Sacramento State may have started slow in its final exhibition game, but by the end of the night the result was the same: A Sacramento State victory, 86-48 over William Jessup University.

Jessup, led by second-year coach and former WNBA player Ruthie Bolton, came out fast, scoring eight quick points in the game’s first four minutes.

That left the Hornets down four, and prompted a timeout by Hornets head coach Dan Muscatell. Out of the timeout, all five starters were left on the bench.

“We did not come out ready,” said starting point guard Stephanie Cherry of the five starters who allowed the Warriors to take the lead. “We got together and said we need to step it up.”

The move didn’t seem to be working as the Warriors continued their strong play, led by forward Danae Tate, who scored seven of the team’s first 13 points.

With Jessup leading 13-7, Muscatell put his starting lineup back into the game. With the game tied 15-15, Cherry’s made field goal put the Hornets in the lead with 10:18 left in the half; the Hornets would keep a strong lead over the Warriors for the rest of the game.

Redshirt freshman Becca Reams led the Hornets with 14 points off the bench, 10 of which came in the second half.

Not far behind was junior guard Kim Sheehy with 12 points and teammate Katelyn Ciampi with 11.Sac State led 44-26 at the half.

William Jessup found scoring harder to come by in the second half, taking more than nine minutes to reach eight points in the half.

The Hornets defense forced Jessup to commit 27 turnovers, while they picked up 19 steals ?” Cherry paced the team with five and Cindy Alldrin had four.

The Hornets will start their preseason schedule at Wyoming on Saturday.

Muscatell said he is eager to play an opponent that is at the same level as his Hornets. However, the upcoming season will be challenging for the Hornets, with a tough schedule that includes two top 25 teams, including No. 13 Texas Tech.

“We need to work on defending the basketball when it’s driven,” Muscatell said, ” but we are as prepared as we can be for the season.

“It’s time for us to go places.”