GAME PREVIEW

• Sacramento State (5-10, 1-1) wraps up a season-long five game homestand on Saturday afternoon vs. Eastern Washington (5-11, 1-2). Tip at the Nest is 1 p.m.
• The Hornets are coming off an 80-67 loss to Idaho on Thursday night which snapped a three-game winning streak. In that game, senior forward Jacob Holt posted his third straight double-double with 35 points and 10 rebounds.
• Holt's 35 points are the fifth most in the Hornets' Div. I era (1991-pres.), and the second most by a Sacramento State player in a loss.
• Sacramento State is 3-1 on its current homestand (which included a Big Sky-opening win over Portland State), and 4-5 inside the Nest this season.
• Eastern Washington, the defending Big Sky regular season champs, is 5-11 overall and 1-2 in league after falling at Portland State, 64-59, on Thursday.
• The Eagles, who went 21-11 and 15-3 a year ago, lost several key players. In fact, the team returns just six players. Head coach Dan Monson is in his first year at Eastern Washington after leading Long Beach State to 275 wins, including a 2024 NCAA Tourney trip.
• Eastern Washington is seeking its first road win of the season (0-8), but the Eagles have close losses at Missouri, Utah and Portland State.
• The Hornets always seem to have trouble with Eastern Washington, posting a 17-45 all-time record. However, it was the Hornets, as the No. 10 seed, who upset the top seed Eagles, 74-69, in the Big sky Tournament quarterfinals last March in Boise.
• Prior to that Hornet win, the Eagles had won four straight and nine of 10 in the series.
• Sacramento State is 12-16 at home vs. Eastern Washington, and the Eagles have won six of the last seven in the Nest. The Hornets' lone win at home vs. EWU since 2015 came via 81-75 win on Feb. 26, 2022.
• Three of the last five meetings in the series have been decided by five points or less.
• Sacramento State has not defeated Eastern Washington by more than six points since a 90-77 home win during the 2014-15 season.
• Traditionally a sharp shooting team from long range, the 3-point line has been a problem for Eastern Washington. The Eagles rank last in the Big Sky in both 3-point percentage (.313), and 3-point percentage defense (.381).
• Four of the Eagles' current five starters are averaging double figures in points, led by senior guard Andrew Cook's 16.0 ppg average.

MULTIMEDIA OPTIONS

• Every game the remainder of the season (home and away) will stream on ESPN+. Steve McElroy, in his 28th season as the team's play-by-play voice, will be on the call.
• For the fourth straight season, all Hornet home games, and games played at a Big Sky Conference venue, will stream on ESPN+. The subscription-based service streams 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.

A LOOK AT THE LAST GAME

• Despite a career night from senior forward Jacob Holt, Sacramento State fell to Idaho, 80-67, on Thursday evening at the Nest.
• Holt scored over half the Hornets' points, finishing with 35 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. He was 8-for-14 from the field, 2-of-2 from distance, and 17-for-21 from the free throw line. He had 14 points in the first half, and added 21 more in the second half.
• The 35 points were the fifth highest output in Sacramento State's Div. I era (1991-pres.), and were a career high. In fact, that was the second highest scoring output by a Hornet in 16 years, trailing only Bryce Fowler's 39 points at Montana in 2022.
• His free throws made and attempted are both new Hornet Div. I era single-game records, surpassing the previous marks by two in both categories.
• The Big Sky's top 3-point shooting team played the part, as Idaho buried 13 3-pointers and finished at 38 percent (13-34) from distance. The Vandals opened the game on a 22-11 run, connecting on 9-for-13 from the field and 4-of-8 from 3PT during the spurt.
• Idaho never trailed, as Sacramento State was playing catchup all evening. Seemingly every time the Hornets got within striking distance, Idaho would bury a 3-ball to thwart the run. The Vandals finished the game 49% (28-57) from the field.
• The Hornets went to the free throw line a season-high 32 times (making 23, 72%).

INTERNATIONAL ROSTER

• The Hornets' roster is one of the most international in the nation.
• Sacramento State has players representing six different countries - Australia (5), United States (5), Canada (1), England (1), Finland (1) and South Sudan (1).
• In addition, Sacramento State has players from four of the seven continents - North America, Africa, Europe and Australia.
• The Hornets' head coach, Michael Czepil, is from Melbourne, Australia, and took the team on a trip to Sydney, Gold Coast and Melbourne during the summer.

THE CZEPIL ERA

• Sacramento State is under the guidance of interim head Michael Czepil (Zep-pull). David Patrick, who coached the Hornets the previous two seasons, stepped down on May 22 to become the associate head coach at LSU.
• Czepil spent the previous two seasons on Patrick's staff as the associate head coach.
• A native of Melbourne, Australia, Czepil entered the season with 14 years of collegiate, international and professional coaching experience.
• He arrived at Sacramento State after spending four seasons at UC Riverside (2018-22), including the final two as the team's associate head coach.
• Czepil has had a big influence on all areas of the Hornet program the last two seasons, including recruiting, on-floor coaching, player development and scouting.

YOUNG STARTING LINEUP AND ROTATION

• Sacramento State has used the same starting lineup six straight games, and is 3-3 over that span. That lineup consists of one freshman and two sophomores. In addition, of the team's current nine man rotation, six are underclassmen.
• The current starting lineup features just one senior - freshman Lachlan Brewer, sophomores Bailey Nunn and Emil Skytta, junior Julian Vaughns and senior Jacob Holt.
• Of the four players currently coming off the bench, three are underclassmen in freshman Chudi Dioramma, and sophomores Bowyn Beatty and Michael Wilson.
• Playing young is nothing new to the Hornets. Last season, Sacramento State was one of four Div. I teams in the country to play their freshman over 40 percent of the team's total minutes.
• Sophomore Alex Kovatchev started each of the first four games of the season, but injury has kept him out 11 straight games. True freshman Brewer replaced him in the lineup.

