Men’s basketball sweeps Monterey Bay

The men’s basketball team defeated the California State University, Monterey Bay Otters 87-79 on Feb. 3, following their epic 82-75 overtime victory against California State University, East Bay on Feb 1.

The Jacks started the Saturday game off hot, as they began on a 10-2 run. However, they cooled down a bit and the game became a back-and-forth affair in the last three quarters.

Senior forward Davasyia Hagger led the Jacks in points with 20, while also putting up a double-double with 10 rebounds as well.

Other notable performances for the Jacks include junior guard Romario Wilson, who scored 17 points, and senior forward Justin Everett, who scored 13 points.

“I liked how we executed the game plan,” Jacks head coach Steve Kinder said. “Especially defensively early, which led to some good stops, which led to some breakouts and high percentage shots in transition.”

The Jacks started off slow behind the three-point line, as they only shot 3-10 from there in the first half. They attempted four threes in the second half, and only made one.

“Three-point shooting was a high-alert issue at halftime,” Kinder said. “We certainly didn’t want to trade baskets or shoot threes up and down with this opponent.”

Despite their three-point woes, the Jacks had the advantage on the boards, as they out-rebounded Monterey Bay 45-38.

They also won the turnover battle, the Otters turning the ball over 15 times as opposed to the Jacks’ eight.

“That’s good basketball,” Kinder said, “especially for these Lumberjacks this season, being able to limit ourselves to four turnovers at half time.”

Monterey Bay certainly made it tough on the Lumberjacks, as they hit 14 of their 27 three-point attempts. The Otters average 27 threes per game, and they certainly showed that they could make it rain from deep.

The Otters were led by forward Josh Kollman. He had 16 points, while shooting 4-5 from beyond the arc, including two late threes that kept his team in the game until the end.

The win moves HSU to 8-15 overall, with a 5-12 record within the California Collegiate Athletic Association. In their first meeting earlier this year, the Jacks lost 67-62.

The Jacks have five games remaining before the CCAA tournament begins, starting with a game on the road against California State University, Stanislaus on Feb. 10.