Winners of three straight and five of its last seven games, the Sacramento State men''s basketball team (8-13, 4-4) concludes its season-long four-game homestand on Saturday, Feb. 5, against Portland State. Tipoff against the Vikings is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at the Hornets Nest. Sacramento State, which knocked off Eastern Washington, 83-72, on Thursday night, has won seven in a row on its home floor, the program''s longest streak at home since an eight-game winning streak during parts of both the 1987-88 and 1988-89 seasons. In addition, the Hornets have won eight-straight games over conference competition at home dating back to last season, the longest streak since joining the Big Sky in 1996-97.

Saturday night''s contest can be heard locally on KTKZ 1380 AM with Steve McElroy handling the play-by-play. For those outside the greater Sacramento area, the contest will also be broadcast live via the internet at www.hornetsports.com, by clicking on the Live Audio link and scrolling down to the men''s basketball schedule.

Sacramento State is currently tied for fourth place in the Big Sky standings, just one game back of third-place Montana (5-3), two games behind Montana State (6-2) and two-and-a-half games behind first-place Portland State (7-2). Should Sacramento State win on Saturday, the team''s 5-4 record would be its best start after nine games since joining the league in 1996.

Sacramento State is 8-2 at home, and all four of its Big Sky victories have come on the home floor. The Hornets have scored at least 83 points in each of their last three games, including a season-high 92 points in last Saturday''s win against Northern Arizona. In addition, Sacramento State has shot at least 40.0 percent from the field in four-straight games after accomplishing the feat just five times during the first 17 games of the season.

Portland State (15-6, 7-2) has won three-straight games and 11 of its last 13. The Vikings won at Northern Arizona, 84-81, on Thursday, and improved to 4-5 on the road this year. Portland State defeated the Hornets earlier this season in Portland, 79-69, and own a 12-5 lead in the all-time series with Sacramento State. However, the Hornets have defeated the Vikings in Sacramento each of the last two years and five of the last eight meetings.

Meet the Coaches

Jerome Jenkins is currently in his fifth season at Sacramento State. Since taking over a struggling program in 2000-01, the Hornets have improved their overall and conference records each season (5-22, 2-14 in 2000-01; 9-19, 3-11 in 2001-02; 12-17, 5-9 in 2002-03; and finally 13-15, 7-7 last season).

Jenkins, who has led the Hornets to the Big Sky Tournament each of the last two years, has a 47-85 record during his tenure as head coach. In 2003-04, he led the Hornets to numerous Div. I program records including most wins (13), most conference wins (seven), highest finish in the Big Sky Conference (tied for second), best winning percentage (.481), most home victories (10), most conference wins at home (five) and the most bench points in a game (71 at No. Arizona).

The 37-year old coach came to Sacramento State prior to the 1999-2000 season and served as the team’s top assistant coach that year. Jenkins previously had worked two seasons as an assistant at Eastern Washington (1997-99). Prior to working at EWU, he spent four seasons at Diablo Valley College, where he was an assistant coach (1993-95) and associate head coach (1995-97).

A native of Los Angeles, Jenkins was an all-conference point guard at L.A. City College as a freshman before playing his sophomore season at Southwestern Oregon CC. He then transferred to Regis University in Denver, Colo., where he played his final two seasons. While with the Rangers, he was twice named all-conference.

Heath Schroyer is currently in his third season as head coach at Portland State and has posted a 31-44 record over that time. Prior to his arrival at Portland State in 2002, Schroyer was an assistant coach at Wyoming (2001-02), BYU (1997-01), Fresno City College (1996-97) and Kings River Community College (1995-96). He led the Vikings to a 11-16 overall record and a 5-9 mark in the Big Sky last season, a six-game improvement over the previous year.

A Look at the Hornets'' Last Game

Junior Jason Harris (25) and senior Jameel Pugh (24) combined for 49 points and Sacramento State knocked down 31-of-38 free throws (81.6 percent) on the way to an 83-72 victory over Eastern Washington on Thursday.

After missing four of their first five free throws of the game, the Hornets converted 30 of their final 33 free throw shots (including 11-of-12 during the final three minutes). Sacramento State’s 30 free throws were the most in Div. I single-game history (1991-pres.) and the third-best mark in program history.

