Sac State drops crusher to Big Sky’s top team in front of loud Hornets home crowd
The Sacramento State Hornets capped their longest home stand of the season with a 74-73 loss to Portland State on Saturday night, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort or fan energy as another overflow crowd of just over 3,100 at the Pavilion roared their approval.
A lack of height and bulk inside?
To be sure, those were major factors as the tallest and thickest team in the Big Sky Conference in the first-place Vikings towered over the Hornets and dominated the paint and the rebounds. Sac State’s best player, 6-foot-11 Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry has been out for all but the six first games of this season, and it’s been a struggle ever since to match up inside against the behemoths of the Big Sky.
Still, Sac State came into Saturday having won nine of 10 games at Hornet Pavilion, where the sparkling venue has a sign above one of the entrances that reads, “Our hive, our home.” Sac State had a 5-0 home record in the Big Sky coming into Saturday before the Vikings of Oregon halted the Hornets’ seven-game home streak.
Portland State (16-6, 10-1) rolled Sac State by 27 in the team’s first meeting last month, but the rematch was a fight to the finish, including 26 lead changes.
Sac State (9-14, 5-6) had the ball and the final shot, but Jahni Summers’ drive down the lane was blocked. The Vikings outrebounded Sac State 44-30, with 6-foot-10 banger Tre-Vaughn Minott snagging 13 boards to go with 12 points; 6-8, 250-pound forward Terri Miller Jr. muscling for 20 points and five rebounds; and 6-8 forward Keyon Kensie Jr. scoring 12 with 13 rebounds.
Sac State guards Prophet Johnson and Mikey Williams were exceptional in scoring 28 and 22 points, respectively. But Johnson missed the final minutes of the game with a lower leg cramp.
Hornets coach Mike Bibby said he was pleased with the performance of his gritty Hornets and said the loss is on him and not his team.
“It’s tough to beat us at home, especially with the crowd into it,” Williams said.
Said Bibby, “We played tough, but I take the blame for this one. I should have had the ball in Mikey’s hands at the end to see what he can do. I should have called time out, and it makes me sick. That’s a game that we definitely should have won. Could have won. Came so close.”
Bibby praised Portland State for its team and effort, and he was sure to shake every one of the Vikings hands after it was over, including the coaches.
There was a moment in the first half where things got chippy and coaches glared at each other as referees sorted things out. With 3:22 left in the half and Sac State leading 27-26, the head coaches for both teams were assessed offsetting technical fouls, leading one referee to tell Bibby and his team, “This is your official warning. That’s it!”
The rest of the half and the game went without incident.
Now the Hornets hit the road, desperate for a victory away from the comforts of home. Sac State is 0-12 on the road.
“We’ve got to play the same way on the road that we do here,” Bibby said. “I think going on the road now, you’ll see a different team.”
Sac State plays at Northern Colorado on Feb. 12 and at Northern Arizona on Feb. 14 before returning to the Pavilion to host Eastern Washington on Feb. 19 and Idaho on Feb. 21.