by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento State men’s basketball team (1-5) lost the second game of the Eastern Washington University Tournament on Sunday to the University of Denver 72-61. The Hornets finished 0-2 for the tourney.

The game was tied at 61-61 with with 3:05 to play. Denver went on an 11-0 run that lasted until the final final buzzer and the Pioneers walked away the 72-61 win to finish 1-1 in the tournament.

Too many 3’s and too many offensive rebounds

Denver (2-5) used the 3-point basket to its advantage in the game. The Pioneers went 7-for-20 (35-percent) from long range. The Pioneers hit five of those 3-point baskets in the second half. Sacramento went 2-for-11 from behind the line but had no 3-point field goals in the second half.

Denver also outrebounded the Hornets 40-32. Of those 40 Denver rebounds, 17 were offensive rebounds that resulted in 19 second-chance points. The Hornets had five offensive boards and six second-chance points.

Sacramento State led at the half

The Hornets had a strong opening half in the game. They did not shoot for a high percentage (40-percent), but the Hornets were able to take the lead and keep it the entire half. Sac State was able to keep Denver off-balance as the Pioneers shot just 32.3-percent in the first half. At the break, the Hornets were up 31-25 over their opponents.

Marcus Graves led the scoring attack for the Hornets

Junior guard Marcus Graves was the leading scorer for the Hornets. He put up 16 going 6-for-11 from the floor and hitting 4-of-5 from the free throw line. He also played a game-high 36 minutes for the Hornets.

Justin Strings scored 13 points and was the leading Sacramento State rebounder with eight. Nick Hornsby was the other Hornet to score in double figures adding 10 points.

Denver’s leading scorers were Daniel Amigo and Jake Pemberton who scored 17 points each in the game. Amigo posted a double-double by adding 10 rebounds. Pemberton went 4-for-6 from 3-point land.

Back on the road again

The Hornets will head out on the road again this week and travel to Stockton to face the Pacific Tigers who are currently 2-2 on the season. The Tigers travel to Reno to play a respectable Nevada team before returning home to host the Hornets.