The Hornets, who also shot 40.0 percent (22-55) from the field and 47.1 percent (8-17) from beyond the three-point arc, led for the final 27 minutes of the contest. After Eastern Washington cut the lead to two points (44-42) with 18:20 left to play, Sacramento State went on a 10-4 run to lead by eight points with 12:39 remaining. Freshman Schuyler McKay’s three-point play capped the run as Eastern Washington would get no closer than within three points the rest of the way.

Harris has now scored at least 25 points in three-straight games and four of his last five. The transfer from Chaffey Junior College knocked down 10-of-13 from the line and scored 18 of his 25 points in the first half.

Pugh continued his recent domination from the three-point line, knocking down 5-of-9 from beyond the arc and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. He added a season-high tying nine rebounds while playing a career-high 39 minutes. The Sacramento native also converted a four-point play with 7:57 remaining in the first half to stop a 10-0 Eastern Washington run. The Eagles had taken their largest lead of the game (three points) until Pugh’s four-point play quickly erased the advantage.

Junior DaShawn Freeman added 14 points and three rebounds in just 17 minutes to round out the Hornets in double figures. Alex Bausley added nine points, nine rebounds and three steals.

A Look at the Hornets

Harris Leading The Charge

Not only has junior swingman Jason Harris made a case for Big Sky Newcomer of the Year honors, the first-year player from Chaffey Junior College is now making a statement for the league''s top player. Harris, who is second in the league in scoring (17.5 ppg) and scoring against Big Sky competition (21.9 ppg), ranks among conference leaders (all games) in scoring, rebounding, steals, free-throw percentage, blocked shots, offensive rebounds, free throws, free throws attempted and free-throw percentage. That includes second in offensive rebounds (2.55 per game) and free throws attempted per game (7.4), third in steals (2.20 spg) and ninth in rebounding (4.9 rpg).

He has scored at least nine points in all but one game this season and has posted double-figure points in each of his last nine games. He has scored at least 25 points in each of his last three games and four of the last five, including Thursday against EWU where he finished with 25 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals. The Henderson, Texas, native has led or shared the team lead in scoring 14 times and already has seven games with at least 20 points.

Harris has raised his field-goal percentage to .443 (112-253) as he has shot 50.0 percent or better from the floor in four of his last five games, and eight of the last 12. Against conference competition, Harris is shooting 50.0 percent (tied for ninth in the Big Sky), including 10-of-16 against Weber State and 11-of-17 at Montana. In four of his last five conference games, he has scored at least 25 points.

On his current pace, he would finish the regular season ranked among the top four players in Sacramento State Div. I history in free throws attempted (200, 1st), points (475, 2nd), free throws made (135, 2nd) and steals (57, T-3rd). His average of 17.6 points per game would rank just below Charlo Davis'' Div. I record of 18.0 ppg (set in 1991-92). Harris is also averaging a team-high 33.4 minutes per game and has played at least 36 minutes in five of his last nine contests.

A Streak To Remember

Senior Jameel Pugh, who earned his first-ever Big Sky Conference Player of the Week award last Monday, has tallied one of the more impressive three-game stretches in recent memory.

Pugh, who has led the Hornets to victories over William Jessup, Northern Arizona and Eastern Washington in the last week and a half, is averaging 28.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 0.67 blocked shots over the last three games. That includes a 53.8 field-goal percentage (28-52) and a 52.8 three-point field goal percentage (19-36) over that same span.

He is averaging 6.3 three-pointers per game during the three games after converting just 12 three-pointers during his first 15 games of the season.

In the Hornets’ victory over William Jessup, Pugh scored a Sacramento State Div. I (1991-pres.) single-game record 40 points (including eight three-pointers) to go along with a career-high four steals. He went 15-of-22 from the field and 8-of-13 from beyond the three-point arc. He also set Sacramento State Div. I records for field goals made and tied the school record for three-pointers. His 40 points were the third most in school history and the most by any member of the Big Sky this year.

In the Hornets’ 92-88 victory over Northern Arizona last Saturday, Pugh tallied 20 points, four rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot. He buried a game-high six three-pointers during the contest (in 14 attempts). He followed up that effort with 24 points (5-of-9 from three-point land) and a season-high tying nine rebounds vs. Eastern Washington on Thursday.

The 6-5, 225-pound swingman has scored in double figures in seven-consecutive games, and against Big Sky competition, Pugh is averaging 15.6 ppg, the fourth-best mark in the conference.