DEFENSIVELY SPEAKING

• Behind limiting the opposition to 53 points or less in three of the last four games, Sacramento State currently ranks first in the conference and 45th in the nation in scoring defense. Opponents are averaging just 65.3 points per game.
• The Hornets are also first in the Big Sky (73rd in nation) allowing opponents to shoot just 41% from the field, and second in the Big Sky in 3-point percentage defense (.305).
• In last Saturday's 56-53 win over Portland State, that point total was the Vikings fewest in more than two seasons, a span of 67 games. The Vikings entered the game leading the Big Sky with an average of 83.4 points per contest.
• Idaho did put up 80 points on Thursday, and the Vandals shot 49 percent from the field and 38% from the 3-point line. Idaho is the Big Sky's top 3-point shooting team, and the Vandals' 13 made 3-pointers are the second most allowed by the Hornets this year.

3-POINT LAND

• Sacramento State is not afraid to shoot the long ball, as the team is averaging 8.8 made treys per game - third best in the Big Sky and 93rd in the nation.
• The team has buried double-figure 3-balls in five games, at least eight 3-balls in 11 games, and has connected on less than five just once (season-low four at Oregon State).
• The Hornets have five players that have connected on at least 19 treys - EJ Neal (27), Bailey Nunn (23), Jacob Holt (22), Julian Vaughns (21) and Lachlan Brewer (19).
• Brewer is shooting 50% (19-38) from the 3PT line, and has been automatic when taking a wide open look. Holt, despite standing 6-foot-10, is shooting 40% (22-55), and Neal is averaging a team-best 1.8 3-ball makes per game.
• The team is shooting 34% from distance while opponents connect at 31%.

HOLT'S HUGE NIGHT, AND BIG SEASON

• Despite the loss on Thursday to Idaho, senior forward Jacob Holt had one of the best games in Sacramento State's Div. I era. That goes in line with the huge season he's had thus far.
• He posted 35 points and 10 rebounds vs. the Vandals on 8-14 FG, 2-2 3FG, and 17-21 FT. The 35 points are the fifth best output in the program's Div. I era (1991-pres.), and the second highest output in a loss.
• The free throws made and attempted are both the top marks in the Div. I era, and he accounted for 52 percent of the team's scoring in the game.
• Holt has been one of the best players in the Big Sky, ranking third in scoring (17.1 ppg), fourth in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and fifth in field goal percentage (.537).
• He is the only player in the Big Sky to rank among the top five players in both scoring and rebounding, and has led the Hornets in scoring in 11 of 15 games.
• Holt was named Big Sky Player of the Week on Dec. 31, and has posted three straight double-doubles, including 10 points and 10 rebounds vs. Portland State.
• He has scored in double figures in 13 of 15 games, including six 20-point efforts. Four of those 20-point efforts have come in the last eight games.
• If the season ended today, his scoring average would be the highest for a Hornet since Bryce Fowler averaged 19.0 ppg during the 2021-22 season.
• Holt also leads the Big Sky in free throws made (77) and attempted (104) - marks that currently rank 34th and 27th in the nation, respectively.
 
CLOSE GAMES

• Of the team's 12 games vs. a Div. I opponent, nine have been decided by 10 points or fewer. Though the team is 2-7 in those contests, they have been in games at the end. In fact, the Hornets are 0-7 in games decided by 6-10 points.
• The outliers were 80-59 loss at Denver, 82-45 at Oregon State, and 80-67 vs. Idaho.
• Last season, of the Hornets' 21 games against a Big Sky opponent (including the conference tournament), 16 were decided by single digits, and the Hornets went 5-11 in those games. Eleven of those were decided by five points or less (4-7 in those outcomes).
• In the team's three Big Sky Tournament games, the Hornets posted an eight-point win over Idaho in the first round, five-point win vs. Eastern Washington in the quarters, and a three-point loss to Montana State in the semis.

FINAL SEASON IN THE NEST

• Sacramento State will embark upon its final year in the Nest. Next season, the team will move into the The Well on campus.
• The project is set to convert a portion of The Well, an on-campus fitness facility, into a venue for both the men's and women's basketball teams. The Well sits next to the football field on the south end of campus. Seating capacity will likely be around 3,000.
• Built in 1955, the Nest is currently one of the oldest (and smallest) facilities among all NCAA Div. I institutions with a seating capacity of only 1,012.
• The Hornets have played in the Nest every year since 1955, except four seasons (1996-00) when they played at downtown Memorial Auditorium. Those four seasons were also the team's first four in the Big Sky Conference.

QUICK NOTABLES

• Shooting guard Julian Vaughns, second on the team at 9.9 ppg, snapped a four-game stretch without double figures by scoring 13 points (4-7 FG, 3-5 3FG) vs. Idaho. He has scored 12 points or more seven times, and seven points or less on seven occasions.
• Point guard Bailey Nunn played all 40 minutes vs. Idaho, finishing with five points, seven assists and seven rebounds. He had six assists vs. Portland State, and his 6.5 assists per game in league play are second best in the Big Sky.
• EJ Neal was a big factor in the Hornets' win over Portland State, providing energy, 12 points and eight rebounds. That snapped a string of three straight games in single digits. Neal (team-high 1.8 made treys per game) has scored in double digits seven times.
• Dating back to last season, point guard Emil Skytta has started 41 straight games. The durable Skytta is averaging 7.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 28.9 minutes per game.
• Starter Alex Kovatchev has missed 11 straight games with injury, and is hoping to return later this month. The sophomore is one of the team's best defenders and smartest players.