The Cal State LA men’s basketball team lost to the Cal Poly Humboldt Lumberjacks 77-72 on Saturday, Feb. 22, limiting their chance at a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) tournament bid — the same tournament they won last year for the first time in program history.
The Golden Eagles dropped their last two games, both at home, but they still have a shot if they can win the next two on the road. While they put up a good fight, the Lumberjacks would go on runs that the Golden Eagles ultimately couldn’t come back from.
Neither team was really able to figure out the other. It seemed like one team would pull away, only for the other team to catch up within minutes. A discrepancy between the two teams was the free throws in the first half; the Golden Eagles got none while the Lumberjacks shot seven, making six. Forward Corey Cofield II would have preferred a different kind of refereeing style.
“I like playing games more when refs don’t call calls both ways, so I like it when they don’t blow the whistle as much rather than them having a tight whistle,” said Cofield. “It kind of makes the game less fun and less physical. I think it was fine.”
Out of halftime, it appeared as though the Golden Eagles had figured something out to get them going. They kept a lead for a few minutes, but the Lumberjacks were relentlessly on their heels. Ultimately, it’d prove too much for the Golden Eagles as the Lumberjacks are also making a push for the CCAA tournament — they actually qualified for it after the game.
There’s only one more spot left for the CCAA tournament and the Golden Eagles are tied for that spot with Cal State East Bay at a 9-11 conference record. Both teams are set to face off in East Bay on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7:30. Cal State LA got the upper hand last time the two teams faced off, and winning this game can be the ticket back to the CCAA tournament.
The tournament is set to start March 6 at Cal State San Marcos.
