Sacramento State shot 50-percent from the field in the second half and scored 26 second-chance points to collect its first victory of the season against the Aggies of New Mexico State.

Hornets coach Bunky Harkleroad knows that winning the first game of a season is important for the team to gain momentum.

“Obviously we’re excited and happy to get a win, especially at home,” Harkleroad said. “There’s really been no letup in the schedule so we are just trying to look for any bright spot we can and move forward and get better. Our team did what it had to do to win; it wasn’t pretty and we made some crazy decisions with the basketball, but our rebounding effort was better and we had some people step up and make shots and get timely rebounds.”

The Hornet’s effort in rebounding the basketball was apparent early on and was the key factor to the game. The Hornets outrebounded the Aggies 54-41 and had an astonishing 23 offensive rebounds.

The Hornets learned from their loss to UC Davis on Tuesday and came out with a lot of energy from the tip-off.

In the first half, the Hornets full-court pressure gave the Aggies problems and caused them to only shoot 37.1% from the field.

Hornets freshman Maranne Johnson was aggressive from the start, she finished the game with 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

Johnson spoke after the game about how she is adjusting to the speed of the college game.

“I’m getting a lot more comfortable than I was at the beginning,” Johnson said. “It’s a lot faster and a lot more challenging.”

The Hornets went into halftime with a 36-33 lead despite only shooting 29.7% from the field and only making four three-pointers out of 21 attempts. The Hornets took the lead at halftime after Hornets point guard Ericka Magaña connected on a buzzer-beater three-pointer.

The second half is where the Hornets found their groove as they scored 57 points and shot 50-percent from the field.

Hornets senior guard Andrea Chenier had some extra motivation to play well against her former team where she played her first two collegiate seasons. Chenier was the main offensive weapon for the Hornets as she finished with 17 points, five steals and three rebounds in only 24 minutes of play.

Chenier discussed after the game the satisfaction of beating her former team.

“It was great,” Chenier said. “I told the team before that this was personal. I’m glad that we won. I think that everyone stepped up where they needed to and nobody tried to overplay their role.”

The Hornets play their next game at Saint Marys Nov. 24 at 6 p.m. The Hornets play eight of their next nine games on the road.