Through his first 11 games of the season, Pugh was shooting a woeful 29.1 percent (37-127) from the field while averaging 9.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game. However, Pugh has dramatically improved those numbers over his last seven games. During that span, the Sacramento native is averaging 20.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 48.0 percent (49-102) from the field and 44.2 percent (23-52) from beyond the three-point line.

Not only is Pugh starting to find his touch from the outside, he is driving to the basket more often that he did at the beginning of the season. In fact, he has combined for eight dunks in his last five games. Pugh is no stranger to dunking as he was named the World''s Best Dunker in 2000 by Slam Magazine and the 33rd-best dunker of all-time by the same publication.

Pugh''s season thus far is very similar to last year in which he averaged 11.8 points and 1.8 steals on 51.0 percent shooting over his final 12 contests. During his first 16 games of the 2003-04 season, he averaged 7.4 points and 0.8 steals on 37.7 percent shooting.

Home Sweet Home

As bad as the Hornets have been on the road this year (0-11), the team has more than held up its end of the bargain at home. Sacramento State is 8-2 at home this year, and has won each of its last seven games in the friendly confines of the Hornets Nest. The seven-game winning streak is the team''s longest home winning streak since joining the Div. I ranks in 1991-92. In fact, the last time the Hornets won at least six home games in a row was an eight-game streak during parts of both the 1987-88 and 1988-89 seasons.

In addition, Sacramento State has won a program-record eight-straight Big Sky home games dating back to last year. Below is a breakdown of the Hornets'' home-road disparity, including the team averaging 75.1 points per at home compared to just 58.0 on the road.

Home Away

Points Per Game 75.1 58.0

Points Allowed Per Game 68.2 74.1

Field-Goal Percentage .433 .333

Three-Point Percentage .363 .273

Free Throw Attempts 24.5 18.7

Rebounds Per Game 37.5 34.3

Turnovers 15.5 17.1

Forced Turnovers 19.3 18.3

Assists Per Game 14.8 7.5

Steals Per Game 11.2 8.9

Fouls Per Game 19.7 26.0

Warming Up From The Field

Through the first 15 games of the season, Sacramento State was shooting just 35.7 percent from the field and had shot above 40.0 percent on just four occasions during that span. Jason Harris (.401) was the only Hornet with at least 10 made field goals to shoot above .400 during that stretch as Sacramento State was being outscored by nearly 10 points per game.

However, over the last six games, the Hornets have become more friendly to the rims. During the six-game stretch (in which the Hornets are 4-2), Sacramento State is shooting 45.8 percent (164-358) from the floor and four players are shooting at least .500. Not coincidentally, Sacramento State is averaging 5.8 points per game more than its opponent over the six-game span. In fact, the Hornets have shot at least 40.0 percent from the floor in five of the last six games.

In addition, the Hornets are shooting 38.7 percent from the three-point line over the last six games after shooting just 28.8 percent from the money stripe during the first 15 contests.

M.V.-Free

Along with Jason Harris, junior point guard DaShawn Freeman has been one of the most valuable players on Sacramento State''s roster this year. Freeman''s legend grew last Saturday against Northern Arizona where scored a career-high 27 points to go along with seven assists, five rebounds and just one turnover in 30 minutes. Freeman''s previous career high had been 18 points, set during the 2003 Big Sky Tournament at Montana.

The Oakland, Calif., native has played the last eight games (including 30 minutes against Northern Arizona) with a hamstring injury that has forced him to sit out each practice since Jan. 7. The injury occurred during the Hornets'' game at Portland State on Jan. 6, as Freeman was forced to play just six and 12 minutes, respectively, over the next two games.

However, Freeman has learned to play in pain as the junior has played at least 17 minutes in five-straight games. With point guard James Payne being ruled academically ineligible for the remainder of the season, the Hornets are thin at point guard with only Freeman and senior E.J. Harris. Even swingman Jason Harris has received time at point guard to help alleviate Freeman''s injury. The lack of depth at the point guard position has forced head coach Jerome Jenkins to play Freeman on a more regular basis despite the injury.

