Jan. 23, 2003
Box Score
ARCATA, Calif. - Forwards Austin Nichols and Fred Hooks each scored 28 points and Hooks grabbed 16 rebounds as NCAA Division II No.2-ranked Humboldt State University defeated visiting Western Washington University, 76-69, Thursday in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball game.
The West Region No.7-ranked Vikings, who had a 19-game home court victory string, the second-longest in school history, end Saturday, fell to 9-6 overall and 3-3 in the GNAC with their second straight loss. Center Mike Palm (Sr., Puyallup/Rogers) had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Vikings, and forward Maurice Tyree (So., Sacramento, CA/Jesuit) contributed 15 points and nine rebounds.
Humboldt State, which fell out of the top spot in the latest National Basketball Coaches Association/NCAA Division II Top 25 but remained No.1 in the West Region rating, improved to 14-1 overall, 5-1 in the GNAC with their 26th consecutive home victory, the longest such streak in NCAA II.
The Vikings held a 10-6 lead less than five minutes into the game, but scored just two points in the next 7:46, allowing Humboldt State to take a 20-12 lead with 7:27 left in the first half and the Lumberjacks never trailed again, leading 39-31 at halftime.
Western trailed, 56-42, with 13:20 left, but held Humboldt State to just four points over the next eight minutes, closing the margin to four, 60-56, on a pair of free throws by Jason Burrell (Jr., Ontario, CA), who had 12 points, with 5:51 to play. The Vikings could get no closer, as they had just two field goals in the final seven minutes, both of those coming in the last 15 seconds.
Western had a 43-32 edge in rebounds, but was outshot from the field, hitting just 35.9 percent (23-of-64) from the floor to 52.9 percent (27-of-51) for Humboldt State. Hooks had 16 rebounds for the Lumberjacks, making him the school's career leader in the category with 784.
Western is at Western Oregon University on Saturday (7:30 p.m.) for a GNAC counter.
