Stout defense combined with a terrific shooting night propelled the Humboldt State women’s basketball team to a 72-42 victory over Cal State Monterey Bay Thursday night at Lumberjack Arena.

The men’s team followed with a 76-64 victory to cap the sweep for the home school.

The HSU women converted 24-of-49 shot attempts, shooting a red-hot 49 percent while limiting CSUMB to just 30.4 percent from the field. 

HSU’s defense wreaked havoc all night, forcing 33 Monterey Bay turnovers and recording a season-high 15 steals.

HSU’s Tyra Turner led all scorers with 18 points followed by Isamar Conde with 15, as both players got after it on the defensive side of the ball as well, setting career highs with six and five steals, respectively. 

Junior forward Yolanda Ealy led the Otters with 13 points.

“We were giving Monterey too good of looks in the first half, and that’s something we addressed at halftime,” HSU head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson said. “I thought we came out in the third and really set the tone with our defensive intensity, which I was proud of.”

With the win, the Jacks improved to 5-2 on the season and 3-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.

HSU men win

The HSU men evened their CCAA record with their win.

Points seemed hard to come by for the Jacks early on as they started the game shooting a sluggish 2-for-13 before Justin Everett ignited his team and the crowd with a rim-rattling jam. 

HSU headed to the locker room up 37-34 and went on a 15-2 run to open the second half to take control. 

The Jacks were dominant on the offensive glass, out-rebounding the visitors 25-11. 

It was a complete team win for the home squad as the reserves contributed 29 points off the bench. 

“I felt like we came out there and set the tone early,” said Everett. “It was a close game, but we came out and finished the game in the second half.”

Four Jacks finished with 10 or more points, and Everett led all scorers with 21. Hunter Johnson finished with a career-high 16 rebounds.

The Jacks are 5-4 overall and 2-2 in the CCAA.