At this point, Sacramento State men’s basketball interim head coach Coach Bradon Laird just wants his guys to play harder, according to him.

Despite a 65-50 road loss to Weber State, the second-seeded team in the Big Sky on Friday, the Hornets made sure they were playing to a high standard – something that had been lacking as of recently.

“Our togetherness was great, I thought we really played the right way,” Laird said.

The Hornets (6-16, 2-13 Big Sky) showed signs of promise very early against the Wildcats (19-8, 12-4 Big Sky) with a very combative first half.

It would be fair to assume that for Sac State, going to Ogden, Utah to face a Weber State team that has a top-four defense in the conference that managed to limit the Hornets to under 60 points in their previous matchup, that the offense clicking wouldn’t be the reason the Hornets would have any chance in this game. 

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The first 20 minutes proved that not to be the case however, as the Hornets shot just over 40% from the field and from three. Sac State was getting great looks in the first 10 minutes with the smooth and fluent ball movement.

The player that ate off of the Sac State offensive fluidity the most was senior sharpshooter William FitzPatrick, who finished with 11 points and three three-pointers in the first half with his ability to knock down shots when Weber State was out in rotation.

“The ball was moving well and we did a good job of picking each other up and having a lot of confidence in each other,” FitzPatrick said.

Near the 10-minute mark, the Hornets led the Wildcats 18-15, due in part  to the play of senior forward Bryce Fowler, who finished with 20 points on the evening and provided a much-needed scoring load throughout the matchup.

Sac State went on to close the half with a 35-34 lead going into the break, but Weber State came out with major adjustments in the next 20-minute stint.

Weber State came out in the second half and demolished any hope Sac State had in pulling out a win. 

After the Hornets saw some success at containing the Wildcats’ offense in the first half, Weber State unleashed their aggression on the Hornet defense, opening the second half with a 10-4 run and shooting over 52% from the field for the period as a whole.

Weber State created a 44-39 deficit for Sac State, a hole that was not escapable for the Hornets, as the Wildcats closed the game out on a 9-3 run to hand them their sixth straight loss.

Despite another defeat for Sac State, the body language and spirit of the team still looked to be alive regardless of how the game concluded. 

“We had a great mindset last night and came out and executed the way we wanted to,” sophomore forward Cameron Wilbon said. “Maintaining that focus is going to be huge down the stretch, especially when we’re looking to really find our groove and go on a roll towards the Big Sky tournament.”

Guys were standing on the bench cheering on their teammates and high-fiving at the end of the game, which are positive signs for a team that has yet to win a game in February.

“We did a great job of regrouping and recommitting ourselves to trying to play the right way and doing our job,” Laird said.

The Hornets’ next game is Saturday on the road as they are set to take on Idaho State in Pocatello, Idaho at 5 p.m.