Nick Hornsby – Sports Radio Service

Sac State Hornets fall to Denver Pioneers 72-61 on Sunday

Published on November 27, 2016 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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.

Capital City College Report: Aggies & Hornets lose in tournament games on Saturday

Published on November 27, 2016November 27, 2016 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

uc-davis-11-26-16 — UC Davis vs Oakland GCI Great Alaska Shootout

UC Davis completes its Alaska adventure

The Aggies lost their final game of the GCI Great Alaska Shootout to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies of Michigan 79-66 on Saturday. The loss dropped the Aggies into sixth place in the tournament with a 1-2 record.

“I told the team that I was pleased overall with their effort, and I’m encouraged, not discouraged, by this tournament and where they are thus far.” said UC Davis head coach Jim Les , “This team has a huge ceiling, I love everyone’s competitive nature.”

Oakland’s 3-point shooting did the Aggies in

The Golden Grizzlies shot 41.7-percent (10-for-24) from 3-point range. They hit seven of those 3-pointers in the first half. The Aggies hit 4-of-10 from beyond the 3-point line. Both teams hit 25 two-point field goals.

Oakland also outscored UC Davis at the free throw line. The Golden Grizzlies scored 19 points from the charity stripe while the Aggies added just 12 points from the free throw line.

Oakland had four players in double figures; UC Davis had three in double digits

Chima Moneke of UC Davis led all scorer with 21 points
Mikey Henn had 11 points for the Aggies coming off the bench
Siler Schneider added 10 points bench points for UC Davis
Stevie Clark was the leading scorer for the Golden Grizzlies with 19 points
Martez Walker scored 16 points with four field goals, four 3-pointers and 4 free throws
Nick Daniels supplied Oakland with 12 points
Isaiah Brock added 10 points to the Golden Grizzlies total

“That is a good basketball team (Oakland) that is going to win 20 to 25 games, win their league (Horizon) and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. I told my team that we went toe-to-toe with them; we have some things that we need to clean up, but I like where this team is as long as we stay healthy and continue to work,” said UC Davis head coach Jim Les.

What’s next for UC Davis

The Aggies will return to action on Saturday, December 3rd when they will travel to Moscow, Idaho to play the 3-2 Idaho Vandals.

Sacramento State loses EWU Tourney opener to USF

The Sacramento State Hornets lost their opening game in the Eastern Washington University Tournament to the University of San Francisco Dons 77-59 on Saturday. The win lifted the Dons to 4-0 on the season while the Hornets drop to 1-4.

The Dons had four players score in double figures

Chase Foster scored a career high 18 points in 23 of playing time to lead the USF scoring attack
Marquill Smith put up 12 points in eight minutes and was a perfect 2-for-2 from 3-point land and 6-for-6 from the free throw line
Nate Renfro and Jordan Ratinho added 10 points each
The Dons shot 54.7-percent from the floor and 50-percent (11-for-22) from long distance
USF led this game wire-to-wire

Nick Hornsby led the Hornets attack

Forward Nick Hornsby put up 20 points and grabbed 9 points in 34 minutes of playing time
Justin Strings was the other Hornet who scored in double figures recording 18 points
Sacramento State struggled shooting in the first half going 10-for-30 (33.3-percent) from the field
It was the Hornets 3-point shooting – 7-of-17 (41.2-percent) – that kept them close in the half
The Hornets shot 42.8-percent in the second half but that was not enough of an improvement to catch the Dons
Sac State also hurt themselves at the free throw line by going just 8-for-15 (53.3-percent) from the stripe

The Hornets have no time to rest as they are back in action on Sunday

The Hornets will face the University of Denver Pioneers (1-3) on Sunday at 12:05 PM PST. The Pioneers lost to Eastern Washington on Saturday night 85-80 in overtime.

