Winners of four in a row and seven of its last nine games, Sacramento State (12-15, 8-6) welcomes Weber State (12-15, 7-7) to the Hornets Nest for a Big Sky Tournament quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 5, at 7:05 p.m. The Hornets and Wildcats meet in the quarterfinals for the second-straight year as Weber State was victorious last year in Sacramento by the score of 68-62. The Hornets gained the No. 4 seed and the right to host a quarterfinal game after DaShawn Freeman''s three-pointer with 1.7 seconds remaining gave the team a one-point victory at Northern Arizona (87-86) last Saturday in the final regular-season game of the year.

Sacramento State enters the tournament as the hottest team in the Big Sky as the team is 9-4 over its last 13 games after beginning the season with a 3-11 record. Each of the Hornets'' victories during their season-high four-game winning streak have come by three points or less. This year marks the third-consecutive season in which the Hornets have reached the Big Sky Tournament as the team has improved its conference record each of the last five years (2-14 in 2000-01; 3-11 in 2001-02; 5-9 in 2002-03; 7-7 in 2003-04).

Sacramento State''s eight Big Sky victories are a program record as the team was picked to finish seventh in this year''s preseason polls. Despite seven of the 12 players on Sacramento State''s roster being brand new to the program this year, the Hornets have also set program records in Big Sky home wins (six) and are one win shy of matching the team''s Div. I mark (1991-pres.) for most victories in a season (13). Sacramento State is 10-3 at the Hornets Nest this year and has won nine of its last 10 home games. The team''s 10 home victories tied a Div. I record, set last year.

The other Big Sky quarterfinal game pits Eastern Washington at Montana. The winner of that game along with the winner of Sacramento State/Weber State will advance to the semifinals where No. 1 seed Portland State and No. 2 seed Montana State have already advanced via a first-round bye. The semifinals (Tuesday, March 8) and championship game (Wednesday, March 9, ESPN2) will be played at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Ore. Since Sacramento State joined the Big Sky in 1996, the Hornets have never advanced past the semifinals. In fact, Sacramento State did not reach the Big Sky Tournament each of its first six years in the league as the top six teams in the eight-member league advance to the postseason tournament.

Sacramento State and Weber State split two meetings during the regular season as each team won on its home floor. The Hornets won, 78-72, in Sacramento on Jan. 15, and lost, 57-55, in controversial fashion in Ogden, Utah, on Feb. 10. In the Hornets'' loss on Feb. 10, Sacramento State vehemently argued that Coric Riggs'' game-winning shot came after the buzzer to no avail. The Hornets have yet to drop a game since that loss at Weber State.

The Wildcats, who own a 20-2 record in the all-time series with the Hornets, have won four of their last five games, including a 79-56 home victory over Idaho State on Saturday. However, Weber State has struggled on the road this year, posting a 2-12 record (1-6 against Big Sky competition) with wins coming at Elon (Nov. 30) and Eastern Washington (Feb. 17). Weber State is in danger of finishing with its first sub-.500 record since head coach Joe Cravens took over the program prior to the 1999-00 season.

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), and bettered last year''s conference mark with Saturday''s win at Northern Arizona.

Jenkins, who has led the Hornets to the Big Sky Tournament for three-consecutive seasons, has a 50-87 record during his tenure as head coach. This year, the Hornets have set the Div. I program record (1991-pres.) for most Big Sky wins (eight) and conference home wins (six) while also tying the Div. I mark for most home victories (10).

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 was a two-time all-conference selection.

In five-plus years at Weber State, head coach Joe Cravens has posted a winning mark each season and has averaged more than 18 wins per game over that span. The Big Sky Coach of the Year in 2002-03, Cravens has led the Wildcats to Big Sky Tournament appearances each year, including the semifinals (2001, 2002, 2004) and a championship in 2003. Cravens was an assistant at Weber State for two years prior to taking the head job in 1999.

A Look at the Hornets'' Last Game

DaShawn Freeman’s three-pointer with 1.7 seconds remaining gave Sacramento State a dramatic 87-86 victory over Northern Arizona last Saturday at the Walkup Skydome.

