SHORT-HANDED MEN’S BASKETBALL LEADS FOR OVER 20 MINUTES BEFORE FALLING AT WASHINGTON STATE

11/17/2011

True freshman Dylan Garrity had 12 assists tonight, and now has 25 assists and just four turnovers this year

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Playing without three players because of injury, Sacramento State never trailed in the first half and led for parts of the second half before falling at Washington State, 79-68, in a non-conference men’s basketball game Thursday evening at Friel Court.

The Hornets used an eight-man rotation throughout the game, and built leads of 7-0, 25-12, and 29-16 during the first half. Neither team had a lead larger than four points the first 9:28 of the second half before a layup from Faisal Aden gave Washington State their largest lead - at the time - of five points with 10:32 remaining. The Cougars led the rest of the way as the Hornets were down just six points with 4:37 remaining before a DaVonte Lacy three-pointer put WSU up nine points.

Playing without the services of center Konner Veteto (knee), and shooting guards Jackson Carbajal (knee) and Jordan Estrada (hip), the Hornets shot 48.2 percent (27-56) from the field and outrebounded (34-31) a Washington State squad that is now 41-0 all-time at Friel Court during the month of November. Sacramento State, which led at halftime, 39-36, also shot 37.5 percent (6-16) from the three-point line and had 15 assists on the team’s 27 made field goals.

In the end, however, the Hornets could not overcome a large foul disparity that saw the team whistled for 12 more fouls than the Cougars (25-13). Consequently, Washington State went to the foul line 32 times compared to just 12 attempts for Sacramento State. The Cougars went 19-of-32 (.594)  from the charity stripe while the Hornets finished 8-of-12 (.667). The Hornets were in the bonus for only two minutes and 52 seconds of game clock while the Cougars were in the bonus the final 13:22 of the first half, and the final 11:02 of the second half (combined 24 minutes and 24 seconds).

After a dunk from Hornet senior center Josh McCarver tied the game at 51-51 with 12:13 remaining in the game, Washington State used an 8-0 run to take a 59-51 lead with 8:37 left to play. The Hornets would close to within six points on three occasions later in the second half, but got no closer the rest of the way.

With the victory, Washington State (1-1) won its 22nd consecutive Friel Court opener and defeated the Hornets for the third time in four years. Sacramento State dropped to 2-1 with the loss.

For the Hornets, senior John Dickson had a team-high 21 points (9-of-18 shooting) go to along with six rebounds and two blocks in 33 minutes. Sixteen of those points came in the first half, including back-to-back jumpers that gave the Hornets a 16-5 lead with 13:58 left in the first half. He finished one point shy of his career high.

Newcomers Joe Eberhard and Dylan Garrity impressed again as the pair combined to play all but three minutes in tonight’s game. Garrity, who has started all three games at point guard as a true freshman, finished with five points, two steals and a game-high 12 assists with just three turnovers in 39 minutes. In fact, he had seven more assists than any other player on the floor, and now has a ridiculous 25 assists with just four turnovers this season.

Eberhard, who was named last week’s Big Sky Conference Player of the Week, continued his strong play as the swingman finished with 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds in 38 minutes. He went 6-of-13 from the field and four of his 12 rebounds came on the offensive glass. McCarver added a career-high 10 points (4-of-4 shooting from the field, 2-of-2 from the line) and is now 10-for-11 from the field this year. Senior Heath Hoffman had nine points and a pair of three-pointers.

For Washington State, Brock Motum had 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting to go along with eight rebounds. Aden finished with 18 points and a game-high five steals, and Lacy finished with 15 points, five assists and two steals. The Cougars finished the game shooting 50.9 percent (27-53) from the field while tallying 10 steals and turning the ball over just 13 times.

The Hornets return to action for the basketball version of the Causeway Classic at UC Davis on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Tipoff is 7:05 p.m.