BOX SCORE

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ARCATA, Calif. — It may flirt with up-tempo offense and three-point shooting, but when the Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball team needs to win ball games, it always returns to its one true love: Defense.

Such was the case on Valentine's Day night, when the CSUMB offense shot an anemic 5-for-40 from the field in the first half before defense swept the Otters off their feet and to a 51-43 win over Humboldt State in Lumberjack Arena.

The win puts CSUMB (16-4, 13-4 CCAA) in position to clinch a top four seed and a home game in the CCAA Tournament as early as Saturday night, depending on Friday results from around the league. Humboldt (9-14, 5-12) remains on the outside looking in at the eight-team tournament field with five games remaining.

“It wasn't pretty but we're not giving it back,” quipped CSUMB Head Coach Renee Jimenez with the win safely tucked away. “We did a really nice job getting shots in the paint instead of settling for threes and that's something that we have really been working on. I think we were so surprised how open we were in the paint we didn't focus on the finish.

“I'm excited to see our team continue to get better and execute the adjustments we have made with our scoring.”

Senior guard Jessica Fontenette (Chino Hills/Bishop Amat) led a typically balanced Otter attack with 12 points. But defense was the story of this game. The Otters held their eighth opponent in the last 11 games — and 12th in 20 games this season — under 50 points to allow their cold-starting shooters time to heat up in the second half.

The Otters did just that after the break, connecting on a respectable 46 percent from the field (11-of-24) in the second half. Even then, defense proved to be the catalyst.

The game turned on a 10-0 run midway through the second half. Following a Gabby Munsch (Lodi/CSU San Marcos) rebound and put-back, the Otters forced three consecutive Lumberjack turnovers, including a pair of Fontenette fastbreak layups following steals, to take a 40-34 lead.

Humboldt clawed its way back to within two points on a Caitie Richards free throw with 5:29 remaining. It was still a five-point game at 43-38 when Ashley Morgan (Rohnert Park/Santa Rosa College) shot an arrow into Humboldt's heart with a three-pointer that put the Otters up eight, 46-38, inside the final three minutes.

Nikki Beckman (Dublin/Ohlone College) and Morgan combined to make 5-of-6 from the line in the final 45 seconds to extinguish any hopes of a Lumberjack comeback.

CSUMB will take a travel day to head to Southern California for a meeting with Cal Poly Pomona Saturday night in Kellogg Gym. Pomona fell at home to Cal State East Bay, 52-50, Thursday night.