The Sacramento State men’s basketball team opened the season at home with a 70-56 victory over Menlo College Saturday night, its fifth season opening win as an NCAA Division I school.

Senior forward Walter Jackson led all Hornets in scoring with 19 points on seven-of-10 shooting.

“It was very important (to get the first win),” Jackson said. “We haven’t had a first win since 2006, so it was important.”

Junior Joe Eberhard played a game high 40 minutes and had 11 points and seven rebounds for the Hornets in his first regular season game since transferring from Irvine Valley College.

The first half of the game was a close back-and-forth battle featuring six lead changes and seven tied scores.

The Hornets struggled to shoot the ball in the first half, barely eclipsing 40 percent compared to the Oaks’ 50 percent.

The low post duo of Oaks, senior forwards Tim Tatum and Andrew Young, caused problems for the Hornets in the first half. Tatum and Young accounted for 15 of the Oaks’ 31 first-half points.

The Hornets caused some problems of their own in the first half for the Oaks and led in points in the paint, second chance points, fast break points and points off the bench.

The first half ended with the teams tied at 31. In the second half, the Hornets came out of the locker room looking like a new team.

The Hornets fast-paced offense put the Hornets up by four, causing the Oaks to call a timeout with just two minutes into the half.

With momentum on their side, the Hornets continued to push the ball and never looked back.

The Oaks got in early foul trouble, committing seven fouls and putting the Hornets into the bonus with 15:30 remaining.

“We knew they were in foul trouble,” Jackson said. “We had to be calm and strong with the ball. We just had to make plays and if they were going to foul us, go to the line.”

The Hornets did just that, shooting 17-for-22 from the free throw line.

The Oaks dug themselves into too big of a hole in the second half and were never able to climb out. An 11-minute scoreless drought and a 19-4 Hornet run put the game out of reach for the Oaks and sent them to their third straight loss.

Sophomore guard Jackson Carbajal went down with what appeared to be an ankle injury, causing him to limp off the court and sit out the rest of the game. Head coach Brian Katz said he isn’t sure what the severity of his injury is.

“Carbajal, I’m a little worried about,” Katz said. “He’s talking about his tibia, but I don’t know. It didn’t look good.”

On a good note, the Hornets were able to fix the turnover woes (23 turnovers) that plagued them against Simpson University. The Hornets turned the ball over only nine times against Menlo.

The Hornets struggled from behind the arc, making only two of 14 three-point shots.

Katz believes this was just a minor hiccup and that his team will be much better throughout the season.

“We haven’t shot the ball well yet but we’re going to,” Katz said. “Our guys can shoot it from three and they are going to. We just haven’t shot well in two games but we don’t care, we got the win.”

Eleven Hornets played during game but Katz said he is looking to cut it down to a more consistent lineup.

“We’re still searching (for a starting lineup),” Katz said. “I want to get down to seven or eight guys, maybe nine. Fewer (changes) are better, no matter what people tell you. Down the stretch, I knew who I wanted to play but it will change night by night.”

Freshman point guard Dylan Garrity started in his first game with the Hornets and scored nine points and led the Hornets with four assists. He’s happy with the win but believes the Hornets have plenty to improve on.

“We need to get to our spots quicker,” Garrity said. “We need (to) go through our plays and execute better but this win sets the tone for the rest of the season.”

The Hornets will look to open the season with consecutive victories when they play Central Arkansas University on Sunday. Tip-off will be at 1:05 p.m. at home at Colberg Court.

Josh Stanley can be reached at [email protected].