With a comfortable lead after a half of play, it looked as if Sacramento State men’s basketball may steal a road win over the Fresno State Bulldogs on Friday.
The Hornets had three consecutive looks from beyond the arc to knot the game at 60 in crunch time, but couldn’t convert, resulting in a 64-57 loss. After hitting 43% of their looks from three in the first half, the Hornets shot just 2-of-17 in the second.
“The shooters got a lot of good looks,” senior forward Jacob Holt said. “I think at the end of the day, sometimes we just don’t make shots.”
The Hornets reaped the benefits of attacking the paint and passing out to their shooters in the first half, but as their shooting grew cold in the second it hurt them when it mattered most.
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Sac State grew its lead to 34-23 in the first half, their largest of the game. Junior guard Julian Vaughns and senior guard EJ Neal combined for 20 of the Hornets’ 37 first-half points, neither missed a shot.
Vaughns missed Sac State’s season-opener, but looked the part of an avid scorer in his Division l debut. The former University of Alberta and City College of San Francisco star was the only Hornet to score in double figures, with 17 points.
“It felt great to be back on the floor,” Vaughns said. “I haven’t played since February of 2023. My teammates and coaches just instill that confidence and swag to play my game.”
The defense provided a strong effort throughout, holding the Bulldogs to 24% from the field in the opening frame and 34% the whole game.
The difference would end up being a 17-2 Fresno State run that dwindled the Sac State’s 7-point halftime lead down to nothing shortly after the second half started. The Bulldogs heightened their intensity on the defensive end, leading to four Hornet turnovers in that stretch.
“They obviously turned up the ball pressure a little bit to start the second half,” Sac State head coach Michael Czepil said. “There were probably some rebounding habits down on the other end where they got second and third shots.”
Last season, there was rarely a game where the Hornets were outrebounded. They were ranked top-30 in the country in rebounding and first in the Big Sky.
However, in this contest, Fresno State had more total rebounds, offensive rebounds and second-chance points, which played a pivotal role in the Hornets ultimately falling short.
Vaughns said that they need to do a better job of getting the big men involved, specifically senior forward Jacob Holt. Holt led the team in minutes, but finished with just five points on 2-of-7 shooting.
Junior forward Jalen Pitre was off to a great start with two early blocks, but ended up seeing minimal time on the floor due to foul trouble. Freshman forward Bowyn Beatty went scoreless in 22 minutes of action.
Fresno State’s offensive performance was a one-man wrecking crew consisting of junior guard Amar Augillard. The former NJCAA Division 1 player of the year scored 22 of his game-high 30 points in the second half, including a dagger three with under a minute remaining to seal the win for the Bulldogs.
“If you can make shots over the top the way he did and also have the physical driving game that he did, you’re a good player,” Czepil said.
Sac State may have lived too much from the three-point line, attempting just two free throws compared to Fresno State’s 19, which is often correlated with attacking the basket. Czepil said when he rewatches this game, he’d like to see if they played with enough intention, which may result in more foul calls.
“That will be something we talk about through the season,” Czepil said. “You’ve got to play with force, cut with force and screen with force.”
The Hornets will briefly return to Sacramento before hitting the road again for a matchup with the UC San Diego Tritons on Tuesday, Nov. 15.
