Jacks vs. San Francisco State (1/15)

[Humboldt Super Fan]

It was a magical night for the Humboldt State Men?s Basketball team. The Lumberjacks controlled the game and their star center Brian Morris had one of the most dominating performances in the history of the program. Now, Humboldt State will look to sweep the home stand as they begin a critical three game stretch that could have a huge impact in the CCAA race and in the West Region race, too. The Lumberjacks will take on San Francisco State. The tip off is scheduled for 7:30 PM with the Pre Game Show starting following the completion of the Women?s Basketball game that will start at 5:30 PM. The game will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 1340 AM and on the Internet at Humboldt State University Athletics. J.B. Mathers and the Hall of Famer Burt Nordstrom will be on the call from courtside at Lumberjack Arena.

Humboldt State comes into the contest with an 8-1 record in the CCAA and 12-1 overall. The Lumberjacks stayed in a tie for first place in the CCAA with Cal State Dominguez Hills on Thursday as Humboldt State defeated Cal State Monterey Bay by the final score of 94-66. Humboldt State got control of the game early on by control the paint as Brian Morris and Randy Hunter were unstoppable in the first half. However, Davion Berry would keep Cal State Monterey Bay in the game for a while. Then, a late surge in the first half would give the Lumberjacks a 13 point lead at halftime.

In the second half, it would be the Brian Morris Show. Morris would get on a roll early on and he was hitting shots from all over the floor. With the game in control, the main question left was would Morris break the school record for points in a single game. Previously, the record was set by Austin Nichols as he scored 46 points in a four overtime loss at Seattle Pacific back in 2003. Morris would secure a rebound late in the second half as he hit a pair of free throws to break the record. Then, on the next possession, Morris would cap the night off with a three point play to become the first Lumberjack to score 50 points in a game.

On the record book front, with Morris? 50 point game, it is the third most points scored ever in conference history. The CCAA record is 57 points which is held by Richard Jenkins of Cal State Monterey Bay back on December 15th, 2006 in a four overtime win over Western Oregon in the DeBeni Classic in 2006. (CSUMB would get the win 126-122). Morris has scored the most points in CCAA history in a game that ended in regulation.

Let?s go inside the numbers.

Humboldt State:
Team: 51.5% FG %, 33.3% 3 PT FG %, 83.3% FT %, 42 rebounds, + 17 rebounding margin, 20 assists, 7 turnovers, 3 steals, 1 block

Individual Leaders:
Brian Morris: 21 for 28 from the field, 3 for 5 from the three point line, 5 for 6 from the free throw line, 50 points (a new HSU record), 9 rebounds
Randy Hunter: 13 points (all scored in the first half), 9 rebounds
Kyle Baxter: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists

Cal State Monterey Bay:
Team: 42.3% FG %, 33.3% 3 PT FG %, 70.8% FT %, 25 rebounds, - 17 rebounding margin, 13 assists, 10 turnovers, 2 steals, 2 blocks

Individuals Leaders:
Davion Berry: 26 points, 10 rebounds
Darroll Phillips: 14 points

I might as well start with Brian Morris. I have seen and heard a lot of Humboldt State games in the past ten plus years. I remember the game that Issac Gildea hit 10 three pointers against Saint Martin?s. I remember the game that Austin Nichols scored 46 in the loss at Seattle Pacific. What I saw Thursday night at Lumberjack Arena was one of the most impressive performances that I have ever seen. Morris could not be stopped by the Otters in this game. .He did all from inside the low block to outside from the perimeter. I think early in the second half when Morris hit a baseline jumper that went high off the glass and in the basket, you can tell something special was in the making. I think the coaching staff did the right thing in letting Morris go for the record as it takes a special night for these records to be set. I know I like to do a ?We are Humboldt? chant at the end of each game that will be a win for Humboldt State. In the end, Brian Morris made the fans humbled for that performance.

Let?s look at the team performance. I mentioned that the Cal State Monterey Bay game was a potential trap game. Humboldt State sent a message in this game. They are good and they are getting better. The Lumberjacks took what the defense gave them throughout the game and they control the glass. In the end, this was a complete 40 minutes effort. This is the type of game that needs to come out in the next three games if Humboldt State wants to put their footprint in the regional race.

Let?s look at the San Francisco State Gators.

San Francisco State has been one of the surprises in the CCAA this season. The Gators were picked to finish eighth in the Pre-Season Coaches Poll, but they are in the hunt for the CCAA title. San Francisco State is in a tie for fourth place with Cal State Los Angeles at 6-3 in the conference. The Gators are 8-5 overall. On Thursday night, San Francisco State had a 12 point halftime lead at Sonoma State before the Gators held on to defeat the Seawolves by the final score of 73-66.

When I look at the roster, San Francisco State is a small with their tallest players coming in at 6?8?. The Gators are a veteran team with seven players back from last season?s team that is coached by Paul Trevor. San Francisco State is led in scoring by a pair of guards in Nefi Perdomo and Marquel Hoskins. They are quick and athletic. If there is one player in the frontcourt to focus, it is Tim Pratt. The former College of the Redwoods player is the third leading scorer on the roster, but he had a few games where he was the leading scorer. I have a feeling that Pratt will be on a mission to beat his hometown school in this game.

Let?s go inside the numbers for this game.

