In This Corner

Is Humboldt turning into Cal State's biggest rival?

Oliver: "Right now. Right now it is. Pomona is right there, always right there also. For a team in the north (Humboldt) is right up there. The atmosphere they have in their gym always generates rivalry, and when you have two good basketball programs going at each other on a year in and year out basis, I think a rivalry will develop."

Did he feel as if it were something like a "must" win, considering Cal State must still play in Humboldt's gym?

"Up there, putting yourself in a must-win situation at their place, you're really handcuffing yourself because it's such a tough place to play. But how this league's been so far, I mean, there's just too much basketball yet to play. But it's nice to give ourselves a little bit of a cushion."

Seems like keeping Michael Earl on the floor was a key to your game.

Oliver: "Especially in the first half, he was real active in the first half. I think foul trouble in the second half made him a little timid. He wasn't his normal self in terms of disrupting shots and things of that nature."

He seemed to make an impact at the offensive end, anyway, in the second half.

Oliver: "It allowed us to be able to be able penetrate in there, and then when they did help off of him, we did a nice job of delivering to him, also."

Five guys in double figures in points?

Oliver: "That's kind of how we envisioned this team. We just need that every night. It's the nights when we have one and two guys in double figures that we get in trouble."

Your assist to turnover ratio was 22-7.

Oliver: "Yeah, I'll take that. That's been a big (problem) for us this year, we turn the ball over. We did a nice job of taking care of it tonight."

How many technicals for you this season, after that one in the first half?

Oliver: "Two? Yeah, two. That was a good one. I was dead-on right. (The Humboldt player) was halfway to Fontana and then we get a foul call. I didn't know you could get halfway to Fontana without dribbling the ball."

When you say "a good one" ... because you got your money's worth in venting?

"I got my money's worth because I think I got my point across. There were some travel calls made in the second half that weren't being made in the first. ... I think it's difficult for officials to officiate us because they get so caught up in the contact, and what's happening with the traveling, it's hard for them to watch contact and feet. So, I mean, I think it makes it real difficult for officials at times because of what we do."

Is this your best game? In conference?

Oliver: "Yes, because of the opponent we were playing, the quality of the opponent we were playing and the dynamics of the game, playing for first place and everything that entailed. It was a pretty good game -- on both ends of the floor. Probably our best."

Then came a chat with Michael Earl, who scored 17 points on 7-of-9 shootingl including three dunks.

Seemed like you guys turned up the intensity.

Earl: "We got a step back in the right direction. Basically, we're back on track. We kind of got off track, some injuries, maybe too much of the ranking got into our heads. Basically, those two losses humbled us and now we're back on track and doing what we do to win which is play hard on defense."

Is this your best game as a team?

Earl: "One of them. We scored into the 80s against a good team. They played a zone and the scoop on us is we don't play well against zones. Considering the team we played, against a zone, this is one of the better games we've played this season."

Fairly important victory, too.

Earl: "Definitely. They were ahead of us in the standings. It's definitely a big game. A lot was riding on us. This Is a good step into the second half of league."

Was the Jason Gilzene breakzaway dunk the best by your team this season?

Earl: "He got up pretty high. It was a nice dunk. Everybody is giving him props. He got really high on it. It was a nice crowd, and he got the crowd into it. It was a nice game, the atmosphere. we played really well. one of our better games. A good crowd, everybody showed up. It was a really good game."

Cal State is 8-2 after the first pass through the CCAA. Humboldt is 7-3. However, Humboldt has seven of its final 10 conference games at home, in Arcata, where it rarely loses -- aside from the regional title game to San Bernardino last season.

Cal State, meanwhile, plays six of its final 10 on the road, where it is a modest 3-2 in CCAA play.

Resurgent Cal Poly Pomona is tied with Humboldt for second, at 7-3, and the crowd at 6-4 includes UC San Diego, San Francisco State and Cal State L.A.

To see Michelle Gardner's story on the game that appeared in Sunday's newspapers ... click here.