Box Score
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — It wasn't until Bryan LeDuc hit his final two free throws of the game that Cal State San Bernardino took a deep breath and knew it was living to play another day. The past two seasons the Coyotes bowed out in the first round, but Friday, CSUSB moved to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II West Region Tournament with a 75-66 win over Humboldt State.
The Coyotes (23-7) had four players in double figures as Aaron Hill scored a game-high 17 points, going 4-for-5 from the field, 8-of-9 from the free throw line and hit the only 3-pointer he attempted.
Devon Davis scored 16 points and pulled down six boards while LeDuc added 10 points and notched a game-high seven boards. Corey Caston also chipped in with 10 points while David Jefferson had seven points and five rebounds.
Humboldt held Cal State San Bernardino scoreless for the first 4:40 of the game before Hill completed a traditional 3-point play to make it 6-3. Those three points were just the start of a 17-2 run by the Coyotes that was capped by a Hill three-pointer as CSUSB took a 17-8 lead.
Humboldt State answered with a 16-7 run to tie the game at 24 with 4:06 to play. LeDuc answered with a trey to make it 27-24 before the Coyotes took a 34-31 lead into the locker room at the half.
The Coyotes took a 47-39 lead early in the second half with 14:02 left to play, but the Lumberjacks answered with 9-0 run to take their first lead, at 48-47, since the 13:53 mark in the first half.
The Jacks stretched it out to a 55-51 lead and led 57-56 with 5:52 left before a pair of Hill free throws gave CSUSB a 58-57 lead. LeDuc then sank a three to give CSUSB a 61-59 lead with 5:15 left and sparked an 8-0 run capped by a Jefferson lay in as CSUSB led 66-59 with 2:18 left. The Jacks closed it four three different times, but LeDuc hit four straight free throws and Lawrence Tyson added a late free throw to seal the game.
The last time the Coyotes won a first-round regional tournament game was in 2007 when Cal State San Bernardino reached the Elite Eight and the national semifinals. The win also increased the Coyotes' win streak to seven in-a-row. It was also the second straight tie CSUSB knocked off HSU and the third time in four meetings this season.
