The mark of a good team is its ability to close out games.

So what is there to say about a Sacramento State men’s basketball team that has been outscored in the second half in each of its five games this season?

“I have no idea why we come out so terrible in the second half,” junior point guard DaShawn Freeman said after losing to Davis, a game they led by 14 at halftime.

The Hornets have been outscored in second halves 217-156 through their first five games. They have outscored opponents 155-144 in the first halves of games.

The disparity between points scored in the first half versus points scored in the second half (156-155) illustrate that the second half collapses are a result of inferior defense rather than an inability to score.

The failure to hold a level of defensive intensity for a full 40 minutes has also hurt the Hornets’ ability to score points of turnovers — one of their strong points in building early leads.

Blowing a 14-point second half against rival UC Davis at home last week further revealed an already glaring weakness.

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 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.

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

The Hornets were outscored 41-27 in the second half and 16-7 in overtime. Guard Fowzi Abdelsamad led the Aggies with 21 points.

After a 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.

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 against Davis. He leads the Hornets in scoring.

Sac State led by as many as six points at Irvine and held a 52-49 lead with 10:26 to play. Then Irvine went on a 24-7 run to move ahead 73-59 with 2:13 left. Ethington led the run with 10 points.

The Anteaters made nine of their final 14 shots while the Hornets missed 17 of their final 24 field-goal attempts and went a span of 4:25 without scoring a basket.

“My guys played hard the entire 40 minutes against UC Irvine,” Jenkins said. “I was proud of my guys for the way they played (in both halves).

Jameel Pugh has struggled with his shot early this season. In the last three games, he shot a combined 9-of-45 and just 2-of-16 in 3-pointers. Following the Irvine game, he is now shooting just 29 percent (19-of-68) and 25 percent from 3-point range.

“He is forcing shots right now,” Jenkins said. “He started off slow last year too though. I expect Pugh to be the key to this team down the stretch.”

Jenkins has moved E.J. Harris and freshman Randy Adams into the starting lineup, replacing Freeman and Bausley.

The Hornets are now 1-4 after three straight losses.

However, non-conference games matter little, to a Sac State team whose playoff hopes ride only on their Big Sky conference record.

It doesn’t get easier anytime soon for a Hornets team that will face Fresno State, Saint Mary’s, UC Riverside and Oregon State on the road in four of their next fives games. They will face Great Falls at home on Dec. 22.

*Associated Press contributed to this report.