GAME PREVIEW

• After a gut-wrenching, last second loss at Idaho (61-58) on Thursday night, the Hornets (3-9, 0-1) are back in action Saturday afternoon at Eastern Washington (5-7, 1-0). Tip at Reese Court is 2 p.m.
• An Akol Mawein 3-pointer tied Thursday's game at Idaho, 58-58, with three seconds to play. However, Idaho threw a 65-foot baseball pass that wound up in the hands of Quinn Denker who banked in an off-balance 25-footer at the buzzer. The play wound up at No. 1 on ESPN SportsCenter's Top Plays.
• Sacramento State shot 60% (9-15) from the 3-point line, including a perfect 7-for-7 in the second half. Two of those long balls came during the final 49 seconds.
• The Hornets are now 0-4 in games decided by four points or less.
• Sacramento State will play an Eastern Washington team that has won four of its last five games after a 1-6 start. The Eagles crushed Portland State, 91-57, on Thurs. The win came against a Viking team that had been 9-3 and was coming off a road win at Fresno State.
• The Hornets are 1-5 on the road this season. The victory came in a spirited rivaly game at UC Davis (69-63) on Nov. 26.
• Eastern Washington is 3-0 at home. The first two of those home wins came against non-Div. I competition prior to Thursday's victory over Portland State.
• The Eagles (3) and Hornets (4) have combined to play just seven home games this year.
• The Hornets are 16-43 all-time against Eastern Washington. The Eagles swept the season series a year ago, which included a 78-75 win in Cheney.
• Sacramento State is 4-26 when playing on EWU's home floor, and has dropped five straight in Cheney. The last victory for the Hornets on Reese Court came in a 59-56 win on Feb. 28, 2019.
• Last season, Eastern Washington won the Big Sky regular season championship with a 23-11 overall record, and 16-2 conference mark. The Eagles were upset by Northern Arizona in the Big Sky Tourney quarterfinals before advancing to the second round of the NIT.
• The Eagles were selected third in this year's Big Sky preseason coaches poll.
• The Hornets are in the second season of the David Patrick era. Last year's squad finished 14-18 overall and 7-11 in the Big Sky Conference. The 14 wins were the most by a first-year head coach during the Hornets' Div. I era (1991-pres.), and third most in program history.
• Despite fielding a roster that consists of just four returners and 11 newcomers, Sacramento State was selected to finish fourth in this year's Big Sky preseason coaches poll.

MULTIMEDIA OPTIONS

• Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN+. Every game the rest of the season, except for the Jan. 6 road game at St. Thomas, will be streamed on ESPN+.
• This marks the third straight season all Hornet home games, and games played at a Big Sky Conference venue, will stream on ESPN+. The subscription-based service will stream on watchespn.com and the ESPN App.
• Links for all multimedia options, including live stats for every game, can be found next to each game on the men's basketball schedule at hornetsports.com.