The victory was just the second on the road for the Hornets this season as the team would have travelled to Weber State for the Big Sky Tournament quarterfinals had it lost to the Lumberjacks. The win was the Hornets'' third straight in Flagstaff, Ariz.

A pair of free throws by DeJuan Stevens gave NAU an 84-81 lead with 1:36 left in the game. Sacramento State quickly responded as Jameel Pugh’s sixth three-pointer of the game knotted the score at 84-84 with 1:20 left. Both teams then traded possessions without scoring before Stevens struck again with a jumper to give NAU a two-point lead (86-84) with 13 seconds remaining. That set up Freeman who dribbled down the floor and pulled up for the three-pointer which fell in with 1.7 seconds left to deliver the Hornets a huge victory.

Pugh led all players with 24 points as the senior shot 8-of-14 from the field, including 6-of-9 from long range. Junior Jason Harris (22 points, two steals), Freeman (17 points, a career-high 11 assists and three steals) and sophomore Alex Bausley (11 points and three steals) joined Pugh in double figures for the Hornets. Sacramento State, which opened the game on a 10-0 run, shot 44.6 percent (29-65) from the field and a blazing 52.4 percent (11-21) from beyond the three-point arc, including a perfect 2-for-2 from Freeman. Freshman Randy Adams finished with a team-best seven rebounds despite playing just 10 minutes.

Both teams went back and forth with large runs all night. After Sacramento State took a 10-0 lead, the Lumberjacks quickly responded with a 27-9 run to take its largest lead of the game (33-25) with 6:41 left in the first half. Sacramento State, however, bounced right back with a 24-7 run to close the half and enter the break with a nine-point lead (49-40). During that run, Pugh hit back-to-back-to-back three-pointers over a 48-second span.

NAU then held the Hornets scoreless over the opening 5:25 of the second half to reclaim a three-point lead (52-49) with 14:51 left. Sacramento State then used a 13-3 run to take a seven-point lead (62-55) with 12:30 remaining. The Lumberjacks eventually tied the game at 75-75, and neither team led by more than three points for the final 5:14 of the contest.

A Look at the Hornets

Harris Leading The Charge

Junior swingman Jason Harris has made a serious case for Big Sky Newcomer of the Year honors as the first-year player from Chaffey Junior College is third in the league in scoring (17.2 ppg). In addition, he is second in scoring against Big Sky competition (19.4 ppg), and ranks among conference leaders (all games) in scoring, rebounding, steals, offensive rebounds, free throws, free throws attempted and free-throw percentage. That includes second in offensive rebounds (2.35 per game), free throws made (5.69) and free throws attempted (7.77), and third in steals (2.08).

Harris has scored in double figures in 21 of his last 24 games, including a season-high 31 points against Weber State on Jan. 15. The Henderson, Texas, native has led or shared the team lead in scoring 16 times and already has 10 games with at least 20 points. His number of 20-point efforts ties him for the most in Sacramento State Div. I history (Charlo Davis had 10 in 1991-92).

Harris has 202 free-throw attempts this season, shattering the Sacramento State Div. I record of 177, set last year by Joseth Dawson. In addition, he now has 148 free throws made, breaking Dawson''s record of 140. Harris attempted a Div. I (1991-pres.) record 19 free-throws on Feb. 5 against Portland State and is just four free-throw attempts shy of breaking the program record of 205, set by Lynn Livie in 1965-66.

Harris, who missed one game with the flu, currently ranks among the top five players in Sacramento State Div. I history in points (447, 2nd), steals (54, 4th), field goals (137, 5th) and field-goal attempts (328, 5th). His average of 17.2 points per game ranks only below Charlo Davis'' Div. I season record of 18.0 ppg (set in 1991-92).

High-Flying Pugh

On Feb. 11, it was announced that senior Jameel Pugh will represent Sacramento State in ESPN’s 17th-Annual College Slam Dunk and Three-Point Championship. The competition will take place on Thursday, March 31, in St. Louis at a site to be determined. It will be televised that night from 9-11 p.m. EST on ESPN, and will air several additional times throughout the weekend.

Pugh, who is the first Sacramento State player to participate in the annual competition and has been named Big Sky Player of the Week twice this year, is currently averaging 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. The 6-5, 225-pound child development major was named the World’s Best Dunker in 2000 by Slam Magazine. He was also named the 33rd-best dunker of all time by the same publication.

