Slow Start for Basketball Victory at Home

Humboldt State women’s basketball beats Seattle Pacific 70-54 in the West Region Crossover Classic

Alexia Thrower dominated the court in the Friday night win over the Seattle Pacific Falcons. Thrower, an HSU forward, put up 18 points, nailing half of her three-point attempts.

A force in the paint, Thrower tallied up nine rebounds, just one away from having a double-double to start the tournament. On the other side of the court, she had a pair of steals and a pair of blocks.

“With the bread and butter of the team gone, somebody had to take initiative,” Thrower said. “We knew if we are going to win this game it’s with our defense.”

The Jacks’ defense was disruptive early on but due to offensive struggles the Falcons took the lead in the first quarter, 18-10.

“We had no offensive flow in the first quarter,” Michelle Bento-Jackson, the HSU women’s basketball coach, said. “Molly single handedly carried our offense for a bit.”

Forward Molly Dixon had a plus-minus of 19 when on the court, and made her presence known with 12 points and a pair of steals. The offense started to pick up in the second quarter after Sandin Kidder dropped a three on the Falcons off the bench.

The Jacks went on a 17-2 run in the second quarter, ending the half with the lead at 32-29. 

Tyra Turner, Humboldt State’s star point guard, went down with an apparent ankle injury halfway into the 3rd quarter after playing in all of the game prior. Gabrielle Carbajal took over for an injured Turner and landed four of her five three-point shots, finishing with 12 points.

The Jacks came out hot in the second half, establishing their lead further. Six HSU players drained a three-pointer in their day one victory. With five of the threes coming in the third quarter. Two of which came from Thrower, after a three-point play in the paint moments before. 

One of Thrower’s three-pointers came as the shot clock winded down; successfully throwing the ball up for a bank shot.

“I just tossed it up,” Thrower said. “It wasn’t the prettiest shot but I’m glad it went in.”

The Jacks pulled away ending the third quarter 58-36.

Keeping the lead was HSU’s primary focus in the fourth quarter. The Falcons boosted their shooting percentage since the first half, but the Jacks finished off the Falcons 70-54, playing aggressive in the final minutes of the game.

The Jacks have quite a few fresh faces on the roster, but Bento-Jackson believes the new players will keep up.

“We had positive contributions from a lot of different folks tonight,” Bento-Jackson said. “The bright lights don’t faze them. I think they love it, actually.”