The following was provided by HSUjacks.com.
Stockton Bound! Jacks Sink Otters 64-61 in CCAA Tournament First Round
Next Game:
- vs. UC San Diego
- 3/4/2016 – 12:05 p.m.
ARCATA, Calif. – It wasn’t pretty, but the California Collegiate Athletic Association first-round victory will advance the Lumberjacks to Stockton. Humboldt State men’s basketball edged Cal State Monterey Bay, 64-61, Tuesday in Lumberjack Arena.
HSU overcame a six-point halftime deficit to capture its 15th home win of the season and improve to 19-8 overall. The No. 4 seed Green and Gold will travel to Stockton Arena and face No. 8 seed Cal State Los Angeles Friday, March 4 at 12:05 p.m.
“I knew this would be a defensive battle and a low-scoring game,” said Head Coach Steve Kinder. “This is the playoffs and defense wins championships.”
The Jacks shot 30 percent from the field in the opening half, and the Ryan Nitz-led Otters held a 35-29 advantage at halftime.
Tyras Rattler and Rakim Brown combined for 22 of HSU’s 35 second-half points. With 11.9 seconds left in the game, Rattler drained a contested fade-away jumper from 19 feet out to put the Jacks ahead 63-61.
“They are pretty good basketball players,” said Kinder. “We went to the well with Tyras, and he made plays. Rocky’s 17 rebounds were just phenomenal. It was the perfect time for Rocky to make some noise in the West Region, and tonight he proved what he can do.”
Brown led all scorers and matched a career-high with 33 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Brown scored 15 points in the first half and followed it up with 18 points after the break. The Fresno, Calif., native also grabbed a team-high 17 rebounds.
HSU outrebounded Monterey Bay 41-38, and the Jacks outscored the Otters 32-28 in the paint. The game featured four ties and two lead changes.
Nitz notched a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds for Monterey Bay.
“We just beat a very good Monterey Bay team,” said Kinder. “They were well-coached and had great players. It is difficult for any team to get bounced out of the tournaments here in March. Only one team will get to say they won its last game at the end of the season.”