Sacramento State men’s basketball coach Jerome Jenkins is not Big Daddy Kane, but just like Kane’s 1988 hit, there “Ain’t No Half-Steppin'” when opposing teams come to face his squad.

Oregon State University half-stepped their way through the opening 12 minutes against Sac State on Saturday night, but the Beavers got their act together fast enough to knock off the Hornets, 62-49, at Hornet Gym.

The Hornets defeated San Jose State at home on Wednesday, 72-70.

The Hornets have won three of their last four games, and despite the loss to Oregon State, Jenkins feels the game sends a message to future opponents.

“It lets everybody in the country know you better watch out for the Hornets,” he said. “If you come in here half-stepping, you will get stung.”

The Hornets used eight points from 6-foot-10 center Tony Champion in the first 12 minutes to jump out to a 16-8 lead. Oregon State outscored the Hornets 12-4 over the next eight minutes to tie the score, 20-20, at the half.

“We fell asleep a few times (on defense),” Champion said. “We started off the shot clock playing hard, and then we’d fall asleep as a team.”

Beaver forward Philip Ricci, after scoring three points in the first half, busted out with 15 in the second half to lead Oregon State to it’s fourth-straight victory.

“I just had to not get frustrated,” Ricci said. “We get into the locker room (at the half) and all my teammates are like, ‘I’m still coming to you Phil, I’m still coming to you.’ They did, and the outcome was good.” Ricci finished the night with a game-high 12 rebounds.

Ricci’s counterpart in the post, Champion, finished with a team-high 16 points and three rebounds.

“I just played physical with (Ricci),” Champion said. “I know he’s going to try and come at me and try to get his. I just had to do the same thing with him.”

Small forward Derek Lambeth and Jimmy White led the Hornets in rebounding with eight apiece, while Lambeth scored 13 points. Point guard DaShawn Freeman finished the game with five assists and four steals, while committing five turnovers.

As a team, the Hornets shot 3-of-22 from 3-point land, while making only 8-of-14 free throws. Sac State was also outrebounded, 42-33, by the Beavers.

Freeman and Raashad Hooks were in foul trouble for most of the second half, finishing with four and five fouls, respectively. Hooks was held scoreless and fouled out with 7:46 remaining in the game.

“We weren’t able to be as aggressive as we wanted to when our guards started catching the fouls, because we rely on them to pressure a lot up top,” Lambeth said.

Beaver forward Brian Jackson finished with 12 points, while guard J.S. Nash scored 10 off the bench.

Against San Jose State, Hooks led the Hornets with a career-high 19 points and five assists. White recorded his first double-double on the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Hornets extended their winning streak to three games, their longest since 2000.

The Hornets will next host California State University, Fullerton next Saturday at 7:35 p.m.