ARCATA – The Humboldt State women’s basketball team hit five-of-seven free throws in the final 38 seconds and defeated the UC San Diego Tritons 82-78 in the semifinals of the California Collegiate Athletic Association Basketball Tournament on Friday.
With the win the Jacks improve to 18-10 overall and advance to the CCAA Championship game on Saturday night at 5 p.m. in Lumberjack Arena. HSU will face Chico State, who earlier in the day defeated Cal Poly Pomona 71-56. UC San Diego, the top seed in the tournament, is now 25-4.
Box Score
The Jacks, for the second game in a row had five players in double figures led by 16 points each from Paige Peterson and Brittney Taylor. Lisa Petty and Andrea Bobic had 14 points apiece and Luiza Osborne chipped in with 12.
For the Tritons, Charity Smith had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Annette Ilg led all scorers with 21 points, CCAA MVP Chelsea Carlisle had 15 and Lauren Friedenberg added 11.
Just like the game on Jan. 21 between these two teams, which HSU 84-80, this was a close contest throughout.
In the first half, HSU outshot the Tritons 53.8 to 35 percent but were beaten on the boards 24-to-16 and 12-to-1 on the offensive glass as the teams went to the half tied 35-35.
Peterson scored five of her seven first half points in the first five minutes as the Jacks took a 7-6 lead with 15:07 to go.
Over the next six minutes the game was tied five times. Then, with 8:42 to play Osborne hit a 3-pointer giving the Jacks a 19-16 lead and HSU pushed the advantage to 26-20 with 6:29 left. However, UCSD grabbed four offensive boards which led to four points and Charity Smith and Friedenberg each converted 3-point plays to send the teams to the locker room tied 35-35.
“At half time they had 12 offensive boards to our one and we reiterated that we had to rebound and limit our turnovers,” head coach Joddie Gleason said. “In the second half we went out and that is exactly what we did.”
Humboldt State built its biggest lead of the game, eight points, on a 3-pointer from Petty with 12:33 to play. But by the 3:15 mark, the Tritons had battled back and, on an Ilg 3-point play, took a 70-69 lead.
Peterson then hit a jumper to put the Jacks back in front 71-70. A Bree Halsey layup and another Peterson bucket pushed the advantage to 75-70 with 1:54 to play.
UCSD’s Carlisle and Ilg scored to trim the lead to 75-74 with 1:07 left. A Taylor hoop and free throw with 38 seconds to play made it 78-74 HSU.
UCSD was forced to foul. The Jacks hit five-of-seven free throws and survive and advance to the Championship game.
“We had to battle on the boards,” Gleason said. “That is something that they really took advantage of when we were down there. In the second half we scrapped and clawed getting more of those loose balls and converted then onto points.”
HSU will take on Chico State on Saturday for the CCAA Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“(Saturday) is a great opportunity to take the conference, rectify a couple of losses to Chico (State) and get to the (NCAA) Regional. We are both vying for one of those spots in the regional. There is nothing bigger than that.”