Humboldt State:
Team: 82.9 points per game, 47.7% FG %, 35.0% 3 PT FG %, 77.4% FT %, 36.2 rebounds per game, 14.2 assists per game, 13.3 turnovers per game, 7.8 steals per game, 2.5 blocks per game
Opponents: 68.2 points per game, 45.4% FG %, 33.0% 3 PT FG %, 69.1% FT %, 29.4 rebounds per game, 12.6 assists per game, 17.4 turnovers per game, 4.6 steals per game 2.2 blocks per game

Players to Watch:
Brian Morris: 19.2 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game, 59.1% FG %
Randy Hunter: 15.1 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game, 55.0% FG %
Brandon Sperling: 14.0 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, 3.4 assists per game

San Francisco State:
Team: 72.9 points per game, 45.1% FG %, 34.7% 3 PT FG %, 66.4% FT %, 35.1 rebounds per game, 14.3 assists per game, 15.4 turnovers per game, 8.5 steals per game, 2.8 blocks per game
Opponents: 68.0 points per game, 41.2% FG %, 35.5% 3 PT FG %, 69.2% FT %, 36.0 rebounds per game, 11.8 assists per game, 18.3 turnovers per game, 6.2 steals per game, 3.6 blocks per game

Players to Watch:
Nefi Perdomo: 16.5 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game
Marquel Hoskins: 11.5 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, 3.5 assists per game
Tim Pratt: 8.9 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game

Here are the Keys to the Game.

1. The supporting cast for Humboldt State. I have feeling San Francisco State looked at the game tape from the Thursday night Humboldt State-Cal State Monterey Bay game. The first thing that probably came up from their discussion is how to stop Brian Morris. I think the Gators will try to double team Morris more in this game than what the Otters did on Thursday night. I think it will be important for Morris to figure out where the double team is coming from and dish it out to the open player. Then, it?s up to the rest of the team to make the Gators pay for that double team. If that happens, then it will be a long night for San Francisco State.

2. Contain the Gator backcourt. Perdomo and Hoskins are a 1-2 punch for the Gator attack. They will attack in many ways in this game both inside and out. It will be important for the Lumberjacks to make these two guards from the Gators to take low percentage shots to win this game.

3. Dominate the glass. In four of the Gators losses this season, San Francisco State was out rebounded by their opponents. If I?m the Lumberjacks, I would focus on rebounding the ball in this game. Humboldt State has the height advantage in this game. If things go to plan, I think that could be one important advantage that could give the rebounding edge to Humboldt State in this game.

Here is the prediction.
Score: Humboldt State 84, San Francisco State 74
Scorer: Morris 24
Rebounder: Morris 12
Assists: Sperling 5
Steals: Baxter 2
Blocks: Morris 1
Turnovers: 12
FG %: 49%
3 PT FG %: 38%
FT %: 84%
Rebounding Margin: Humboldt State + 8

[Marauders]

Score: HSU 85 SFSU 70
Scorer: Morris 30
Rebounder: Morris 10
Assists: Sperling 5
Steals: Baxter 2
Blocks: Baxter 1
Turnovers: 12
FG %: 48%
3 PT FG %: 37%
FT %: 82%
Rebounding Margin: Humboldt State +7

So is anyone going to predict Morris going for another half buck tonight?

I may change my mind later...which I've done a few times already

[jacksfan]

West region player of the year? Is it too early to start talking about it?

score: Jacks 84-68
scorer: Morris 23
rebounds: Morris 10
assists: Sperling 5
blocks: Hunter 1
steals: Sperling 2
turnovers: 14
field goal % - 48%
3 pt. % - 37%
free throw % - 79%
rebounding margin: Jacks +5

[Super mom]

score: Jacks 86-72
scorer: Morris 19
rebounds: Morris 11
assists: Sperling 3
blocks: Hunter 1
steals: Hunter 1
turnovers: 12
field goal % - 47%
3 pt. % - 36%
free throw % - 81%
rebounding margin: Jacks +7


We may not be able to make it to this game either... if not it is because G is playing in the championship game of the tourney he is in..... Go Toddy!

[Seattle Fan]

score: Jacks 88-70
scorer: Morris 20
rebounds: Hunter 10
assists: Sperling 6
blocks: Morris 1
steals: EBK 1
turnovers: 11
field goal % - 50%
3 pt. % - 40%
free throw % - 80%
rebounding margin: Jacks +6

[Humboldt Super Fan]

West region player of the year? Is it too early to start talking about it?

You want my answer. NO!!!! It's not too early to start talking about it.

[jacksfan]

So the Jacks get down by 13, shots aren't falling, SF State's getting rebounds, loose balls, nailing their shots...

No problem. Get the ball to the post, pick up the intensity and emphasize rebounding in the second half, and it's all good. Big question mark??? Sperling's ankle. Hopefully it isn't too bad.

The Jacks will break into the national top 25 this coming week. Then it's on to LA to deal w/ D Hills and CSULA. Let's hope the shots are falling down south next week, otherwise their stint in the national poll will be short-lived. Of course, we can't expect them to sweep the road trip next week, but we can hope!

Official results vs. SF State
score: Jacks 73-70
scorer: Morris 23
rebounds: Morris 10
assists: Baxter, Sperling 3
blocks: Baxter 2
steals: Broome 2
turnovers: 14
field goal % - 52%
3 pt. % - 29%
free throw % - 76%
rebounding margin: Jacks +6

Total Prediction Points (this game)
Jacks Fan - 9
Marauders - 8
Seattle Fan -7
Super Mom - 6
Super Fan - 4

Total Prediction Points (season)

[table]PARTICIPANT|POINTS|GAMES|AVG. POINTS PER GAME
Jacks Fan|85|14|6.1
Super Fan|81|14|5.8
Marauders|58|11|5.3
Seattle Fan|69|14|4.9
Super Mom|43|10|4.3
EDAllen17|30|6|5.0
[/table]

[Marauders]

West region player of the year? Is it too early to start talking about it?
[B]

I think, that while Morris has been dominant lately, the UAF guy Parrish West is leading the nation in scoring at 26 per game. He's probably going to lock down that award.

But Brian should be on the short list for CCAA POY