ARCATA, Calif. – Early in the season, free throw shooting cost the Cal State Bakersfield men's basketball team a chance to upset two NCAA Division I opponents. Friday night in Arcata, a different kind of free throw trouble proved fatal against one of the top teams in Division II as the Roadrunners fell to Humboldt State 86-77 before a capacity crowd of 1,400 in the HSU East Gym.
Bakersfield (14-12, 13-6 CCAA) played well in the first half, leading for long stretches before trailing just 40-38 at the break. But the game was that close thanks in large part to a huge free throw disparity that saw Humboldt shoot 18 free throws in the half to CSUB's four.
By the time Humboldt opened its biggest lead at 77-62 with less than four minutes remaining, the Lumberjack edge at the free throw line had grown to 26-6 and the game was over for all intents and purposes.
For its part, HSU played so well in the second half that the outcome may have been the same without the home cooking. The Lumberjacks did a good job of taking away the Roadrunner interior, holding the post triumvirate of Richard Andrews, Carl Damus and Rick Robinson mostly in check while silencing senior guard Dwuan Rice (Pasadena HS), who scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half.
The only success Bakersfield found was the hot shooting of junior guard Zack Grasmick (Strathmore/Granite Hills HS), who led 'Runners with 18 points by matching his career-high of 6-of-10 shooting from three-point range.
The Roadrunner defense did a solid job on Humboldt forward Kevin Johnson, who managed just 11 points and eight rebounds, both below his season averages. But the Lumberjacks compensated for the relatively slow night of their star by shooting a sizzling 57 percent (29-of-51) from the field.
Bakersfield never led in the second half, but kept the game close until late. The lead was just four points at 62-58 following a Damus layup inside of nine minutes. But a missed layup by Andrews and a turnover on the ensuing two possessions opened the door for HSU and the Lumberjacks soon built their first double-digit lead at 68-58 with 6:41 remaining.
Bakersfield will close its final road trip of the season Saturday night when they play at Sonoma State in Rohnert Park. They return home to play their final two games as a CCAA member Mar. 2-3 in the Icardo Center.
Humboldt State 86, Cal State Bakersfield 77
CS BAKERSFIELD (14–12, 13–6 CCAA): Richard Andrews 2-4 0-0 4; Trent Blakley 1-2 2-2 4; Carl Damus 4-9 1-4 9; Dwuan Rice 6-12 0-0 13; Zack Grasmick 6-10 0-0 18; Randall harding 6-11 0-0 13; Robert Rose 0-1 0-0 0; Brandon Robinson 0-3 2-2 2; Brandon Nevens 0-0 0-0 0; Demarcus Hall 2-3 0-0 4; Rick Robinson 5-9 0-0 10. TOTALS: 32-64 5-8 77.
HUMBOLDT STATE (21–3, 16–3 CCAA): Kevin Johnson 5-11 1-2 11; Devin Peal 8-12 3-6 19; Jeremiah Ward 6-11 4-8 17; Will Burns 0-1 0-0 0; Carlos Corral 1-2 1-2 3; Evan Way 2-2 2-2 6; Cy Vandermeer 1-3 4-6 6. TOTALS: 29-51 24-36 86.
HALFTIME: HSU 40-38. 3-PT. FG: CSUB 8-19 (Grasmick 6-10, Harding 1-1, Rice 1-3, Andrews 0-1, Blakley 0-1, B. Robinson 0-3); HSU 4-8 (Moyer 2-2, Sheufelt 1-1, Ward 1-4, Johnson 0-1). REBOUNDS: CSUB 28 (Andrews 6); HSU 30 (Johnson 8). ASSISTS: CSUB 17 (Rice 8); HSU 15 (Moyer 3). TURNOVERS: CSUB 21, HSU 17. BLOCKS: CSUB 5 (Hall 2); HSU 6 (Vandermeer 4). STEALS: CSUB 8 (Harding 3); HSU 13 (Sheuflet 4). TECHNICALS: Blakley. FOULED OUT: Damus. OFFICIALS: Ketchu, Brokenbrough, Hudes. ATTN: 1,400.
