Jacks @ CSU East Bay (12/30 @ 3:00)
Looking at the first part of the season for the Humboldt State Men’s Basketball, it would be considered a success for Head Coach Steve Kinder. The Lumberjacks are 7-1 on the season and they are looking like a team that will be in the hunt for the CCAA title later on this season. It is still early to talk about the conference title and a possible playoff appearance.
Jim Mora: Playoffs?
Hey, Jim Mora, don’t hijack my Keys to the Game. Wow. What can I do when I get celebrities involved in the Keys to the Game? OK, I need to get control of the situation.
The Situation's friend, Ronnie in action with One Shot
Great, now I got Mike “The Situation” friend Ronnie from the Jersey Shore giving me, ‘That’s one shot. That’s one shot, kid.’ It is time to get back to Humboldt State basketball.
The Lumberjacks are on the road to take Cal State East Bay in an afternoon game. The tip off is scheduled for 3:00 PM. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN Radio 1340 AM and on the Internet at Humboldt State University Athletics. Dan Pambianco will be on the call of the game from Pioneer Gym in Hayward.
Humboldt State comes into the contest with a 4-1 record in the CCAA and 7-1 overall. The Lumberjacks went to La Jolla back on December 19th to defeat the UC San Diego Tritons by the final score of 67-57. This game was evenly match throughout as the final score did not truly reflect how close the game was throughout the contest. There were eight ties and nine lead changes in the game as Humboldt State took the lead for good with 6:15 left in the contest on a three pointer by Ernie Spada. The game was still close in the final minutes, but the Lumberjack defense stepped up and kept the Tritons from making a field goal in the final 4:02 of the game to secure the win.
Let’s go inside the numbers from this game.
Humboldt State:
Team: 35.2% FG %, 31.8% 3 PT FG %, 78.6% FT %, 37 rebounds, + 8 rebounding margin, 8 assists, 15 turnovers, 10 steals, 6 blocks
Individual Leaders:
Brian Morris: 8 for 10 from the field, 22 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Randy Hunter: 15 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
UC San Diego:
Team: 40.9% FG %, 20.0% 3 PT FG %, 74.1% FT %, 29 rebounds, - 8 rebounding margin, 9 assists, 17 turnovers, 4 steals, 6 blocks
Individual Leaders:
Christian Hatch: 6 for 9 from the field, 15 points, 3 rebounds
Justin Brue: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks
James McCann: 10 points, 3 assists
This was a gritty game. I feel Head Coach Steve Kinder and his coaching staff did a great job in preparing the team for the contest at UC San Diego. They did not want to fall into the same situation that took place at Stanislaus from a couple of weeks ago. The Tritons gave everything the Lumberjacks could handle in the game, but the better team found a way to step up down the stretch to get the win. This was more of a defensive type of game and the Lumberjacks were able to adjust to win this style of game. In years past, this would be a game that Humboldt State would lose since they did not adapt to the game.
Anytime you go on the road to get a win in the CCAA, it is a plus for your team. Right now, Humboldt State is 2-1 on the road in the CCAA. Depending on what happens this weekend, the Lumberjacks could get themselves into CCAA title contention with a strong showing this weekend.
Let’s look at the Cal State East Bay Pioneers.
Cal State East Bay comes into the contest with a 0-4 record in the CCAA and 2-6 overall. The Pioneers last played on December 19th as they fell to Sonoma State at home by the final score of 68-62. When I look at the Pioneers, they are a guard oriented team with limited height on the roster. Granted, Cal State East Bay does have two players that are 6’9” or taller, but they are not the main feature of this Pioneer team. The offense is centered on sophomore guard Mark Samuels, who is averaging 17.1 points per game.
There is talent on the roster, but Cal State East Bay has struggled on defense this season. When opponents take on the Pioneers, teams are shooting 52.3% from the field and 44.9% from the three point line. You are not going to win a lot of games when you allow your opponents to shoot at that high of a clip from the field. For Cal State East Bay to get back on track, the Pioneers need to play better on the defensive end of the court.
Let’s go inside the numbers for this game.
Humboldt State:
Team: 81.5 points per game, 46.3% FG %, 35.1% 3 PT FG %, 75.8% FT %, 36.6 rebounds per game, 13.5 assists per game, 14.1 turnovers per game, 8.8 steals per game, 3.6 blocks per game
Opponents: 67.9 points per game, 44.9% FG %, 31.5% 3 PT FG %, 71.6% FT %, 30.3 rebounds per game, 12.0 assists per game, 18.8 turnovers per game, 4.9 steals per game, 2.6 blocks per game
Players to Watch:
Randy Hunter: 16.0 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game, 59.5% FG %
Brian Morris: 15.4 points per game, 7.4 rebounds per game, 56.1% FG %
Brandon Sperling: 15.0 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, 2.6 assists per game
Cal State East Bay:
Team: 65.0 points per game, 40.4% FG %, 30.6% 3 PT FG %, 64.7% FT %, 31.5 rebounds per game, 13.0 assists per game, 13.5 turnovers per game, 7.5 steals per game, 1.9 blocks per game
Opponents: 76.8 points per game, 52.3% FG %, 44.9% 3 PT FG %, 69.8% FT %, 35.1 rebounds per game, 17.8 assists per game, 14.6 turnovers per game, 5.8 steals per game, 4.0 blocks per game
Players to Watch:
Mark Samuels: 17.1 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, 3.8 assists per game
Roshun Wynne: 12.6 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game, 3.4 assists per game
Will Freedman: 12.3 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, 92.3% FT %
Here are the Keys to the Game.
1. Get the ball inside. Small opponent plus Randy Hunter and Brian Morris equals a ton of opportunities for points in the paint. I think that is the formula for success in this game for Humboldt State. The Lumberjacks need to get the ball inside and let their size and their athleticism takes over the game. If Humboldt State can get over 40 points in the paint in this contest, I think it will be a blowout.
2. Contain Samuels. Mark Samuels comes into the game as the # 1 scorer in the CCAA with a 17.1 points per game average this season. I feel the Cal State East Bay is centered around Samuels and if he gets going, the Pioneers feed off that energy. I think it will be important for Humboldt State to make Samuels to take low percentage shots in order to win this game.
3. Take what the defense gives you. I know I said that Humboldt needs to get the ball inside. However, there will be times where the Pioneers could over play in the paint. In that situation, if the three is available, take it. When you take on a team that allow their opponents to shoot over 50% from the field and close to 45% from the three point line, you got to take what the defense gives you. As I mentioned before, I would start inside, then I would work out to the perimeter. If Humboldt State can do that, I think the Lumberjacks will cruise to victory.
Here is the prediction.
Score: Humboldt State 79, Cal State East Bay 64
Scorer: Morris 23
Rebounder: Hunter 12
Assists: Clark 3
Steals: Hunter 2
Blocks: Morris 2
Turnovers: 12
FG %: 49%
3 PT FG %: 45%
FT %: 77%
Rebounding Margin: Humboldt + 7
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