DAVIS, Calif. -- Sacramento State closed the final five minutes on a 13-5 run, and outscored UC Davis in the second half, 43-34, on the way to a 69-63 victory at UC Davis in the men's basketball version of the Causeway Classic Sunday evening.
Trailing by two points with five minutes left,
Brandon Betson began the game-ending run with a 3-ball that gave the Hornets their first lead since the 9:32 mark of the second half.
Bowyn Beatty,
Zee Hamoda and
Akol Mawein then scored on three consecutive possessions to cap a 9-0 run that gave Sacramento State its largest lead of the contest at 65-58 with 2:10 left.
UC Davis responded with five unanswered points to get within two (65-63) at the 42-second mark. That set the stage for Hamoda, who dribbled the shot clock down to two seconds before drilling a dagger 3-ball with 11 seconds on the game clock. He then blocked a shot on the other end, and Mawein added a late free throw to provide the final margin of victory. Four players scored during the 13-5 run, including Hamoda (5), Betson (3), Mawein (3) and Beatty (2).
Sacramento State (2-5), which trailed, 29-26 at halftime, gave UC Davis (3-2) its first home loss of the season. The Aggies had been 2-0 on the home floor, including a win over Pepperdine. Tonight marked the first time the Hornets have played on the UC Davis campus since 2013. The teams had played each of their last six meetings at Golden1 Center, but the rivalry was moved back to campus this season.
Sacramento State shot 49% (25-51) from the field, 37% (10-27) from the 3-point line and 69% (9-13) from the free throw line. The Hornets outrebounded the Aggies, 35-28, and had advantages in points in the paint (28-8), second chance points (8-2) and bench points (20-11).
The Aggies were limited to 41% shooting (21-51). Neither team led by more than eight points the entire way. UC Davis scored the game's first eight points as the Hornets turned the ball over on each of their first six possessions of the contest. The game featured seven lead changes and seven ties, and Sacramento State led for just 11 minutes of game clock.
Leading the Hornets was
Duncan Powell, who finished with 19 points (7-10 FG, 5-7 FT) to go along with six rebounds, four assists and zero turnovers. Betson played a team-high 36 minutes, registering 16 points (four 3-balls) and three rebounds.
Four Hornets scored in double figures, including Mawein (12 points, 5-8 FG, six rebounds) and Hamoda (11 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals). Both Powell and Betson had 10 points in the second half.
Austin Patterson added six points (2-4 3FG), and
Alex Kovatchev had three points and game-high seven rebounds.
Elijah Pepper (22 pts, 6-13 3FG) and Ty Johnson (21 pts, 8-17 FG) combined for 43 of the Aggies' 63 points.
Sacramento State, playing its third game away from home over a seven-day stretch, will get some much needed rest before returning to play at Long Beach State on Saturday at 4 p.m. That game will mark the end of the Hornets playing seven of their first eight games away from home. Sacramento State will play just its second game at the Nest on Dec. 9 vs. Cal State Fullerton.
