ARCATA -- Cal State L.A.'s men's basketball team gave the regular-season California Collegiate Athletic Association champions all they could handle on Friday night.
The Golden Eagles, though, came up short in a 76-70 loss in Lumberjack Arena. Cal State L.A. (14-12, 10-12) concluded the regular season in a three-way tie for sixth place in the conference. The Golden Eagles will face No. 3 Cal State San Bernardino in a first-round CCAA Championship Tournament game on Tuesday in San Bernardino.
David Norris and
Franklin Session scored 23 points each for the Golden Eagles.
Chris Robinson added 13 points.
Brian Morris had 28 points and 12 rebounds to lead Humboldt State (24-2, 20-2 CCAA), while Brandon Sperling had 21 points and Randy Hunter had 14 points, seven rebounds and a key block late in the game.
Cal State L.A. shot 45 percent (27-of-60), while Humboldt State also made 45 percent (21-of-46). Both teams made four 3-pointers, but the Lumberjacks enjoyed a big edge in rebounding (37-22) and free-throws. Humboldt State made 30-of-38 from the free-throw line, while Cal State L.A. was 12-of-18.
The Golden Eagles led by as many as nine points in the first half, 29-20, after going on an 11-0 run. That spurt included seven straight points from Session, who had 18 points in the first half.
Humboldt State, though, closed the half on a 16-6 run to take a 36-35 halftime lead.
The Golden Eagles fell behind by as many as 12 points in the second half, 54-42, but quickly got back into the contest. After trailing 59-50, the Golden Eagles went on a 12-2 run. A Robinson 3-pointer made it 61-58, Session made a steal and layup to make it 61-60 and two free throws by Norris gave the Golden Eagles a 62-61 lead. Norris scored again to give the Golden Eagles a 64-62 lead with 4:12 remaining, but four straight free throws gave the Lumberjacks the lead.
A layup by Session tied it at 66-66 , but a layup by Hunter and two more free throws made it 70-66. Norris hit two free throws to pull the Golden Eagles to within two at 72-70, but Humboldt State made another free throw to take a 73-70 and Hunter made a key block with 14 seconds remaining to preserve the Lumberjack lead.
Cal State L.A. will now turn its attention to Cal State San Bernardino and its first-round tournament game in San Bernardino on Tuesday. The teams split regular-season contests.
