When point guard DaShawn Freeman got in foul trouble last season, it almost certainly spelled doom for Sacramento State.

This year, however, it appears that won’t be the case; not with the emergence of junior transfer Haron Hargrave.

The Queens, N.Y., native is the second transfer player from Chaffey Community College to join head coach Jerome Jenkins’ team ?” the other being senior standout Jason Harris, who led the Hornets (5-3) in points last season.

Originally slated to be the backup at point guard, Hargrave has risen to a starting role opposite Freeman in the backcourt.

He’s the type of player Jenkins likes: Tenacious on defense with a reckless abandon when taking the ball to the hoop.

In Monday’s 106-94 win over Long Beach State (2-4), Hargrave showed why Jenkins brought him to Sac State.

With more than 10 minutes left in the first half and the Hornets up seven points, Freeman picked up his second foul, forcing him to the bench for the rest of the half.

Two minutes later Hargrave picked up his second foul, forcing him to play the rest of the half without committing a foul or risk handcuffing the team at the point guard position.

“I think he kept us in the game in the first half; him and (junior forward Alex Bausley),” Harris said of Hargrave’s 11 first half points.

In order to avoid his third foul, Hargrave said he tried to force his man into the help defense.

The Hornets slipped, but not nearly as much as they would in the past, going into halftime down just two points.

“There is no drop-off when we put Haron in the game. None whatsoever,” Jenkins said.

Indeed, Hargrave has been a solid player in the early going for Jenkins, having started seven of the team’s first eight games. He is also second on the team in scoring (13 per game) behind only Freeman (16.6) and third in minutes (28).

“Haron is scoring points and not turning the ball over,” Freeman said. “Him being out there let’s me know I can go 100 percent the whole game. I don’t half to hold back.”

In the second half, Sac State and Long Beach would toggle the lead back and forth, and again Hargrave would factor heavily into the game’s outcome, scoring a four-point play and getting a steal that led to the go-ahead score.

Harris led Sac State in scoring with 25, followed by Hargrave’s 19 and Freeman’s 17. Bausley also had a good game finishing with 13 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.

The Hornets next play at 7:05 p.m. Thursday against San Diego Christian.

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Robert Alvis can be reached at [email protected]