MEN’S BASKETBALL NEARLY OVERCOMES 21-POINT DEFICIT IN 63-60 LOSS AT CSU BAKERSFIELD

12/7/2011

Junior John Dickson led all players in tonight's game with 19 points, 17 of which came in the second half

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Sacramento State nearly clawed all the way back from a 21-point second-half deficit and had a chance to tie as the final horn sounded, but the Hornets had to settle for a 63-60 loss to CSU Bakersfield in a non-conference men’s basketball game Wednesday evening at the Icardo Center.

Not only did the Hornets nearly erase a 21-point deficit, the team nearly tied the game after trailing by six points with five seconds to play. Sacramento State freshman point guard Dylan Garrity was fouled while attempting a three-pointer with five seconds to play and promptly knocked down all three of his free throws. The Hornets then forced a Roadrunner turnover on the inbounds, and after a timeout, drew up a play for Garrity who hit front iron on a contested three-point attempt as the final buzzer sounded.

The Roadrunners held a 33-17 halftime advantage and began the second half on a 5-0 run as a three-pointer from Zach Lamb gave CSUB a game-high 21-point lead with 18:36 remaining. Sacramento State’s Heath Hoffman buried a three-pointer on the next possession which was the first points of a 43-25 Hornet run over the final 18:20 of the contest to nearly pull out what could have been the program’s biggest comeback win in the school’s Div. I history (1991-pres.).

Sparking the run was the combination of Hoffman (11) and junior forward John Dickson (17) who combined to score 28 of the team’s 43 points during the spurt. Sacramento State cut the lead to four points at the 3:37 and 2:09 marks, but could not get a stop on Bakersfield’s next possession on each of those occasions. After a Hoffman layup cut the lead to 54-50 with 2:09 remaining, Bakersfield answered with a layup from Issiah Grayson and made free throws on subsequent possessions to work its lead back to nine points (61-52) with 29 seconds left.

However, the Hornets’ Jordan Estrada answered with a three-pointer to cut the lead to six, and after Grayson made 1-of-2 at the line, Hoffman converted on a layup to slice the deficit to five points (62-57) with 14 seconds left. Again Grayson went 1-of-2 at the line with 11 seconds left to make the score 63-57, before Garrity was eventually fouled and made his three free throws to provide what turned out to be the game’s final points.

Tonight followed a similar pattern to last year’s game between the two schools as CSU Bakersfield overcome a five-point deficit with 13 seconds to play before beating the Hornets in overtime in Sacramento.

With the loss, Sacramento State (3-5) dropped its fourth straight game. Tonight also marked the end of a season-long three-game road trip and a stretch that saw the Hornets play five of six games on the road. The team will finally return home on Saturday, Dec. 10, to host Cal Maritime at 2:05 p.m.

The Roadrunners, who were playing just their second home game of the season, improved to 5-2 with the victory.

After scoring just 17 points and shooting 25.0 percent from the field in the first half, Sacramento State shot 46.2 percent in the second half and finished the game at 36.0 percent (18-50) from the floor, 25.0 percent (5-20) from the three-point line and 70.4 percent (19-27) from the free throw stripe. CSU Bakersfield finished the game shooting 36.8 percent (21-57) from the field and 32.0 percent (8-25) from beyond the arc. The Roadrunners began the game by converting on four of their first five three-point attempts before going 4-of-20 from distance over the game’s final 32:14.

Bakersfield held a 43-35 advantage in the rebounding department and had 18 assists on its 21 made field goals. Both teams were forced into 15 turnovers, as Dickson finished with a game-high four of the Hornets’ eight steals.

Dickson led all players with 19 points as the forward finished 6-of-12 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. He was joined in double figures by Hoffman who posted 11 points and a team-best seven rebounds. Hoffman, who made another three-pointer and is now shooting 56.3 percent (9-16) from distance this season, has led the Hornets in rebounds in back-to-back games. Estrada added nine points and buried three three-pointers while center Konner Veteto had seven points and four rebounds, and Garrity finished with seven points and team highs in assists (5) and minutes (38). Junior swingman Joe Eberhard, who entered the game as the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, had five points and four rebounds before fouling out with 5:10 to play.

For Bakersfield, Tyrone White had 12 points (4-of-7 from three-point land), Lamb added 11 points (2-of-5 from distance), Grayson posted seven points and a game-high nine assists, and Rashad Savage recorded seven points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Five of Savage’s 14 boards came on the offensive glass which helped CSUB finish with 11 second-chance points. Donald Johnson added nine points and eight rebounds.

The Hornets’ game on Saturday against Cal Maritime will begin a season-high tying three-game homestand which also features contests against North Dakota (Dec. 18) and Southeast Missouri (Dec. 22).