After a two-game road swing that carried them through the Midwest, the Sacramento State Hornets came home weary and drained Wednesday ? just in time for the University of San Francisco.

“We were tired,” Hornet coach Jerome Jenkins said following Wednesday night’s game against the University Of San Francisco. “We were very sluggish in the first half, but we willed ourselves to a victory,” he added. “That’s the sign of a good team.”

In a sea-saw battle, the Hornets prevailed with clutch shots and timely defensive stops, 62-57. With the upset victory, Sac State improved to 2-0 at home, and 2-3 overall.

“We’ve gone through some adversity with this program. But my guys are growing up and we can win with the talent that we have,” Jenkins said.

The Hornets held a seven-point lead through the first eight minutes. But the Dons went on a 7-0 run and tied the game with ten minutes remaining in the half. The next ten minutes featured scoring runs by both teams.

Still, the lethargic Hornets capitalized and headed into half time up just a point, 26-25.

The Hornets withstood an 8-2 run to start the second half by getting strong play out of their two guards, freshman DaShawn Freeman and senior Rashaad Hooks.

Freeman’s line consisted of 5-for-9 shooting, six assists and no turnovers, while Hooks played an all-around game shooting 3-for-6, with nine points, five assists and five boards.

“(Hooks) is my senior and I told him we can’t win without him and Freeman is just growing up,” Jenkins said. “Each and every game (Freeman) is getting better and better.”

But it was Tony Champion who proved to be the go-to-man down the stretch. The Hornets wore out the key by consistently shoving the ball down low to Champion. The 6-foot-10 junior center awakened the crowd with jaw-dropping dunks, while shooting 5-for-9 from the field and scoring 11 points.

“(Champion) is ready to break out and do his thing,” Jenkins said. “We are going to start going to him a lot more down in the post.”

With 21 seconds left, and trailing only two, the Dons missed an opportunity at an open 3-point shot. The Hornets rebounded the miss, and put the game away by making three of their last four free throw attempts.

The biggest challenge for Sac State tonight was keeping leading scorer, Darrell Tucker, who averaged 20.5 points per game headed into tonight, at bay. Champion contained Tucker down the stretch, holding him to a quiet 16 points.

“Put a hand in his face,” said Champion when discussing how he plays defense against Tucker. “Whenever we play against each other he likes to take me outside. He’s a good outside shooter, so you just got to put a hand in his face.”

Sac State put pressure on Tucker defensively; making him put the ball on the ground, thus limiting his strengths. The Hornets spent most of the game in a 2-3 zone, utilizing their quickness at the guard positions and not allowing for inside scoring.

Forward Derek Lambeth contributed with a big 3-pointer, as well as clutch free throws in the closing minutes to finish with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting. The team’s captain also contributed six rebounds and two assists.

“This game was huge,” Champion said.

The Hornets next game will be played at Cal Poly on Saturday, Dec 7.

Notes: The Hornets turned the ball over only eight times, making up for a ghastly 10-for-18 free throw shooting. Sac State however did shoot a season-high from the field at 46.2%.