ARCATA, Calif. — Cal State Monterey Bay had the ball in the hands of its leading scorer with the game on the line, but it couldn't get the final shot to fall as Humboldt State held on for a 64–61 win in the opening round of the CCAA Tournament Tuesday night in Lumberjack Arena.

The win ends CSUMB's season at 14–13 overall. Humboldt State (19–8) advances to play No. 8 seed Cal State L.A., which upset No. 1 seed Chico State 54–37, in the CCAA Tournament semifinals.

CSUMB led by as many as 10 points in the first half, but came out frigid after the restart. The Otters made just 2-of-10 from the floor and 1-of-7 from the free–throw line over the first 9:16 of the second period, allowing Humboldt to turn a 7–point deficit into a 6–point lead at 46–40.

The Otters never let the deficit get greater than six points and eventually came back to tie it at 61–61 on a pair of Evan Zeller free throws with 38 second remaining. A Tyrus Rattler jumper with 11 seconds left gave Humboldt the lead again at 63–61.

The teams traded deadball turnovers, giving the Otters one last chance at the win. Senior Ryan Nitz brought the ball upcourt stopped for an uncontested NBA range 3–point attempt with five seconds remaining, but couldn't get it to fall. Mateo Jones cleared the offensive glass and kicked it out to Zeller for another attempt, but his shot was blocked, ending the Otter season.

"What a ride. What a great group of young men," said CSUMB Head Coach Rob Bishop after the game. "We gave ourselves a chance to win a very good basketball game tonight and came up just a little short. I'm so proud of these guys and the foundation that they have laid for future. I'm going to miss this special team very much."

Nitz capped his collegiate career with his fourth double–double of the season, finishing with team highs of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Alex Fertig, CSUMB's all–time leading scorer, finished with nine points, leaving the Otter career scoring record at 1,370 heading into next season.

With 27 regular season wins over the past two seasons, the Otters will enter the 2016–17 campaign riding their best 2–year stretch since joining the NCAA in 2005.