ARCATA, Calif. – Despite a career-high 18 points from guard Phoenix O'Rourke (San Mateo, Calif., Junipero Serra HS), the San Francisco State men's basketball team was unable to contain a hot-shooting Humboldt State squad, dropping an 85-73 California Collegiate Athletic Association game Thursday night at Lumberjack Arena.
The Lumberjacks, ranked fourth in the latest NCAA Division II West Region poll, had five players score in double figures and shot 62 percent from the field, improving to 15-5 overall and 12-3 in league play. Meanwhile the Gators dip to 13-9 on the season and 6-8 in the CCAA.
“I really liked our fight, but it's hard to come back after you spot a good team like Humboldt State a big lead,” said SF State head coach Bill Treseler. “Sonoma State is playing great right now, so we will have to bring it when we play there on Saturday.
In addition to O'Rourke's performance, which included a 4-for-7 effort from beyond the 3-point arc, the Gators also received 13 points apiece from Tim Pratt (Eureka, Calif., Eureka HS, College of the Redwoods) and Marquel Hoskins (Beloit, Wis., Reedley College), who also dished out six assists. Nefi Perdomo (Oakland, Calif., Skyline HS) and Derek Fletcher (San Jose, Calif., Branham HS) chipped in nine points as well, with Perdomo grabbing a team-best five rebounds.
Brian Morris led the HSU attack with a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Zac Tiedeman (15 pts.), Kyle Baxter (13 pts.), Ellio Babcock-Krenk (13 pts.) and Kevin Atkins (11 pts.) each surpassed the double-digit plateau.
The Gators connected on 22 of 50 field-goal attempts (44 percent) and drained seven 3-pointers, but the Jacks made 26 of their 42 shots, including a 13-for-19 clip (68.4 percent) in the first half. HSU also owned a 24-14 advantage in defensive rebounds and sank 27 of 38 free throws, compared to SF State's 22-for-35 pace from the charity stripe.
The Jacks never trailed in the contest, save for a 2-2 tie in the opening minute of the first half. The Gators kept their hosts within sight, pulling to within four points at 26-22 on a Pratt layup with 5:24 left in the period. However, HSU surged ahead 36-25 as a pair of Atkins free throws with 2:15 remaining capped a 10-3 run. SF State was able to cut the deficit to single digits, with Joshua Hash's (Eureka, Calif., Eureka HS, College of the Redwoods) tip-in at the buzzer making the score 40-32 at intermission.
Following the break, a Fletcher layup and a Perdomo foul shot brought the Gators to within 40-35 at the 19:26 mark. However, the momentum stalled as a Morris layup punctuated a 13-3 flurry, putting the Jacks up 53-38 with 15:11 remaining.
SF State fought back over the next seven-plus minutes, pulling to within six at 62-56 on a Perdomo triple with 8:06 to go. HSU was able to withstand the threat, though, as a Baxter jumper climaxed a 9-1 run to restore the hosts' double-digit lead at 71-57 with 4:42 remaining. The Gators were unable to draw any closer than 12 points as the Jacks kept the visitors at bay for the rest of the game.
SF State concludes its four-game road trip on Saturday with a CCAA clash at Sonoma State. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.
Box Score
