ARCATA, Calif. – Despite a late comeback effort, the Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team's efforts were not quite enough as the Broncos fell 86-80 to Humboldt State on Saturday night in the regular season finale.

At 19-7 overall and 17-5 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the Broncos will challenge Cal State East Bay on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in the first round of the CCAA Championships Tournament in Stockton. CPP will be the No. 3 seed in the event while the Pioneers are ranked sixth.

Jada Blackwell provided a game-leading 30 points for the Broncos on Saturday, going 10-for-21 from the floor and sinking nine free throws in the process. She was one of three CPP team members with double-digit points in the game.

Also with double-digits was Ariel Marsh, who went 6-for-9 from the field en route to her 18 points, and Ashley Lovett, who added 11 points on a team high 83.3 shooting percentage.

In Saturday's matchup, the Green and Gold as a team went 26-for-53 from the floor, good for a 49.1 percent in the game. Both squads sank 26 free throws, but the real advantage for the Jacks came from beyond the arc, where they recorded eight more than CPP.

The first points in the game came for Tyler Woods, whose successful layup was one of her nine points in the game. Also with nine points in the contest was Mary Williams. Soon after the Broncos opened up the game, the Jacks added five points of their own, to which CPP responded with a six-point spree.

The Broncos' largest run in the first half came with a 10-point spread. At the end of the run, the Broncos held a 36-34 lead with 3:26 to play in the half.

HSU pushed back and pulled ahead seven points by the halftime break. The score stood at 45-38 Humboldt.

With a seven-point spree starting right after the second half began, the Jacks increased their lead and secured their largest advantage of the game, holding CPP to a 13-point deficit.

In the final minutes of the game, the Broncos pushed back hard and came within a shot of the lead at four different moments throughout the contest. A strong offensive performance for CPP in the waning minutes of the game certainly got the Jacks attention.

The final point for the Broncos came for Mian Dingle who was successful in a free throw attempt as one of her three points. HSU's final point was also a free throw that put the game at the final 86-80 result.

CCAA Tournament Schedule
The 12-team tournament format (six men's and six women's teams) calls for 10 games to be played over three days in Stockton Arena. Four games (two women's and two men's) scheduled for both Thursday, March 5 and Friday, March 6. Championship games will be played on Saturday, March 7.

Thursday, March 5
12 p.m. Women's Basketball (Game #1): No. 4 UC San Diego vs. No. 5 Cal State San Bernardino
2:30 p.m. Women's Basketball (Game #2): No. 3 Cal Poly Pomona vs. No. 6 Cal State East Bay
5:30 p.m. Men's Basketball (Game #1): No. 4 Cal State Stanislaus vs. No. 5 UC San Diego
8:00 p.m. Men's Basketball (Game #2): No. 3 Humboldt State vs. No. 6 Cal State San Bernardino
   
Friday, March 6  
12 p.m. Women's Basketball (Game #3): No. 1 Cal State Dominguez Hills vs. winner of W1
2:30 p.m. Women's Basketball (Game #4): No. 2 Humboldt State vs. winner of W2
5:30 p.m. Men's Basketball (Game #3): No. 1 Chico State vs. winner of M1
8:00 p.m. Men's Basketball (Game #4): No. 2 Cal Poly Pomona vs. winner of M2
   
Saturday, March 7  
5:00 p.m. Women's Championship
7:30 p.m. Men's Championship