Fresno State, which was already in the bonus at the 11:47 mark of the second half, went on a 21-0 run open the half and take a commanding 44-30 lead with 11:47 to play. A free throw from Jason Harris stopped the run, but Sacramento State would get no closer than 13 points of the Bulldogs’ lead the rest of the night. In fact, Fresno State eventually opened the half on a 29-2 run, and finally outscored the Hornets, 49-24, in the second stanza..

The Hornets played the game short-handed (with just 10 active players, including seven newcomers) as senior swingman Jameel Pugh did not play because of a stress fracture in his right foot. The Sacramento, Calif., native had been one of three Hornets (Jason Harris, Aaron Perry) to start every game this season.

With the victory, Fresno State begins the year with a 6-0 record, its best start since the 1980-81 season. In addition, the Bulldogs improved to 38-10 all-time against Sacramento State and have won each of the last 22 meetings between the two teams. With the loss, the Hornets dropped their fifth-straight game while falling to 1-6.

Al-Sayyad also had 11 rebounds to go along with his 22 points while Donovan Morris (16 points) and Ja’Vance Coleman (14 points) also had double figures for the Bulldogs. Fresno State, which was outrebounded by the Hornets, 47-38 and forced into 21 turnovers, shot a blazing 68.0 percent (17-25) from the field in the second half. The Hornets’ second half disparity continues a season-long trend which has seen the team outscored by an average of 10.4 points in the second stanza of games this season.

Junior Jason Harris (13 points, five rebounds) led Sacramento State in scoring for the fifth-consecutive game as he was the only Hornet in double figures. Freshman Randy Adams played his best game of the season, finishing with six points, three steals and a team-high eight rebounds in just 11 minutes. Senior E.J. Harris added eight points and six rebounds while sophomore Alex Bausley chipped in seven points and six rebounds for the Hornets. Sacramento State finished the game with nine steals, including three from freshman Schuyler McKay, who started for the first time this season in place of Pugh.

In the first half, Sacramento State jumped out to a 7-0 lead as the Bulldogs were held scoreless for the first 4:06 of the game. The Hornets increased their lead to a game-high 12 points on a three-pointer from junior Aaron Perry with 8:43 remaining in the half.

Fresno State, however, responded with a 9-0 run (five of those points scored by Al-Sayyad) to close to within, 21-18, at the 4:07 mark. After a three-point play from Coleman eventually cut the Hornet lead to two points (25-23), Sacramento State closed the half on a 5-0 run, including an acrobatic lay-up from McKay and a three-point play from Jason Harris. The Hornets forced 11 Fresno State first-half turnovers and limited the Bulldogs to a 29.2 percent (7-24) field-goal percentage.

Fresno State went to the free-throw line 32 times, converting on 21 of those opportunities (65.6 percent) while the Hornets went to the line just 16 times (converting 10).

Sacramento State continues its season-long three-game road trip on Saturday, Dec. 17, as the team travels to Saint Mary’s for a 7:05 p.m. tip-off. The Hornets conclude the trip on Dec. 20 at UC Riverside.