In the last of a two-game homestand for Sacramento State, the Hornets were in a position to pull themselves out of the loss column in Saturday’s matchup versus Northern Arizona, but were unable to come out on top in the closing seconds.
What looked to be a reenergized Hornet offense took the court in a blazing fashion. Unlike their previous matchup against Northern Arizona on Jan. 16, Sac State was humming, converting on seven straight shots after missing their first two to start the game.
This offensive explosion came from a stellar shooting performance by senior guard EJ Neal, who contributed eight of his 11 first-half points during the hot start.
“We did a better job of doing what we actually need to do,” Neal said. “We just wanted to take what the defense gives us and take advantage of it.”
Firing on all cylinders, Sac State found themselves on top in a shootout with the Lumberjacks. Both teams traded baskets at a similar pace and kept the game close at 16-12 in the first eight minutes of play.
As familiar bad habits crept in and turnovers became prevalent, the Hornet offense stagnated.
Sac State gave the ball up 10 times in the first half, opening the door for Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks took full advantage of the Hornets’ blunders, stealing the momentum to go on a 17-5 run and take a 36-26 lead into halftime.
Sacramento State head coach Michael Czepil credited the team’s inexperience as the cause for these turnovers. They’ve averaged 12 per game amid their 7-game losing streak.
“Get older,” Czepil said as a solution to the team’s turnover problems. “Sometimes you’ve got to learn through the fire and that’s kind of where we’re at.”
RELATED: All hands on deck: Sac State’s reserves carry the load in loss to Northern Colorado
Senior forward Jacob Holt only had five first-half points, but took matters into his own hands at the start of the second half. He scored seven straight to kick off a 14-0 Hornet run to take back the lead at 40-36.
“I like to let the game come to me,” Holt said. “Whatever way I could help the team, whether that’s rebounding, scoring or passing.”
The Hornets found themselves in a 3-minute scoring drought immediately after their burst, allowing a 7-0 run to give the lead back to the Lumberjacks and setting the table for a crunchtime shootout.
Suffocating defense throughout the second half kept Northern Arizona from replicating their run from earlier in the game. Sac State held them to shoot 32% from the field in the second half and held them scoreless for three minutes, heading into the final five minutes only trailing by four.
Both teams traded blows down the stretch, bringing the game to a 64-61 standoff in favor of NAU, with 19 seconds left.
The ball found Sac State’s freshman guard Leo Ricketts behind the 3-point line as time winded down. With a chance to tie the game, Ricketts’s shot rimmed out, forcing the Hornets to foul on the rebound and send the Lumberjacks to the line and put the game on ice.
During Sac State’s 7-game losing streak, four were lost by six points or less, but Czepil has noticed growth amid this rough stretch.
“I challenged them on Feb. 1 that we’re going to keep getting better day to day, week to week,” Czepil said. “I truly do think we have in the last six games. Results aside, we have gotten better.”
The Hornets will head to Utah on Thursday for a matchup against Weber State, looking to put together a complete game and earn a much-needed win.