Informantion from the sports information departments of UC Davis and Sacramento State contributed to this report

College basketball debuts at the Golden 1 Center: UC Davis downs Sac State 81-72

Published on November 22, 2016November 22, 2016 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

SACRAMENTO–History was made tonight at the Golden 1 Center when the Sacramento State Hornets and the UC Davis Aggies Men’s basketball teams met for their annual “Causeway Classic” game. It was the first NCAA game to be played in the new entertainment and sports complex in the Capital City.

Both programs were winners because of the attention the game drew from the community at large. On the court, UC Davis (4-1) downed Sacramento State (1-3) 81-72.

UC Davis used high-percentage shots in the paint along with an outstanding 3-point shooting barrage to defeat very physical Sacramento State team.

50-percent was the Aggies number

UC Davis shot 50-percent from the floor (29-for-58). The Aggies also shot 50-percent from beyond the 3-point line (8-for-16). They hit five of those 3-pointers in the second half which helped propel them to the win. Brynton Lemar was the Aggies leading 3-point shooter going 3-for-5 from long range.

The Aggies had five players in double-figures

Guard Brynton Lemar was UC Davis’ leading scorer with 23 points. He was also the assists leader with five. This was the second time this season he has been the Aggies top scorer.
Forward Moneke Chima posted a double-double scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 rebounds
Mikey Henn put up 13 points coming off the bench
J.T. Adenrele and Darius Graham each scored 10 points against the Hornets

Sacramento State shot strong in the first half but dropped off in the second half

The Hornets shot 45.5-percent (15-for-33) in the opening half. That allowed them to go in at halftime trailing by just two points. In the second half, that shooting touch went away. Sac State shot just 29.4-percent (10-for-34) in the closing half.

The Hornets 3-point shooting finished at just 25-percent (7-for-28). Head coach Brian Katz pointed at taking too many 3-point shots as one of his team’s weaknesses in the game.

The Hornets had four players score in double-figures

Grant Dressler was Sac State’s leading scorer with 15 points. He went 3-for-4 from long range and 4-for-4 from the free throw line
Forward Nick Hornsby put up 14 points shooting 50-percent from the field (6-for-12)
Forward Justin Strings recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds
Guard Marcus Graves added 12 points to the Hornets total production

What they said after the game

“We challenged the guys at halftime and these guys responded. They made the changes that were needed, ramped up their physicality and intensity. That turned the tide in tonight’s game, in my opinion,” said UC Davis head coach Jim Les whose team held a two-point lead at halftime.

“I thought we were able to wear down a well-coached Sacramento State team, and take advantage of that fatigue throughout the last 10 minutes of the game,” added Les.

“It is crazy now that the game is over and I am able to look back at that shot. That was never my plan, I was open in the corner and took the shot. I can always tell my kids that I played in the first college game and made the first basket too. They can believe me, or not, but it’s true,” said Darius Graham talking about his three-point basket that was the first collegiate points scored in the Golden 1 Center.

“Their offense is built around penetration and kick. I thought they did a great job looking for him,” Sacramento State head coach Brian Katz talking about the Aggies finding Brynton Lemar on offense.

“I think we shot too many 3’s,” said Katz. “I give their defense credit for that. I don’t like to lose and then make excuses and say we didn’t play well. I think it had a lot to do on how they guarded us. They did a great job with that.”

What’s next for the Aggies and the Hornets

The Aggies head north for the GCI Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage that begins on Thursday night. Their first opponent will be Weber State. The other teams in the tourney are Drake and Iona.

The Hornets will travel to Cheney, Washington to play in the Eastern Washington Tourney along with San Francisco and Denver on November 26 and 27.

Mark December 21, 2017 on your calendars now

The Kings and the Golden 1 Center announced on Monday night that Stanford and Kansas have been scheduled to play a NCAA Division I basketball game in Sacramento on December 21, 2017. They did not make an announcement about it being a doubleheader, but somehow I have the feeling that Sacramento State and UC Davis might be playing in the same building on that night as well.