ARCATA, CA — Humboldt State nailed clutch free throws in the final seconds to hold off a late Toro surge and pick up the 52-48 win. The victory improved the HSU to 10-8 overall and 6-5 in the CCAA, while CSUDH fell to 9-9 and 3-8 in league games.
Katie Franci led the Lumberjacks with a double-double of 16 points, and 14 rebounds, while Trisha Alaba added 13 points. Ennisha Kyles was the only CSUDH player in double figures, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds.
CSU Dominguez Hills led throughout most of the first half, expanding its advantage to six points on three separate occasions. Alana Bailey fueled the Toros' offense, scoring a layup to move them ahead, 26-20 with 2 minutes, 37 seconds remaining in the period.
However, the Jacks grabbed the momentum back, finishing the half with a 10-2 run. Franci began the surge with a layup and Jennifer Enos hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, giving the Jacks a 30-28 lead at the break.
Early in the second half, Humboldt State continued where it left off, scoring the first eight points while the Toros remained scoreless for the first 10 minutes of the period. CSUDH missed its first 11 shots from the field to open the half before Ashley Johnson finally hit a layup to cut HSU's lead to 40-30.
CSU Dominguez Hill continued to battle, cutting the Jacks' lead to six points, but the Jacks reestablished it at 10 points when Franci drained a three-pointer from the top of the key. That still wasn't enough to check the Toros, who began their final surge with Kyles' layup with 4:01 remaining.
They pulled within two points at 48-46 before the Jacks hit their free throws in the closing second to seal the win.
In addition to Kyles' 10 points, Bailey chipped in nine points and eight boards. With her layup :40 seconds into the game, Bailey reached 1,000 points in her four-year career.
CSUDH is back in action tomorrow when they take on Sonoma State at 5:30 pm.
(Courtesy of Humboldt State)
