ARCATA, Calif. – The San Francisco State men's basketball team received 18 points apiece from seniors
Will Logan (Apple Valley, California, Apple Valley) and
Brad Visman (Placerville, California, El Dorado, UC Riverside), but it wasn't enough as the Gators fell to Humboldt State, 76-74, in a California Collegiate Athletic Association game Friday night at Lumberjack Arena in Arcata, Calif. With the defeat, SF State dips to 8-2 on the season and 2-1 in league play, while HSU improves to 9-4 overall and 2-1 in the CCAA.
“Even though we were down a bit at the end of the first half and the start of the second, I felt we did a lot of things well,” said SF State head coach Bill Treseler. “However, we didn't do enough to beat a good team in their gym.”
The Gators stormed back from an early 9-6 deficit to take a 19-9 lead at the 7:33 mark of the first half following senior
Darryl Robinson's (San Mateo, California, San Mateo, Canada College) layup to climax a 13-0 run. However, the Jacks slowly whittled away at the SF State advantage, eventually tying the contest on a triple by Ernie Spada with 1:33 left on the clock.
After a basket by senior
Robert Hayes (San Diego, California, St. Augustine's) put the Gators briefly back in front, HSU's Kevin Atkins drained a 3-pointer and converted a layup to give the home team the lead once again at 30-27 heading into intermission.
The Jacks kept the momentum after the break, building a 10-point bulge at 40-30 following an Atkins free throw at the 15:15 mark. This time it was the Gators' turn to rally as the visitors outscored HSU, 14-2, over the next three-and-a-half minutes, highlighted by a Logan 3-pointer with 11:38 remaining.
However, the Jacks quickly responded with two straight buckets, ultimately taking a 57-53 lead following an Atkins layup at the 5:08 mark.
Unfazed, Logan's triple capped a 9-0 run, putting the Gators back on top 62-57 with 2:40 left on the clock. However, SF State was unable to prevent another HSU rally as Kyle Baxter's layup knotted the score at 65-65 with 41 seconds remaining. The Gators then turned the ball over on its final possession of regulation with the two teams still deadlocked.
The Jacks never trailed in the overtime session as Zac Teideman's jumper with 13 seconds left on the clock gave HSU a seemingly safe 71-67 margin.
Then, things got interesting when Visman answered with a 3-pointer, while Spada made only one of two free throws at the other end, making the score 76-74 with four ticks left on the clock. However, a last-second shot was off-target, saddling SF State with the hard-luck loss.
In addition to his 18 points, Visman also pulled down 16 rebounds—both career highs—for his second double-double of the season. Robinson matched a career-high as well with 11 rebounds, while senior
Alex Thomas (Vallejo, California, Hogan, Dominican University) finished with a career-best eight assists. Fellow classmate
Martin Flores (Woodland, California, Woodland, Solano Junior College) saw his first action of the season, scoring 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting off the bench.
The Jacks were paced by Atkins' 16 points.
“The most important thing for us now is to bounce back and play better tomorrow,” coach Treseler concluded.
The Gators return to the hardwood on Saturday when they trek down the coast for a showdown at CCAA foe Sonoma State. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
Box Score
