POMONA, Calif. – As the Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team looks to bounce back from its first two-loss streak of the year, its sights fall on Humboldt State. The Jacks will make their way to Kellogg Arena to challenge the Broncos on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
The No. 16 Broncos currently hold an overall season tally of 14-3, complete with a 7-3 mark in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). With their split series last weekend, the HSU team holds an identical 7-3 mark in conference play en route to a 13-3 record thus far in the 2015-16 season.
Humboldt will head to Kellogg Arena after an overtime loss to the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros and a 70-60 victory over the Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles at the Eagles' Nest. The all-time series between CPP and their NorCal opponents leans in the Broncos' favor as they have secured 17 wins to the Jacks' 11.
As a true testament to the strength of competition in the CCAA, there is a fierce battle for positioning in the standings. Just one win currently separates the first-place Chico State Wildcats and UC San Diego Tritons from the fourth-place CPP Broncos and Humboldt State Jacks. Chico and UCSD each have an 8-2 record in conference play. In between the squads is third-place Cal State San Marcos, a newcomer to the conference.
Leading the way for the Broncos on both sides of the court is preseason All-American
Jordan Faison. The senior sits at fourth in the conference with 17.9 points per game on average. Despite placing fourth in that category, the Lake Forest Native leads the CCAA in total points scored at 305.
Faison also leads all other members of the conference with a .599 field goal percentage as his 121 buckets is 10 more than the next-highest number.
On the other side of the court, Faison also lands at fourth in conference in the rebounds category as he grabs an average of 7.3 per game and has pulled down 124 thus far this season.
Barry Bell, a senior out of Oakland has proven to be the most helpful on the court as he leads the squad with 66 assists thus far. His 66 and 3.9 per game average are both good enough to land the 6-2 guard at fourth in the CCAA.
After CPP hosts the Jacks, they will have a few days to prepare for the upcoming Pack the Stands competition on Thursday Jan. 28, against the Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes. That contest will feature halftime entertainment from the
ZOOperstars, a hilarious mascot troupe that performs routines that fans of all ages will love. They will first perform during the halftime show of the women's game which is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. and then hit the court once again in the men's game.
