ARCATA, Calif- Despite a fierce comeback attempt in the final minutes, including 13 points by sophomore Steven Pratt in the final 5:46, Sonoma State couldn't quite make up for a double-digit deficit late in the second half as the Seawolves fell to host Humboldt State, 72-68, in the opening round of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament at Arcata on Tuesday night. Sonoma State, seeded seventh in the conference tournament, ends its season with a 11-17 record, after finishing in a three-way tie for sixth place in the CCAA standings at 10-12 last weekend.

Humboldt State, who came into the game as the No. 2 seed, improves to 22-6 and will take on Cal State San Bernardino on Friday in the semifinal round of the tournament as the rest of the tournament field shifts to Lumberjack Arena in Arcata.

Down by two with eight seconds left, Sonoma State grabbed possession of the basketball after a turnover by Humboldt State. After a timeout, the Seawolves put the ball in freshman Sterling Arterberry's hands. He drove down the lane, but his layup rimmed in and out and the Lumberjacks snatched the rebound and the eventual victory in the loser-out first round game.

It overshadowed the furious comeback by the Seawolves in the hostile territory of Lumberjack Arena, where Pratt took things into his own hands, scoring 13 of Sonoma State's last 19 points, showing off why he was named to the All-CCAA First Team earlier in the day.

Both teams started the game off sluggish, as fans in attendance saw only 18 points scored in the opening nine minutes of the game and the game tied at nine. Sonoma State then went on a quick 8-0 run to jump in front of the Lumberjacks 17-9. However, Humboldt State awoke from its slumber and countered with a 15-5 run to take a 24-22 lead with 4:53 left in the first half. The 'Jacks and Seawolves fought back and forth, but HSU eventually took a two point lead into halftime, 29-27.

Pratt and senior Kyle Shandera led Sonoma State with seven points through the first 20 minutes, helping the team to shoot 40 percent from the floor, although Humboldt State bested the Seawolves in shooting percentage at 47.8 percent.

Humboldt State then found its stride on the home court, jumping out to a 12 point lead with 7:37 remaining in the game. After several back and forth battles, Sonoma State finally started chipping away at the lead with under four minutes remaining with the help of Pratt's hot hand from downtown -- he nailed three consecutive three pointers to put the Seawolves down by four at 70-66 with 1:16 left in the game.

Arterberry converted a coast-to-coast fastbreak layup after stealing the ball from HSU's Kevin Atkins, slashing the Lumberjack lead to just two with 42 seconds left. Humboldt State's Zac Tiedeman had a chance to put the game out of reach with under 20 seconds remaining, but it missed as the subsequent rebound fell into the possession of Sonoma State. That's when Arterberry slashed down the lane and missed the tying attempt with just one second left. The defensive rebound by Atkins, the foul by senior Chad Chambers and two free-throws by Atkins put the game in the books.

Sonoma State was on fire from the floor in the final period, shooting 70 percent on 14-of-20 -- the Seawolves ended the game shooting a 53.3 clip (24-45), besting Humboldt State's 48.1 percent (25-52).

Pratt and the Lumberjacks' Brian Morris led with 20 points. Freshman Patrick Scott scored 15 for SSU and Shandera ended his career with 10 points and five rebounds. The Seawolves' deep threat Will Olsem was held to just six points on 2-of-6 shooting, including just one three pointer. However, the 6-2 freshman grabbed a team-high nine rebounds,

Morris had a huge game for Humboldt State scoring the 20 points and snatching a game-high 15 rebounds for a double-double. Ernie Spada and Zac Tiedeman, the CCAA Most Valuable Player, both scored 12 for the Lumberjacks.

Sonoma State wraps up 2009-10 on the upswing. After starting the season 3-11, the Seawolves won eight of their last 13 to end the regular season before losing to Humboldt State in the first round of the CCAA tournament on Tuesday.

Box Score: Humboldt State 72, Sonoma State 68