 "Photo: Tosh Kondo")
 "Photo: Tosh Kondo")
Missed shots led to the downfall of the HSU men’s basketball team in Friday night’s California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) semi-final match. The Jacks lost to the eventual tournament champions, Cal State San Bernardino, 64-55.
San Bernardino’s Corey Caston led his team with 20 points. Brian Morris led HSU with 16 points. Kevin Atkins added 12, and Zac Tiedeman had 10 points with 10 assists for the Lumberjacks.
Leading the Jacks, Morris picked up the pace in the second half and helped build momentum for a come back. Morris said his movement in the second half helped his scoring efficiency. He managed to tally 16 points and six rebounds while fighting off two Coyotes’ defenders.
“They had two guys on me the whole time. I just tried to keep moving to get open, but they played some good defense,” said Morris.
When asked about the Jacks’ trouble shooting, senior forward Kevin Atkins replied, “That’s why they call it shooting not making.”
The Jacks did a lot of shooting but sank 29 percent in the opening half. On the other side of the ball, the Coyotes’ 3-pointers pulled them away from the Jacks and secured the win in the final seconds of the game.
The Coyotes took the lead early and held it most of the match. But, the Jacks never lost sight of the game. They took the lead in the second half when senior guard Zac Tiedeman hit a jumper with eight minutes left to make the score 46-45.
San Bernardino’s Caston responded to Tiedeman’s shot with a jumper of his own, a free throw and a 3-pointer to put his team back on top by five with 7:23 left to play.
“[Caston] was a quick player and did a good job getting to the rim,” said Tiedemen of the Coyotes’ stand-out player.
The game remained close until the final seconds. Atkins hit a 3-pointer that put the Jacks within two points with 47 seconds remaining. But, Caston responded and the Coyotes took the win.
The defenses on both ends of the court kept both teams’ shot percentages down. The Coyotes denied the CCAA’s top 3-point shooting team and kept HSU’s count from behind the arc to four of 16 in the opening half.
“Our shots just weren’t going in. And, second half, same story,” said Tiedeman.
Though the loss kept the Jacks out of the CCAA championship game, they are already preparing for their second trip in two years to the NCAA Western Regionals in Bellingham, Wash. Tiedeman and Atkins both agree the Jacks will bounce back from the loss and be ready for the upcoming games.
Atkins said, “Overall, it was a great season. We had a lot of good wins, and we still have regionals to look forward to.”
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