Even with the hamstring, Freeman is having the best year of his Hornet career averaging 9.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.8 steals per game. The team''s best defensive player, Freeman currently ranks among Big Sky leaders (all games) in four categories, including first in steals, and fourth in both assists and free-throw percentage (.775). He is shooting 46.7 percent (7-15) from the three-point line over his last five games after shooting just 30.0 percent (12-40) in his first 16 games.

Earlier this year, Freeman became the Sacramento State Div. I (1991-pres.) career leader in both assists (287) and steals (177). He currently has 58 steals this year and is on pace to finish the regular season with a career-high 75 steals.

In Sacramento State program history, Freeman now ranks second in steals and fourth in assists. The program record for steals is 210, set by Pat Wallace (1989-93).

Freeman is not the only player that thrives under head coach Jerome Jenkins’ defensive intensity. As a team, the Hornets have led the Big Sky in steals each of the last four years, and easily lead the conference with 9.81 per game this year.

A Changed Man

One season removed from a year in which he averaged just 2.9 points and 3.2 rebounds in 12.0 minutes per game, sophomore forward Alex Bausley has grown leaps and bounds this season. The Los Angeles native is now averaging 10.6 points (third on the Hornets) to go along with a team-leading 5.5 rebounds per game.

Bausley had double-doubles (points and rebounds) against both Idaho State and Weber State, and now has a team-high three double-doubles this season (the Div. I school record for double-doubles is eight by Sean Houston in 1998-99). The 6-6, 235-pound second-year player is sixth in the Big Sky with an average of 6.5 rebounds per game against conference competition.

Bausley, who dropped 35 pounds from his playing weight of 270 last season, has scored in double figures 12 times this season (including five of the last seven games) and has led the team in scoring six times. The sophomore paces the team with 39 three-pointers and is averaging 1.86 made per game (eighth in the Big Sky).

Hornet Notables

Freshman Schuyler McKay''s seven points against Eastern Washington were his most since scoring 11 at UC Riverside on Dec. 20...the Hornets'' .816 free-throw percentage against EWU was their fifth-best mark of the year.

A Look at The Last Meeting

Portland State’s Seamus Boxley led all players with 25 points, and the Vikings outrebounded Sacramento State, 43-28, on the way to a 79-69 victory over the Hornets on Jan. 6 in Portland.

The Vikings built a 17-point halftime lead only to see the Hornets come within one point of that lead late in the second half.

Sacramento State forced Portland State into 29 turnovers, but the Vikings overcame with the large rebounding disparity while also shooting 56.3 percent (27-48) from the field. Conversely, the Hornets shot just 37.5 percent (21-56) from the field while committing 24 turnovers of their own.

Boxley’s 25 points came on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor and 9-of-15 from the free-throw line, as the senior also added a game-high tying eight rebounds.

Sacramento State had four players score in double figures – led by senior Jameel Pugh’s 18 points – and shot 86.4 percent (19-22) from the free-throw line. The Hornets were whistled for 30 fouls during the contest as both Aaron Perry and Jason Harris fouled out.

Portland State broke open a close game by finishing the first half on a 21-3 run to take a game-high 17-point lead (41-24) into halftime. Boxley scored nine of the Vikings’ points during the run while the Hornets had trouble finding the basket.

Sacramento State, however, bounced back behind Pugh’s 16 second-half points. The Hornets went on a 32-16 run over the first 13:13 of the second half to close within one point of Portland State’s lead (57-56) with 6:47 remaining in the contest. The Vikings quickly responded with a three-pointer from Blake Walker and a three-point play from Will Funn to reclaim a seven-point lead (63-56) with 5:43 to play. The Hornets closed within four points on a three-pointer from Pugh, but that was as close as Sacramento State would get the rest of the way.

A Look at The Vikings

Portland State is led by senior forward Seamus Boxley, who has established himself as one of the top players in the Big Sky. In fact, Boxley has started all but one game this season and is averaging a conference-best 20.1 points per game overall and a conference-high 22.6 ppg against conference competition. Much of his damage is done at the free-throw line where he averages 8.3 trips to the line a night.

Portland State''s 15 wins are already the team''s most since the 1999-00 squad went 15-14.

Who’s Up Next

Sacramento State hits the road for the first time since the third week of January as the Hornets will travel to Weber State on Thursday, Feb. 10. Sacramento State has never defeated the Wildcats (0-8) in Ogden, Utah since joining the league in 1996-97. The Hornets defeated Weber State, 78-72, earlier this year in Sacramento.