Pugh has put together one of the more impressive nine-game stretches in recent memory. Over his last nine contests, Pugh is averaging 22.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.1 three-pointers and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 47.9 percent (67-140) from the field and 50.0 percent (46-92) from beyond the three-point line. He has seven 20-point games during that stretch after tallying just one 20-point game over his first 15 games of the season. Pugh''s 46 three-pointers over the nine-game stretch comes after converting just 12 three-pointers during his first 15 games of the season. He has at least four three-pointers in eight of the last nine games.

In the Hornets'' win over William Jessup, Pugh scored a Sacramento State Div. I (1991-pres.) single-game record 40 points 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, as his eight three-pointers tied the school record. He also set the Sacramento State Div. I record for field goals made. His 40 points were the third most in school history and the most by any member of the Big Sky this year.

Pugh has scored in double figures in 14 of his last 16 games, and ranks fifth in the Big Sky in scoring and fourth in scoring against conference competition (17.6 ppg). He has at least 24 points in each of his last four games.

Through his first 15 games of the season, Pugh was shooting just 32.8 percent (58-177) from the field while averaging 10.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. Pugh, who missed three games with a stress fracture in his foot, has dramatically improved those numbers during the eight-game stretch.

Home Sweet Home

As much as the Hornets have struggled on the road this year (2-12), the team has more than held up its end of the bargain at home. Sacramento State finished the regular season with a Div. I program record-tying 10 wins (10-3), including victories in nine of its last 10 games on the home floor. The Hornets had won a program-record eight-straight Big Sky home games dating back to last season prior to losing to Portland State, 71-66, on Feb. 5.

Dating back to last season, the Hornets are 20-7 at home compared to 5-23 on the road. Below is a breakdown of Sacramento State''s home-road disparity this year, including the team averaging 10.8 more points at the Hornets Nest compared to the road (74.6-63.8).

Home Away

Points Per Game 74.6 63.8

Points Allowed Per Game 69.3 76.1

Field-Goal Percentage .413 .363

Three-Point Percentage .364 .303

Free Throw Attempts 25.2 20.2

Rebounds Per Game 37.4 34.1

Turnovers 14.4 16.1

Forced Turnovers 19.2 17.7

Assists Per Game 14.5 9.6

Steals Per Game 11.3 8.7

Blocked Shots Per Game 3.7 2.5

Fouls Per Game 19.9 25.2

Good Bye Shooting Slumps

Through the first 15 games of the season, it appeared Sacramento State would never find its shooting touch. In fact, the Hornets were shooting just 35.7 percent from the field, 28.8 percent from behind the three-point line and 63.4 percent from the free-throw line during that 15-game stretch which saw the team go 4-11.

However, the Hornets have been a much different squad over the last 12 games, shooting at least 40.0 percent from the field nine times after doing so just four times through the first 15 games. During the last 12 games, the team is shooting 42.3 percent (310-732) from the floor, 38.2 percent (105-275) from the three-point line and 72.1 percent (212-294) from the charity stripe. Not coincidentally, the team is 8-4 over the 12-game stretch, a marked improvement over the team''s 4-11 record through the first 15 contests.

Nail Biter Frenzy

Sacramento State has continually shown a knack for playing in close contests. In fact, 12 of the Hornets'' games this year have been decided by five points or less. The Hornets are 7-5 in those situations, with five of the victories (5-1) coming at home.

Of Sacramento State''s 14 Big Sky games, 11 were decided by six points or less with the Hornets winning seven of those games. Each of the team''s last five games have been decided by three points or less, including victories in each of its last four games against Idaho State (99-97 in overtime), Montana (83-80), Montana State (70-68) and Northern Arizona (87-86).

M.V.-Free

Fresh off his three-pointer at the end of the Hornets'' victory over NAU, junior point guard DaShawn Freeman continues to cement himself as one of the Hornets'' most valuable players this year. Freeman, who is nearly healed from a two-month bout with a hamstring injury, is averaging 14.5 points, 6.0 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game over his last eight contests.

