Tag: Lumberjack Arena

Lights Out on Black Out Night

Lady Jacks dominate against San Bernardino

There are nail biters in sports, and then there are blowouts. For the Humboldt State University women’s basketball team, Saturday was one of those blowouts where the Jacks found themselves on the right side of the scoresheet. Decked out in their black road uniforms for blackout night, the Jacks stormed their way to an early lead and never looked back as they took a convincing 107-62 win over the visiting San Bernardino Coyotes.

The Jacks were led in scoring by Alexia Thrower, who put up her eighth double-double of the season, putting up 26 points to go along with her 12 rebounds. Another standout performer for the Jacks was Sandin Kidder, who put up a double-double of her own with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Madeline Hatch and Gabrielle Carbajal also scored in the double digits along with Emily Packham, who had a career night with 11 points.

The Jacks established themselves quickly, finding reliable 3-point shots from up and down the roster. Hatch struck first from beyond the arc, setting the tone for the night as the senior guard went 5-12 on her 3-point shots. Carbajal put up three 3-point shots of her own while Kidder hit both of her two 3-point attempts.

Head Coach Michelle Bento-Jackson was very pleased with her team’s performance, pointing to the offense’s ability to keep driving the play with a lead.

“I know for the fans and everybody it just seems like 100 is the magic number. I don’t even know when we hit 100 tonight. I was just so focused on just making sure we were still doing what we needed to do.”
Michelle Bento-Jackson

“It’s great when the shots go in,” Bento-Jackson said. “But more importantly I really was focusing on the shot selection and making sure that we got good ball movement. Not just settling for an early shot against the zone.”

Even with such a scoring effort from her team, Bento-Jackson kept the team working hard through the full game.

“I know for the fans and everybody it just seems like 100 is the magic number,” Bento-Jackson said. “I don’t even know when we hit 100 tonight. I was just so focused on just making sure we were still doing what we needed to do.”

Carbajal was happy to see contributions from the whole team, saying that it made for a good experience out on the court.

“It was really nice being able to play with everyone,” Carbajal said. “And everyone contributing out there, and scoring and sharing the ball. It was just a great game.”

Carbajal was also confident that the team could use this game to push them forward going into their upcoming road trip to San Francisco and Sonoma.

“Just using this game as momentum and building confidence for the next game, especially San Francisco,” Carbajal said. “I know that we’ve been struggling on the road but just coming into this next game, we just have to have a different mindset.”

For the future, Bento-Jackson is focused on maintaining a high level of performance even when the team will play three out of their last four regular season games on the road as they aim for the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament in March.

“We have three games here on the road and this is going down the stretch,” Bento-Jackson said. “Playing with that same type of energy when we’re not in front of our own fans. And as we say, it requires a lot of mental toughness to go on the road and to get a victory. And that’s something that we need to do for these next two weeks.”

Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Jacks Beat Pioneers In Final Non-Conference Tune-Up

Humboldt State’s persistent offense pushes its preseason to a 4-1 record

After gaining a home win in a 91-85 game over the Antelope Valley Pioneers on Nov. 13, the Jacks turned their attention to a different Pioneers team in their final non-conference, tune-up game.

Humboldt State played against the Pacific Union College’s Pioneers on Saturday night in front of a packed Lumberjack Arena crowd.

Offense has not been a problem for the HSU men’s basketball team in the few games they have played this season. In the four games prior to Saturday’s match, the Jacks’ lowest scored points in a game was 89, which came in two separate games against Southern Oregon and Fresno Pacific.

The game against Pacific Union was no different as the Jacks’ offense fired on all cylinders. Five different scorers reached double-digit point totals for the Jacks. Despite Pacific Union tying the game twice in the second half, the Jacks never relinquished the lead and beat the Pacific Union Pioneers 86-80.

Less than a minute later, Lewis hit a deep three right at the halftime buzzer giving the Jacks the 44-34 lead.

Two successful shots from seniors Rob Lewis and Zachariah Christian had the Jacks out to an early 4-0 lead. The defense started strong by preventing the Pioneers from scoring in the first four minutes of the half.

