Joy Hano/Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics – Marlon Ruffin scored a game-high 21 points in Thursday’s win.

The Lumberjacks played their first home game in more than a month on Thursday night, getting the better of Cal State Los Angeles 68-64 in men’s basketball.

The win was the third straight for the Cal Poly men, who improved to 7-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association and took over sole possession of second place in the standings.

The victory also narrowed the gap at the top of the standings after conference leader Cal State San Bernardino suffered its first CCAA loss at Stanislaus State and dropped to 6-1.

Sonoma State came into the day tied with the Jacks for second, but lost to Cal State San Marcos and fell back into a three-way tie with Chico State and San Marcos, each of which is now 6-3.

San Marcos plays at Lumberjack Arena on Saturday night in another key game for both teams.

Marlon Ruffin led Humboldt with a game-high 21 points in Thursday’s win, while teammate Bryce Mitchell finished with 11 rebounds and three blocks.

“Sloppy but resilient,” is how head coach Tae Norwood described the performance. “We were able to grind out a win.

“We held Cal State LA to 64 points, but we have to do a better job at closing games out. There are no nights off, as this is one of the best Division-II conferences in the country. I’m just happy we showed resiliency and made our free throws down the stretch. 

“We are going to celebrate this win and get ready for Cal State San Marcos on Saturday.”

The win was the third straight for Humboldt, which improved to 9-6 overall.

The Cal Poly Humboldt women were not as fortunate, losing to the same school, 76-60.

The loss was the second straight for the Humboldt women, who dropped to 4-5 in conference and 6-7 overall.

The Humboldt women also play San Marcos on Saturday night.

The women’s game is set for 5:30 p.m., with the men playing at 7:30 p.m.