Hornets lose in final seconds against Idaho State
After starting 6-2, Sac State basketball now (6-7) and winless in Big Sky
Emily Rabasto - The State Hornet
Sac State junior guard Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’afa scored 16 points in the Hornets 72-70 loss against Idaho State on Saturday.
January 13, 2019
Sacramento State men’s basketball team was leading 60-55 with 4:50 left in the game on Saturday before losing the lead and the game to Idaho State 72-70.
With the score tied, Idaho State guard Brandon Boyd hit the game winning layup with two seconds left on the clock.
This gave the Hornets their fifth straight loss and they remain winless in conference.
Senior guard Marcus Graves became the 16th player in school history to score 1,000 points and he finished with 27 points on 10-16 shooting with 4 assists.
“Just not enough defensive stops at the end,” Graves said. “They just made more shots than us at the end and it came down to that.”
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Graves, senior guard Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’afa and junior center Justin Patton combined for 54 of the team’s 70 points.
“I think we just have to stay aggressive,” Mauriohooho-Le’afa said. “Coach is always on us for not being aggressive so we try to approach the game in a different way and set the tone, get an uptempo game, push the ball, move the ball so we aren’t just isolating.”
Last seconds of the game. pic.twitter.com/Ng9fYlmNdk
— Dominique Walker (@DomoWalk) January 13, 2019
The Hornets held Idaho State to 42.4 percent shooting from the field and also forced 14 turnovers, but Idaho State outrebounded Sac State 36-31 with 14 of them being offensive rebounds.
“We had few too many turnovers and they got us on the boards because it comes down to a possession or two,” said Sac State head coach Brian Katz.
“I think everyone goes through tough periods, we didn’t have a tough period in the preseason until the last game against Washington then from there I call it an inapt time to be struggling, but it happens and everyone goes through it, we will be fine,” Katz said.
The Hornets will look to get their first conference win Jan. 17 at Northern Arizona.
“We just got to get out of our little funk. We will get back to it and we will be fine. There is a lot of basketball left to play, so I’m not worried about it,” Graves said.
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