Hornets sting Eagles for revenge
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Jameel Pugh and Jason Harris combined for 49 points as Sacramento State downed Eastern Washington 83-72 in a Big Sky Conference men’s basketball game.
The Hornets more than doubled their scoring output against the Eagles from a month ago when EWU won 44-41 at Cheney.
They also improved their free throw shooting, hitting 31 of 38 from the line, including their last nine down the stretch to clinch the win. The 82 percent clip was well over their 64 percent average for the season.
Sac State also had 15 offensive rebounds leading to nine second-chance points.
“Defensively we were just a little slow-footed,” said Eagles coach Mike Burns. “They are athletic, and they bounce pretty well. But we weren’t doing a good enough job staying in front of them. And they hurt us in the effort statistics – offensive rebounds and loose balls.”
Both teams are tied at 4-4 in the conference, with the Hornets improving to 8-13 overall. Eastern is now 7-14 overall and must still play four of its last six regular-season Big Sky games on the road.
Harris finished with 25 points as he made 10 of 13 free throws. He also had five steals, four rebounds and four assists. He scored 18 of his points in the first half as the Hornets took the lead for good with a 6-0 run to take a 31-26 lead.
Pugh finished with 24 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the 3-point stripe and 7 of 7 from the free throw line.
Marc Axton led the Eagles with 15 points, and Matt Nelson had 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high five assists.
Sacramento State 83, E. Washington 72
Eastern Washington (7-14, 4-4) – Bekkering 0-1 2-2 2, Axton 4-7 4-4 15, Nelson 4-9 5-9 13, Smith 3-5 2-3 9, Pariseau 4-9 0-0 9, Scheffler 1-2 0-0 3, Henkel 0-1 0-0 0, McCulloch 0-1 0-0 0, Loe 1-5 4-4 6, Beitinger 3-7 0-0 6, Butorac 2-6 3-4 7, Nicholas 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 23-54 20-26 72.
Sacramento State (8-13, 4-4) – Harris 7-19 10-13 25, Bausley 4-7 0-1 9, Lange 0-5 0-0 0, Harris 0-1 0-0 0, Pugh 6-13 7-7 24, Adams 1-1 0-2 2, McKay 2-3 3-3 7, Perry 0-0 0-0 0, Freeman 2-5 9-10 14, Beekman 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 22-55 31-38 83.
Halftime—Sacramento State 44, Eastern Washington 38. 3-Point Goals—Eastern Washington 6-12 (Axton 3-5, Smith 1-1, Pariseau 1-2, Scheffler 1-2, Henkel 0-1, Loe 0-1), Sacramento State 8-17 (Pugh 5-9, Freeman 1-2, Harris 1-3, Bausley 1-3). Fouled Out—Nelson, Pariseau. Rebounds—Eastern Washington 34 (Nelson 9), Sacramento State 39 (Bausley, Pugh 9). Assists—Eastern Washington 17 (Nelson 5), Sacramento State 8 (Harris 4). Total Fouls—Eastern Washington 31, Sacramento State 25. Technicals—None. A—853.