breakout game and when she’s really going to connect with our style of play and hit some of these shots because I know she’s got it and just to see her have the successful day today was fun.”
CR is 9-12 on the season but they’re second in the Golden Valley Conference at 3-1 behind Butte who’s undefeated in conference play but has won 20 games in a row. A much different season than last year’s 6-21 campaign.
“I feel like we’re just getting going and I’m trying to keep them on that same page in believing that this is just the start for us,” Tuey said. “We were joking about it in the car but there’s some seriousness to it, if we go and beat Siskiyous right before we go and see Butte, I think they’ll be a little bit nervous.”
The Corsairs’ next game is next Thursday on the road versus College of the Siskiyous before the match up with Butte that could very well decide the league winner.
The men’s College of the Redwoods’ team got a much-needed road win 95-74 over Shasta with their forward combination of sophomores Kai Purcell and Mason Railsback combining for 44 points, with sophomore Trey Neff getting a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds.
The 95 points was a season-high for the team, with the team’s offense continuing to roll after their 93-point performance from Wednesday. CR has averaged over 82 points-per-game in Golden Valley Conference play. The GVC is still up for grabs, the Corsairs currently sit in third place, a game below first-place College of the Siskiyous, with Feather River leading CR by a half game at 3-1, ahead of the Corsairs’ 3-2.
“We did a good job putting heat on the rim all night, which was affirmed by our up-tick in free throw attempts,” Corsairs’ men’s coach Ryan Bisio said. “I’m proud of the way we didn’t settle and kept trying to get downhill.”
CR relied on those free throws with the team only hitting five threes, a low amount for the sharp-shooting Corsair team but most importantly the team found a way to keep pace in the GVC with a win.
“From a defensive standpoint, we continue to throw the kitchen sink at teams every night and just try to ride what’s working in the moment. We never know what it will be, but we rebounded the ball as well as we have all year tonight,” Bisio said.
The Corsairs return home on Saturday for a match up against Feather River, a team that beat the Corsairs earlier this month 82-70, that game is set to tip off at 3:00 p.m. before CR heads back on the road.