Sac State men’s basketball team’s winning streak snapped at Northern Colorado
Hornets’ streak ends at 3 following 71-52 loss to Bears
Sac State senior center Joshua Patton fights for a loose ball with UC Davis junior forward Kennedy Koehler against the Aggies on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019 at the Golden 1 Center. Patton scored a game high 17 points but The Hornets lost on the road at Northern Colorado on Thursday night.
January 17, 2020
The Sacramento State men’s basketball team had its three-game winning streak snapped on the road at the University of Northern Colorado with a 71-52 loss Thursday night.
On their last homestand, the Hornets (10-5, 3-3 Big Sky Conference) continued to hold down home court at the Nest, winning all three games. The Bears (11-5, 4-1) were attempting to remain undefeated at home as well with a win over the Hornets.
Sac State and Northern Colorado played an even first five minutes, tied at eight. Halfway through the first half, the Bears led 20-14 following two made free throws from senior guard Jonah Radebaugh. Sac State closed the first half with back-to-back buckets to trim the deficit to three at 33-30.
The Hornets came out hot to open the second half with a 7-0 run to retake the lead at 37-33 before the Bears responded with a 7-0 run of their own. With 13:13 remaining in the game, Sac State sophomore forward James Bridges nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game at 40.
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Over the next seven and a half minutes, the Bears went on a 20-4 run to seize control of the game. Northern Colorado would go on to defeat Sac State 71-52 to remain undefeated at home.
The Hornets are also undefeated at home this season but have been struggling on the road with a 2-5 record. Sac State has scored over 10 more points per game at home this season, averaging 67.1 at the Nest and 56.4 on the road.
A big difference in the game Thursday night was 3-point shooting. The Bears converted 10-of-19 attempts (52.6%) while the Hornets struggled and only made 3-of-14 (21.4%).
Northern Colorado was led to the win by a trio of players scoring in double-digits. Senior guard Trent Harris had a team-high with 14 points on 4-of-7 from three. Harris was followed by Radebaugh with 13 points and sophomore guard Sam Masten with 12.
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Sac State was led in scoring once again by senior center Joshua Patton. The captain scored a game-high 17 points on an efficient 8-of-11 from the field with five rebounds. Junior forward Ethan Esposito contributed 10 points and a game-high seven rebounds.
The Hornets conclude their road trip on Saturday afternoon against Southern Utah University with tip-off set for 12:05 p.m.