The Jacks eventually found an 11-2 run, but a few turnovers and missed shots allowed the Pioneers to close the deficit to 13-8 just before the first media timeout. The Jacks widened the lead to 11 points a bit later on in the half.

Freshman Isaiah Pope splashed three-pointers on back-to-back possessions and brought the Lumberjack Arena crowd to a roar.

Less than a minute later, Lewis hit a deep three right at the halftime buzzer giving the Jacks the 44-34 lead.

The second half was more of a test for Humboldt State. The Jacks’ shots weren’t falling like they were in the first half as their shot from the field dropped from 50 percent to 40 percent.

Humboldt State senior Leland Green jumps past Pacific Union’s defense during the Jacks’ game at Lumberjack Arena on Nov. 16. | Photo by Thomas Lal

Despite the drop in production from the offense, the Jacks used the free-throw line to their advantage to close out the game, going 15-20 from the charity stripe. With three minutes left, Pioneers’ senior Marc Williams hit a three to tie it up at 73-73. The ensuing Jacks’ possession resulted in senior Leland Green drawing the foul and sinking two free throws. The Jacks pulled away with the victory.

The Jacks gained contributions on offense from several different players. Senior Leland Green led the team with 17 points, Lewis had 14 and sophomore Amari Green had 12. Christian lead the team with nine rebounds.

Despite the win and the offensive production, Head Coach Steve Kinder stressed the need to work on defense heading into conference play.

“Pacific Union did a great job on sharing the ball, penetrating and kicking to open shooters,” Kinder said. “We had a difficult time keeping guys ahead of us.”

After the game, Jacks’ center Arash Poorsina also stressed the need to work on defense, but he touted the chemistry that the team has built up with each other early in the season.

“The good thing about this team is that no one really loses faith in one another,” Poorsina said. “We all know our skill set, we all know the things that we can do.”

Wednesday, November 20, 2019
HSU Athletics Press Conference Breakdown 9/24

Women’s and men’s soccer win big, cross country performs well in Oregon and volleyball faces some tough competition at home

This past week was successful for Humboldt State Athletics. The women’s soccer team soundly defeated the visiting William Jessup Warriors 4-0 in the friendly confines of College Creek Field. Men’s soccer traveled to Redding and kept their goal scoring barrage going with a 5-1 win over Simpson University. Cross Country traveled to Monmouth, Oregon and reached excellent individual numbers with both the men’s and women’s teams finishing in fourth place. Volleyball started their CCAA conference schedule at home in Lumberjack Arena, winning the first match and then losing the next two to some very tough competition.

Tuesday’s press conference at Lumberjack Arena featured comments from all of the head coaches and selected athletes from each sport.

Women’s Soccer

The Jacks played their home opener on Saturday and played effectively against the visiting William Jessup Warriors. The tone was set early in the match when senior midfielder Lindsay Stoner scored just three minutes in. From there, the Jacks never relinquished control of the game.

Even though, to the untrained eye, there was not much fault in the game for the Jacks, Head Coach Paul Karver noticed that after scoring the first goal his players were losing a bit of focus.

“We had a conversation at halftime about we need to play our style, and we need to have a real identity and we need to get back to that,” Karver said. “And that was a challenge because everyone is trying to do more and get on the scoreboard.”

Men’s Soccer

Right now, the Jacks seem like an offensive force that is going to be very hard to stop. In the last two games the Jacks have outscored their opponents 10-2 and overall this season they are already averaging almost four goals per game. Head Coach Fred Jungemann was happy with the results of his team thus far. He feels that his team is ready for the tough CCAA conference which begins on Friday as the Jacks take on Sonoma State in Rohnert Park.

“Certainly the preseason has helped and brought us to a level of confidence,” Jungemann said. “We’re going to this game on Friday with a self-belief that we can step on the field and compete with anybody we play against whether we score five goals or not.”

Cross Country

In addition to both cross country teams finishing in fourth place, the Jacks had some standout performances. For the men, it was Daniel Tull who finished second in the race and earned himself an all CCAA award for the second time this season. For the women it was Cessair McKinney who had the standout performance for the Jacks, finishing seventh and earning herself student-athlete of the week.

