The Seawolves late 4th quarter run wasn’t enough to stop HSU
Isamar Conde led with 16 points and Humboldt State turned down Sonoma State after a 58-53 win, Thursday night in the Lumberjack Arena.
Humboldt State head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson said that the Ladyjacks were up and down during the game.
“We just have to stay focused and keep playing our game,” Bento-Jackson said.
The Lumberjacks showed off their home court advantage as they took a quick five-point lead over Sonoma State. Just two minutes in, Humboldt State led 10-5 after Madeline Hatch nailed a 3-pointer. The Lumberjacks held strong on offense with a first-quarter lead of 15-12.
Sonoma State ran into the second quarter with heavy defense but still scored fewer points than the Lumberjacks before the half. Gabrielle Carbajal contributed five points, three of which came from a jumping 3-pointer and Alexia Thrower walked into the locker room at halftime with 10 rebounds. Despite their aggressive defense, the Seawolves struggled on offense ending the quarter with only six more points under their belt. The Lumberjacks led 27-18 at halftime.
Sonoma State kept it close after opening the third quarter with a 12-4 run. Humboldt State missed more shots than they needed to and the Seawolves quickly caught up with only a three-point trail and two minutes left to play in the quarter. After Thrower added two points to the Lumberjacks’ score, Conde hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer which put Humboldt State back on top with a 44-35 lead.
“Isamar and Tyra both received some fouls early on tonight,” Bento-Jackson said. “It’s tough to be able to still stay aggressive in those moments but as Isamar has done many of times, she came out and hit some big 3-pointers for us tonight. She gave us that momentum to finish off the game.”
The Seawolves found their first lead of the game after hitting a 13-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter, and Humboldt State trailed 44-48. With three minutes to play, Conde and Jovanah Arrington hit back to back 3-pointers as the Lumberjacks returned to a leading score of 52-50. After the Seawolves failed attempt at a last minute trick play, Conde was fouled with three seconds on the clock and with one more point added to their score, the Lumberjacks defeated the Seawolves 58-53.
Another win for Humboldt State gives them at a 16-5 conference record, and 18-6 overall. The Lumberjacks will host new competitor this year, San Francisco State in the last home game of the regular season.
