SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento State forced Menlo into 20 turnovers, and scored 22 points off those miscues, on the way to a 67-53 victory over the Oaks on Friday afternoon in the Nest.

With the victory, Sacramento State improved to 4-5 on the young season. The Hornets were playing the first of just three remaining non-conference games, which includes road games at UC Riverside (Dec. 19) and Oregon State (Dec. 28). The Hornets had gone 12 straight days without a game prior to this afternoon, and the win snapped a three-game losing streak. Two of those losses during the streak were close home defeats to Montana and Montana State two weeks ago.

Menlo, an NAIA program from Atherton, Calif., dropped to 9-4 with the loss. Sacramento State is now 5-0 all-time vs. Menlo, with each of those outcomes decided by at least 14 points. Hornet interim head coach Brandon Laird knows the Menlo program well, as he was the head coach of the Oaks from 2006-09.

Sacramento State used 11 players in today's game. One of those players was freshman guard Akili Evans, who returned after missing the previous five games with injury.

The Hornets led for nearly 38 minutes of game clock, as Menlo's loan advantage was 4-3 early in the first half. Sacramento State, which forced the Oaks into 38% shooting, took its first double digit lead at the 5:28 mark of the first half. With the exception of a brief 53-second stretch in the second half, Sacramento State led by double digits the final 25 minutes of the contest.

This afternoon's outcome could have been a lot more lopsided had the Hornets made their free throws. The team went just 9-for-21 from the charity stripe.

Sacramento State didn't shoot particularly well from the field (41%), but buried 10 3-pointers - the second highest total of the season. Leading the way from distance was sharp shooter William FitzPatrick who went 4-for-7 from the 3-point line. Zach Chappell was also proficient from long range, burying three of his six attempts.

Sacramento State held advantages over Menlo in points off turnovers (22-12), second chance points (8-3) and fast break points (9-5) while limiting the Oaks to under 30 points in both halves. The Hornets finished with 18 assists compared to just nine turnovers.

Chappell led all players in points (15) and steals (4) while shooting 6-for-12 from the field. He was one of four Hornets in double figures, as FitzPatrick dropped in 12 points. All seven of FitzPatrick's shots came from distance. Bryce Fowler chipped in 11 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals, and Teiano Hardee added 10 points and a career-high seven rebounds. Four of those boards came on the offensive glass.

Jonathan Komagum had five points, six rebounds and three blocks, Cameron Wilbon six points and four boards, and Deshaun Highler six points, two assists and two steals.

Sacramento State limited Menlo's 1,000 point scorer N'Jai LeBlanc to nine points on 3-for-11 shooting.

The Hornets return to action on Sunday when the team plays UC Riverside on the road at 2 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+.