The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Michelle Bento-Jackson

  • Lights Out on Black Out Night

    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.”

  • Lumberjacks lose heartbreaker at home

    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.

    WBB-8
    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.”