EBERHARD’S GAME-WINNING THREE BALL CONCLUDES MEN’S BASKETBALL SEASON ON A WINNING NOTE

2/25/2012

Joe Eberhard, who sank the game-winning three-pointer, also finished the year with a .458 three-point field goal percentage, the second best mark in school single-season history

POCATELLO, Idaho -- Junior Joe Eberhard’s three-pointer with 1.3 seconds remaining capped a 17-10 Hornet run over the final six minutes to lift Sacramento State to a 70-67 victory over Idaho State in a Big Sky Conference men’s basketball game Saturday evening at Reed Gym.

The game marked the season finale for Sacramento State (10-18, 5-11) as the team went out on a winning note. In fact, the win allowed the Hornets to increase their conference win total for a third straight season, post double figures in overall wins for the first time since 2006-07, and win their most road games (4) since the 2005-06 season. In addition, after going 0-8 during the first half of league play, Sacramento State posted a 5-3 record during the second half.

Sacramento State trailed the entire first half and didn’t take its first lead of the evening until an Eberhard layup gave the Hornets a 59-57 lead with 4:42 remaining. That was the third made bucket of a 17-10 run that would see five different Hornets score points during the spurt, including seven from Eberhard.

After Eberhard’s layup, Heath Hoffman and John Dickson scored on consecutive possessions to push the Hornet lead to six points (63-57) with 3:23 remaining. Idaho State’s Kenny McGowen immediately responded with five unanswered points to cut the Hornet lead to one point, and both teams went back and forth over the final two minutes until a Melvin Morgan jumper with eight seconds remaining tied the score at 67-67.

On the Hornets’ last possession, Sacramento State freshman point guard Dylan Garrity drove the length of the floor and pulled up at the three-point line before whipping a pass to Eberhard in the corner. Eberhard’s attempt hit the bottom of the net with 1.3 seconds left and gave the Hornets a nice win to finish the season.

Sacramento State shot 48.2 percent (27-56) from the field, 44.4 percent (4-9) from the three-point line and made 12 of its 18 free throw attempts. The team also outscored the Bengals in points off the bench by a 21-0 margin, and held a commanding 39-28 edge in the rebounding department. In fact, Idaho State (9-19, 7-8) was limited to just three second-chance points the entire evening.

Idaho State shot 42.1 percent (24-57) from the field and 31.8 percent (7-22) from the three-point line. After trailing by six points at halftime, Sacramento State outscored Idaho State in the second half, 43-34. That included shooting a robust 60.0 percent (18-30) from the field in the second half.

Eberhard led a quartet of Hornets in double figures as he finished with 16 points and five rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. Jackson Carbajal (13 points, two steals), Hoffman (15 points, career-high nine rebounds) and Dickson (10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks) also scored in double figures.

For Idaho State, McGowen finished with 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 6-of-12 from the three-point line. Andre Hatchett had 13 points, and Abner Moreira added nine points and nine rebounds.

NOTES -- Amazingly, Sacramento State was credited with just seven assists despite the team converting on 27 field goals…Garrity was credited with just two assists, but still averaged 6.9 for the season which ties a school single-season record…Dickson (12.4 ppg), Eberhard (11.1 ppg) and Carbajal (11.1 ppg) all finished the season averaging double figures in points…Dickson now has 942 career points, and will enter his senior season in 2012-13 needing just 58 points to become the 10th player in school history to amass 1,000 career points…center Josh McCarver finished his career with a .609 field goal percentage, which is the top career mark in school history..tonight marked the final games in the Sacramento State careers of Hoffman and McCarver…Eberhard finished the year shooting .458 from the three-point line (44-for-96), which is the second best single-season mark in school history…Carbajal finished the season scoring in double figures in six straight and nine of his last 10 games.