That includes a career-high 27-point night against Northern Arizona and his performance against Montana in which he missed a triple-double by one assist (25 points, nine assists and a career-high 10 steals). His 10 steals were the most in single-game program history and tied for the second-best mark in Big Sky history. In the Hornets'' win over Montana State two days later (Feb. 19), Freeman stole the ball from Nick Dissly with four seconds remaining to preserve the Hornets'' victory. Then came last Saturday''s game against Northern Arizona where Freeman hit a deep three-pointer with 1.7 seconds remaining to give Sacramento State a one-point victory.

Playing the best basketball of his Hornet career, the 5-11, 170-pound point guard is averaging career highs in points (9.9 per game), rebounds (3.3), assists (4.9), steals (2.9), three-pointers (25), free throws (85) and free throws attempted (107).

He currently ranks among the top four Big Sky leaders in four different categories (all games). That includes first in steals (and eighth in the nation), second in assists, third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.55), and fourth in free-throw percentage (.794).

Earlier this year, Freeman became the Sacramento State Div. I (1991-pres.) career leader in assists (330) and steals (197). 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). His 132 assists is just eight shy of the Sacramento State Div. I season record of 140, set by two players.

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 10.00 per game this year. A total of four Hornets currently rank among the top 10 Big Sky leaders in steals, including Freeman, Jason Harris (third with 2.08 per game), Jameel Pugh (eighth with 1.29) and Alex Bausley (10th with 1.26).

Hornet Notables

The Hornets are 6-0 when scoring at least 80 points...sophomore Alex Bausley leads the team with four double-doubles...the Hornets are 11-7 in their last 18 games after beginning the year 1-8.

A Look at The First Meeting

Jason Harris scored a career-high 31 points and the Hornets committed just six turnovers on the way to a 78-72 victory over Weber State on Jan. 15 at the Hornets Nest.

Harris, who went 10-of-16 from the field, 4-of-6 from beyond the three-point line and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, also added nine rebounds and three steals. He had five of his points (including a crucial three-point play with 1:40 to play) and two rebounds during the final two minutes of the game to help the Hornets ice the victory.

Weber State got 16 points and 21 rebounds from senior Lance Allred, and 23 points and 15 rebounds from Coric Riggs.

Weber State dominated the glass as the Wildcats outrebounded the Hornets, 50-30, including 19 offensive rebounds (eight from Allred and seven from Riggs). Sacramento State compensated for the rebounding disparity by forcing the Wildcats into 18 turnovers while committing just six of its own (including two in the second half). Moreover, the Hornets shot 80.0 percent (16-20) from the free-throw line while also tallying 16 assists to go along with 11 steals and five blocked shots. The six turnovers were the fewest in a game since the Hornets had five against Portland State on Feb. 6, 1997.

A Look at The Second Meeting

Weber State''s Coric Riggs stole the ball from Sacramento State''s Jason Harris with 2.5 seconds to play and raced three quarters of the court to score as time expired, giving the Wildcats a 57-55 victory over the Hornets in Ogden on Feb. 10.

Riggs’ shot sparked controversy as Sacramento State protested that the shot came after the buzzer had sounded. Referees Sam Gibson, Chris Rastatter and Gregg Morstein ran off the floor at the conclusion of the game as the Hornets argued the call.

A basket by Sacramento State''s Alex Bausley put the Hornets up 55-53 with 32 seconds to play. After a timeout by Weber State, the Hornets’ DaShawn Freeman fouled Brett Cox, who went to the free-throw line and drained both foul shots. Sacramento State then took possession of the ball with 14 seconds left before Harris turned the ball over on a behind-the-back dribble with 2.5 seconds to play.

No team led by more than five points during a game which featured nine lead changes. Sacramento State, which shot 42.6 percent (20-47) from the floor, had three players score in double figures comprised of Harris (11 points), Bausley (11 points) and Freeman (10 points, seven rebounds and six assists). The Hornets took their first lead of the second half at one point (42-41) after Freeman knocked down a pair of free throws with 8:38 left on the clock.

No team led by more than three points during the final 6:47 of the contest as Weber State finished the game shooting 45.0 percent (18-40) from the floor and outrebounded the Hornets, 31-27. The Wildcats were led by Lance Allred''s 24 points and 14 rebounds, while Riggs added 17 points.