The following was provided by HSUjacks.com
Next Game:
vs. TBD
3/14/2016 – TBA
STOCKTON, Calif. – Rakim Brown scored 24 points, and Humboldt State men’s basketball routed Cal State Los Angeles, 79-54, Friday in the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament semifinals.
“I thought our preparation this week with the quick turnaround and travel was awesome,” said Head Coach Steve Kinder. “We came out aggressively and had some good matchups. Our guys did a nice job and the seniors came out playing with a sense of urgency.”
The battle-tested Lumberjacks improved to 20-8 with the victory and advanced to play in their first tournament championship since the 2011-12 season. HSU will face the winner of the UC San Diego/Cal Poly Pomona matchup, which tips off at 2:35 p.m.
The Jacks jumped out to a big first half lead and never looked back against the gassed Golden Eagles. HSU shot 44.8 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes and did not trail before intermission. The Green and Gold held a 45-28 advantage at the break.
HSU looked re-energized as it exited the locker room and led by as many as 29 points in the second half. The efficient Green and Gold scorers shot 50 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point range as they cruised to a CCAA Tournament blowout.
Brown picked up All-CCAA First Team honors Thursday and looked deserving on the court Friday. The Fresno, Calif., native was 7-of-9 shooting from the field, hit a pair of 3-pointers and went 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. He balanced the team-leading scoring effort with seven rebounds, three blocks and two assists.
“When you get up 20-plus on anybody, it’s tough to come back on,” said Kinder. “Our guys did a nice job as far as managing the clock and sharing the ball to get good shots. We are very excited about the opportunity to win a CCAA Tournament Championship.
Cal State LA shot 33.3 percent from the field in its third loss to HSU. Duce Zaid was the Golden Eagles’ top scorer and finished with 17 points.