CHENEY, Wash. -- San Francisco shot a very proficient .547 (29-of-53) from the field and .500 (11-of-22) from the 3-point line on the way to a 77-59 victory over Sacramento State in the first round of the EWU Men's Basketball Classic at Reese Court.

Today's game opened the two-day, four-team tournament, which takes place on Eastern Washington's home floor. Sacramento State will not play Big Sky rival Eastern Washington during the event, and will conclude the tournament tomorrow against Denver at 12:05 p.m. It was the Hornets that hosted a similar four-team tournament last season at the Nest that included Eastern Washington.

With the loss, Sacramento State dropped to 1-4 overall this season, the program's worst mark after five games since the 2008-09 squad opened the season 0-5. The team is currently in the midst of a run that will see the Hornets play three straight games on neutral floors, which includes Monday's loss to UC Davis at the Golden 1 Center, and tomorrow's game against Denver.

San Francisco improved to 4-0, the program's best start since the 1986-87 season. In addition, USF improved to 10-3 all-time against the Hornets in a series which dates back to the 1951-52 season. The Hornets and Dons were playing each other for the first time since the 2007-08 season.

The game turned early in the second half when USF hit 3-pointers on three straight possessions after an Izayah Mauriohooho-Le'afa layup cut the Hornets' deficit to six points. That 3-point barrage sparked a 13-2 USF run that essentially put the game away. In fact, Sacramento State trailed by double digits the final 16:26 of the contest. The Dons opened up a lead as large as 23 points late in the game before settling for the 18-point win.

The Hornets never led during the entire 40 minutes as the team missed its first nine field goal attempts of the game, helping the Dons race out to an 11-0 lead. San Francisco extended that lead to 33-16, but the Hornets closed the final five minutes of the half on a 14-6 run to trail at halftime, 39-30.

A major problem all season, the Hornets' perimeter defense came up well short again tonight. San Francisco's 11 three-pointers came on 22 attempts, and all four of Sacramento State's Div. I opponents have now shot at least 50 percent from distance this season. The 11 three-pointers were the most allowed by the Hornets since Colorado buried 13 triples during the season opener. USF shot 5-of-10 from distance in the first half and 6-for-12 in the second half.

Overall, San Francisco shot .547 (29-of-53) from the field and held healthy advantages over the Hornets in rebounds (39-30), assists (21-12), steals (8-4) and points off turnovers (14-6). Sacramento State turned the ball over just nine times, but the Dons converted seven of those miscues into points. The Hornets shot .379 (22-of-58) from the field, .412 (7-for-17) from the 3-point line and .533 (8-of-15) from the free throw line.

Senior forward Nick Hornsby, one again, had a big game, finishing with a career-high tying 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 2-for-4 from the 3-point line. He also added nine rebounds and a steal, and both his scoring and rebounding outputs were game highs. Hornsby originally set his career high of 20 points at home against Utah Valley during the 2014-15 season. The fourth-year senior now has at least 14 points against all four Div. I opponents this season, and is shooting a very proficient .528 from the field and .444 from the 3-point line.

Coming off the bench for the first time this season, junior forward Justin Strings had 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor and 3-for-5 from the 3-point arc. The forward duo of Hornsby and Strings combined for 38 of the Hornets' 59 points. Mauriohooho-Le'afa had seven points in his second straight start, and Jeff Wu had five points and a steal in 12 minutes. Sophomore swingman Grant Dressler made his first career start and finished with two points and five rebounds in 14 minutes. Center Eric Stuteville added five points, two rebounds, a block and a steal.

Four different San Francisco players buried at least two 3-pointers, including Chase Foster who had 18 points and six rebounds, including 4-of-7 shooting from the 3-point line. Foster was joined in double figures by Marquill Smith (12), Nate Renfro (10) and Jordan Ratinho (10).

Tomorrow afternoon, the Hornets will play a Denver squad that faces Eastern Washington later this evening. Sacramento State is 2-0 all-time against the Pioneers with both victories coming by at least 14 points. After the Denver game, the Hornets resume their stretch of four straight games away from the Nest with a matchup at Pacific on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. The Hornets defeated the Tigers last season at home, 79-71.

NOTABLES -- The Hornets have yet to play a game decided by anything less than nine points. Last year, Sacramento State played 19 games that were decided by eight points or less…Hornsby could easily have four double-doubles this year, but finished with nine rebounds twice during games in which he scored at least 14 points…Stuteville picked up another block and his 107 career blocked shots are the second best mark in program history.