Swarm Report: men’s and women’s basketball teams both fall to Southern Utah

Men’s tennis team comes back from 3-1 deficit for season’s first victory

Garry Singh

Sacramento State’s junior guard Summer Menke looks to pass the ball while getting double teamed on the baseline in a game at the Nest against Southern Utah on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. Menke had a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

Ian Edwards, sports editor
February 18, 2021

Sac State women’s basketball team loses to Southern Utah, 77-55

The Sac State women’s basketball team (1-17, 1-14 Big Sky) came into this matchup holding an 11-game win-streak against Southern Utah. The last loss for the Hornets in this matchup came in 2014.

The Hornets came out in this game with a lot of energy led by junior guard Summer Menke. Menke was aggressive rebounding the ball and had logged a double-double by halftime. The Hornets went into the half with a 2-point lead, however that would be short lived.

This was the tale of two halves; the Hornets could no longer effectively defend the basket against the Thunderbirds, especially in the third quarter where the Thunderbirds shot almost 70% from the field.

“We have to have a great energy level to have an opportunity to win games in this league,” said head coach Bunky Harkleroad.

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The Hornets will get another shot at the Thunderbirds at home Saturday, Feb. 20 at noon.

Sac State men’s basketball team loses to Southern Utah, 88-69

The Sac State men’s basketball team came into the game off of a 1-point victory on the road against Cal Baptist University. That game was part of a series scheduled to replace two canceled games versus Northern Colorado due to COVID-19 testing protocols within Northern Colorado’s program.

The Hornets (7-7, 4-5 Big Sky) came out battling in this one, and both teams had high shooting percentages throughout the first half. The Thunderbirds (14-3, 7-2 Big Sky) found their shooting stroke early and never quite gave the Hornets a break from deep.

Gradually, the hot shooting became too much for the Hornets with the Thunderbirds shooting 55% from the field, and they were not able to close the gap the rest of the way. Senior guard Christian Terrell led the team in points with 18 points, and senior forward Ethan Esposito also played a big role offensively getting to his spot and feeling his turnaround, fadeaway jumper, but neither one could stop the ensuing blowout.

The Hornets will get a rematch Saturday, Feb. 20 at 11:05 a.m.

Sacramento State men’s tennis team defeats Nevada, 4-3.

The Sac State men’s tennis team (1-2) played its third match of the season, coming off loses against San Francisco and Cal Poly. The Hornets are beginning their season with a 12-match homestand.

The Wolf Pack (0-1) opened up their season today against the Hornets.

The Wolf Pack took an early lead, winning the doubles point and soon getting a 3-1 lead over the Hornets after singles losses by senior Michael Vizcarra and freshman Mark Keki. However, the Hornets flipped the switch and won the next three singles matches, winning 4-3 for the first victory of the young season.

The freshmen came out strong in this one, winning three out of four singles matches. Freshman Rudolfs Aksenoks clinched the match in three sets with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 score. The Hornets will welcome Grand Canyon University on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 10 a.m.

Additional reporting by Garry Singh