The men’s team also earned an 8th place NCAA regional ranking based on their recent performances and for freshman runner Finn Tyvoll the ranking is a validation of the team’s success.

“It’s fantastic because it shows how much work we’re putting in,” Tyvoll said. “It’s worth it because of the grind and putting Humboldt on the map.”

Volleyball

The Jacks volleyball team went 1-2 on their opening homestand at Lumberjack Arena last week. They won their home opener 3-1 against Cal State Monterey Bay in front of a packed crowd. The next night, the Jacks lost 1-3 to the nationally ranked Cal Poly Pamona Bronco’s. A significant challenge was presented to the Jacks on Saturday as the No. 1 team in the nation, Cal State San Bernardino, played at Lumberjack Arena and swept the Jacks 3-0.

Despite the daunting task, Head Coach Kelly Wood was not phased by the level of competition that CSU San Bernardino presented.

“Overall we went into it very loose, understanding that the pressure is always on the team that’s expected to win,” Wood said. “I think we could have competed harder than we did and maybe we could have played a little better and taken a few more points off of them, but there’s always room for improvement.”

Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Lumberjacks lose heartbreaker at home

Threes don’t fall for the Jacks as they drop first game of the season.

Lumberjacks forward Isa Conde scored 26 in a comeback effort by the Jacks versus the Concordia (Ore.) Cavaliers but fell just short in the game’s final seconds.

The Jacks (2-1) fell to the Cavs (4-1) 72-71 at Lumberjack Arena on Nov. 20 but were able to mount a comeback after trailing by 18 early in the game. Isa Conde began to find her groove thanks to some trips to the free throw line and the buckets began to fall.

“We shouldn’t be in these situations,” Conde said. “We should be the ones forcing teams to fight back and we just need to work on our starts.”

Defense has been an issue for the Jacks as they are allowing 71.6 points per game but this team lives and dies by the three and they fell on their own blade against the Cavs.

The Lumberjacks shot over 10 percent worse from three-point land against Concordia than their season average of 32 percent. To make matters worse, the Jacks couldn’t pull down any boards and were outrebounded by 15.

Down 23-6 in the first quarter, the Jacks began to chip away at the lead. They found their way back into the game as they began to force some turnovers. Down by just four with 2:16 left, Conde drove to the bucket and got the and-one to bring the Jacks within just a point. Conde led all players with 16 points the first two quarters and her team trailed by only three at halftime.

“I thought Isa just played her tail off on both ends of the floor tonight,” Jacks head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson said. “She’s trying her best to lead us in all areas and not just scoring but keeping us together and being vocal.”

The Cavs were able to get out to an eight-point lead in the third quarter but the Jacks remained poised and kept making plays to keep the game close.

Lumberjacks junior forward Alexia Thrower puts the post-move on the Cavaliers defender during the Jacks 72-71 loss to the Cavs on Nov. 20 at Lumberjack Arena. | Photo by Lauren Shea

Jacks newcomer Alexia Thrower has been a revelation for the Jacks. She’s already recorded two double-doubles in the first three games of the season with averages of 17 points and 9.6 boards per game.

“We came in and played stronger in the second half, “Thrower said. “It was enough to give us a kick start.”

The fourth quarter was not to be missed. The Jacks fought their way back to make the game competitive but they wanted a win. Every time the Jacks came close, the Cavs hit another shot to extend their lead.

Down 68-65 in the game’s final minutes, Jacks junior guard Tyra Turner was able to get by her defender to make the layup plus a foul. Turner knocked down the free throw and tied the game at 68.

With the Cavs in the penalty, Alexia Thrower was sent to the line for two. She knocked down both to give the Jacks their first lead since the first minute of the game.

With just 11 seconds left, Cavs guard Kizzah Maltezo was fouled by the Jacks Jovanah Arrington. Maltezo made both to put the Cavs up one. With a chance to win the game, Turner missed a 3-pointer as time expired, handing the Jacks their first loss of the season.

“Im glad that our team had the resilience to fight back,” Conde said. “But at the same time it would be cool to have came out victorious.”

Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Women’s basketball rolls over Cal State Monterey Bay

HSU women’s basketball team rolled over the California State University, Monterey Bay Otters 64-42 at the Lumberjack Arena on Feb. 3

The game started off as a low-scoring defensive battle, but the Jacks took control in the second quarter. By halftime, the Jacks led by the score of 40-23. Their first-half charge was led in large part by junior forward Isamar Conde, who had 15 points in the first half.

“Sometimes I’m not really the hot hand,” Conde said. “But today, I made one early, and I just kept shooting.”

Humboldt State University, led by coach Michelle Bento-Jackson, did not take their foot off the gas after that, as they shot an impressive 57.1 percent from the field in the second half, while shooting a perfect 2-2 beyond the arc.

“I’m most pleased with our defensive effort. Especially in the first half,” Bento-Jackson said. “We wanted to come out and get the first punch and really send a message on the defensive end.”

Conde definitely had the hot hand, as she was 3-4 on three-point attempts and finished with 19 points. Another notable performance for the Jacks was sophomore guard Tyla Turner, who ended up with a double-double (18 points and 12 rebounds) and four steals.

The Jack’s defense was stingy all game, as they held the Otters to a 21.4 shooting percent from the field. Their intensity was visible throughout the game, and they did a great job of setting the tone early on.

The victory moved the Jack’s current winning streak to three games, and their conference record to 12-5, while their overall record is now 13-9.

The Jacks are now in second place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings, and four games behind University of California, San Diego, which has a conference record of 15-1.

Conde and her teammates understand the importance of home court advantage with the tournament rapidly approaching.

“The top four teams get a game at home, and we want to be at home.” Conde said.

With home court advantage on the line, the Jacks will look to keep their current momentum going and finish the regular season strong.

There are five games remaining for Bento-Jackson’s team before the CCAA tournament, starting with a February 10 match up on the road against California State University, Stanislaus.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018
HSU’s basketball doubleheader makes ESPN3

By | Skye Kimya

Humboldt State Basketball is ready to play against rival Chico State on ESPN3 Nov. 18. It will be a humbling experience for both the women’s and men’s team as they perform on a national stage.

“My mom told me everybody will be watching from back home,” Sophomore, Tyla Turner said.

This game is an opportunity for family and friends back home to watch the Jacks play at home with a raucous crowd behind them.

Junior Tyrus Rattler Jr. driving to the basket. | Juan Herrera

“The fans are really into it,” said Turner. “Several people have told me that they can’t wait for basketball season to start so I feel they are just ready to fill up the bleachers.”

The Lumberjack Arena expects a big crowd as they promote a White Out theme. The first 500 people to arrive will be given a free shirt to help ‘white out’ the stands.

The women’s game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. and the men’s game will begin at 7:30 p.m.

“It’s exciting,” Junior, Tyras Rattler said. “I have never played on ESPN before, and we are expected to have a good turnout.”

HSU Men’s Basketball is coming off of a 13-16 season. They were led by Sophomores Tyras Rattler Jr. and Nikhil Lizotte who held over 13 points per game a piece.

HSU’s Women’s Basketball is coming off of a rough season where they finished 8-19. They return CCAA Freshman of the Year, Tyla Turner who is both excited and nervous about playing on ESPN.

“I am nervous before every game,” Turner said, “but we can’t focus on Chico State if we haven’t focused on what comes next.”

Women’s Basketball Head Coach, Michelle Bento-Jackson took over the program in 2016 with over 20 years of coaching experience already under her wing. She has led several championships throughout her coaching career, including West Coast Conference Division I with Santa Clara University.

“To get national exposure like this,” Bento-Jackson said. “We just feel honored that we are getting this opportunity.”

Bento-Jackson and her players made it very clear that although this is a big game to think about, the team has prior duties to focus on and work toward.

“We are focusing on our first opponent,” Bento-Jackson said. “Which at this time is Simpson. And the week leading up to Chico, we will be in preparation for them.”

Humboldt State’s basketball doubleheader against Chico State should bring not only excitement to the players and a great atmosphere to the arena, but also substantial recognition to both basketball programs.

“When the fans are excited, that makes me excited,” Rattler said. “I’m trying to win for them.”

Tuesday, October 17, 2017