Sacramento State men’s basketball had been outscored in the second half of every game this season.

So when the Hornets headed into half time with a 14 point lead against rival UC Davis, the game was far from over.

The Hornets, after holding the Aggies to just 15 points in the first half, were outscored 57-34 the rest of the way in a 72-63 overtime loss.

Sac State (1-3) led by 12 with 6:30 left in the second half, but didn’t score a single field goal through the rest of the contest.

The Aggies (2-1) shot just 28.6 percent and were 0-5 in 3-pointers in the first half, but came back to shoot 44 percent in the second half, including 7-of-14 from long range.

“They made big shots,” Sac State head coach Jerome Jenkins said. “They were older and have been through wars like this before.”

Davis came into the contest shooting just under 53 percent from the field and 48.5 percent from behind the arc.

The Hornets were outscored 41-27 in the second half and 16-7 in overtime.

“I have no idea why we come out so terrible in the second half,” junior point guard DaShawn Freeman said.

The Aggies shot nearly perfect in overtime, hitting 4-of-4 from the field and 7-of-8 from the line. The Hornets battled by way of free throw shooting in overtime – connecting on seven-of-eight attempts – but were 0-for-9 from the field.

Guard Fowzi Abdelsamad led the Aggies with 21 points – including 17 in the second half and overtime – and hit a key 3-pointer in overtime that gave the Aggies the lead with just two minutes remaining. Jason Harris led the Hornets with 24 points, including 13-of-14 from the free-throw line, and snatched 11 rebounds.

With just over 1:30 in regulation, and the Hornets nursing a five point lead, E.J. Harris opted not to slow it down and drove to basket, picking up a charge call. E.J. Harris then stole the ball on the ensuing possession, but immediately turned the ball back over with a pass towards the basket and committed a foul trying to get the ball back. Rommell Marentez connected on both bonus free throws to draw the Aggies within three points.

Then, after Jason Harris was blocked on a 3-point attempt and with 34.7 seconds remaining, Marentez hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 56-56.

With an opportunity to end the game in regulation on the last possession, Freeman drove towards the basket with ten seconds left on clock, but missed on a left-handed five-footer.

The Aggies rebounded the ball but lost possession when the ball kicked off a UC Davis leg. The Hornets recovered at half court with 1.5 seconds left, but settled for a missed full court heave from Pugh.

Martinez scored the first basket of overtime – the 58-56 Davis lead was its first of the entire contest.

Jason Harris had a game-high 24 points – including 13-of-14 free throws – and 11 rebounds. He now leads the Hornets in scoring with 14.3 points a game.

The halftime score was 29-15. The first half total was the lowest of the season for an Aggies team that scored 51 and 24 in the first halves against UC Santa Cruz and Utah State, respectively. They scored 23 in the first ten minutes of the second half.

The Hornets shot 29.7 percent from the field and 25 percent from 3-point range, while the Aggies shot 42 percent overall and 40 percent in 3-pointers.

The Aggies turned the ball over 22 times. The Hornets had 19 turnovers.

Jameel Pugh shot 4-of-18 and just 1-of-8 in 3-pointers. He finished with 12 points and five rebounds.

The official attendance of the game was 1262 – the highest mark of the early season.

The Hornets next game is on the road against UC Irvine at 7:00 on Dec. 4.