McKINNEY AND GARRITY COMBINE FOR 44 AS MEN’S HOOPS ROLLS TO 85-67 WIN OVER CSU BAKERSFIELD

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Four Sacramento State players scored in double figures, led by sophomores Mikh McKinney (23) and Dylan Garrity (21), as the Hornets cruised to an 85-67 win over CSU Bakersfield in a non-conference men's basketball game Wednesday evening at the Nest.

The Hornets played well all around, shooting 49.0 percent (25-51) from the field and 80.6 percent (29-36) from the free throw line while committing just 10 turnovers and posting nine steals. Sacramento State scored 19 points off 16 Bakersfield turnovers, and forced the Roadrunners into 42.4 percent shooting (28-66) from the floor. In addition, the Hornets committed just 14 fouls the entire evening, and went to the free throw line 30 more times than Bakersfield.

This was the same Roadrunner squad that beat the Hornets by three points last year in Bakersfield, and by two points in overtime in Sacramento two years ago. Tonight, the tables turned as Sacramento State led by double figures the final nine minutes of the game and opened up a lead as large 20 points late in the second half.

With the victory, Sacramento State improved to 2-0 with both wins coming by at least 18 points. The Hornets will play at Pac-12 Conference member Utah on Friday night, and will be attempting to start the season 3-0 for the first time since the 1999-00 season.

With the loss, CSU Bakersfield, which was coming off a 13-point loss at Cal three days ago, dropped to 0-3 on the young season. The win over the Roadrunners was the first for the Hornets since the 1988-89 season, snapping a streak of six straight losses.

"There are two big reasons we won this game...first off, we only committed 10 turnovers, and secondly, we had just 14 fouls," Sacramento State fifth-year head coach Brian Katz said. "Bakersfield really hurt us last season with their pressure, and they are good at forcing turnovers. Fortunately, we were able to neutralize that part of their game this evening."

CSUB's last lead of the night came after a Javante Maynor three-pointer gave the team a 5-3 lead with 15:53 remaining in the first half. The Hornets responded with a 7-0 run, and never trailed the rest of the way. Sacramento State would eventually take a 34-28 lead into halftime despite Maynor scoring 18 first-half points on 6-of-8 from the three-point line.

The Hornets took control of the contest midway through the second half, using a 16-2 run spanning nearly six minutes of clock to take a game-high 20-point lead (71-51) with 4:23 remaining. Four Hornets scored during the run, including five points from McKinney and four points each from Garrity and Jackson Carbajal. Sacramento State buried 14 of its 16 free throw attempts during the final 2:32 to ice the victory.

McKinney's 23 points matched a game high as he finished 7-of-13 from the field, 2-of-5 from the three-point line and 7-of-7 from the free throw line while also posting five rebounds, three assists and three steals in 31 minutes. Garrity's 21 points were a career high as the sophomore point guard shot 4-of-6 from the field (including two three-pointers) and 11-of-12 from the free throw line while tallying a game-high seven assists. Garrity, who finished seventh in the nation in assists per game last season, now has 16 assists with just four turnovers this year.

Rounding out the Hornet quartet with double-figure scoring were John Dickson (15 points, six rebounds and two blocks) and Carbajal (10 points, four rebounds and two steals). Dickson shot 6-of-10 from the field and is now shooting a team-high 68.8 percent (11-16) from the field this year.

Junior forward Joey Quigley added nine points (3-of-5 shooting), a block and two steals, center Konner Veteto had four points and six rebounds, and Joe Eberhard added three points, four rebounds and a steal in a team-best 33 minutes. Dickson, McKinney and Carbajal have each scored in double figures in both games thus far.

For Bakersfield, Maynor finished the game 8-of-16 from the field and 7-of-12 from the arc for his 23 points (just five in the second half). Adam Young (12 points, nine rebounds) and Stephon Carter (12 points, two steals) also scored in double figures for the Roadrunners.

Tonight began a stretch that will see the Hornets play three times in seven days, including a home game with rival UC Davis next Tuesday at 7:35 p.m. That game is part of a doubleheader that will see the women play at 5 p.m.