When he arrived onto the Sacramento State campus three years ago, Tony Champion, who weighed 330 pounds at the time, was nicknamed “Big Tony” by Hornet head coach Jerome Jenkins.

After dropping 70 pounds, Champion, now a junior, was a key factor in the Hornets’ (3-3) 73-66 victory at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Saturday night. The win snapped a 39-game road-losing streak for the Hornets, which dated back to a 1999 victory at the University of Nevada.

Champion led Sac State with 14 points, breaking his previous career high of 11, which he set three days earlier in a 62-57 win over the University of San Francisco at Hornet Gym.

“Tony’s coming along at the pace I thought he’d come along at,” Jenkins said. “Right now it is just about consistency.”

The Hornet center attributes much of his success to a strenuous off-season regiment.

“Working out in the off-season, playing against pro players down in the Bay Area has helped out a lot,” Champion said. “I got stronger in the off-season. I stayed in the weight room about six days a week, ran on the track over the summer in the hot weather, and it all translates onto the court.”

Against Cal Poly, the Hornets used a 21-1 run to open up a 45-22 halftime lead.

“That was probably the most solid half of basketball I’ve had while at Sacramento State,” Jenkins said.

The Mustangs would claw back in the second half, closing the lead to 64-62 with 3:53 remaining in the game. After shooting 54 percent from the field in the first half, the Hornets shot a meager 29 percent in the second half.

Forward Derek Lambeth made four free throws down the stretch to seal the win for Sac State. The Hornets shot 16-for-24 from the free throw line on the night.

Lambeth finished the game with 12 points and nine rebounds, while forwards Chris Lange and Jimmy White finished with 11 apiece. Point guard Rashaad Hooks finished with eight points and six assists.

Against San Francisco on Wednesday, the Hornets used a zone defense to hold All-West Coast Conference forward Darrell Tucker to 16 points.

The Hornets held a 26-25 lead at the half, and used key free throws down the stretch from Lambeth to seal the victory. Lambeth and Freeman led the Hornets in scoring with 13 points each. Freeman also finished with six assists and no turnovers. Champion finished with 11 points.

The Hornets faced San Jose State University on Tuesday, but results were not in by presstime.

The Hornets will next face-off against Oregon State University on Saturday at Hornet Gym. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m., and tickets can be bought early at the main Ticket Office in the University Union.