Big Sky foes will battle when the Sacramento State Hornets (12-16) play the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (5-23) at Hornet Gym. Action begins at 10:05 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 5.
The Hornets were victorious over Southern Utah 69-63 on Thursday. Nick Hornsby led all scorers on the team with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting. The Lumberjacks are coming off an 89-81 loss at the hands of Portland State on Thursday. Kris Yanku led the game in scoring with 32 points.
Justin Strings has been playing at a high level recently for the Hornets, averaging 18.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 2.8 three-pointers over the last five games. The Lumberjacks also have their own player combo that has been hot in that same time frame. Yanku has averaged 17.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.2 three-pointers, while Ako Kaluna has put up 18.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 1.4 three-pointers.
The Hornets come into this game 12-16 Straight Up (SU) and 12-12 Against The Spread (ATS). Sacramento State’s defense has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game rose to 80.7 during that span, compared to its 72.9 season average. The Hornets have really locked down opponents on the defensive end, ranking 49th in the country with a .432 opponent field-goal percentage.
As for their opponent, the Lumberjacks have 5-23 SU and 8-15 ATS records. The last 10 games have really brought out the best of the Lumberjacks on the defensive end. They’ve allowed 75.1 points per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 82.1.
These conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Northern Arizona won the last game in the matchup, bumping its SU record over their most recent meetings to 7-3. Furthermore, with a 7-3 record, Northern Arizona has the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers, neither team was able to hold the advantage in all three of these categories over their past five meetings against one another.
Predictions: SU Winner – Sac, ATS Winner – Sac
Notes
The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks have a defensive rating of 113.7 (ranked 99th), while the Sacramento State Hornets have an offensive rating of 104.2 (ranked 208th).
The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks average 72.0 possessions per game and .967 points per possession. The Sacramento State Hornets earn fewer possessions with 69.0, but they score more points with 1.042.
The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks average an effective field goal percentage of 46.8% this season. The Sacramento State Hornets have a poor record of 5-11 when opponents have an eFG% of 46.8% or greater.
On average, Sacramento State attempts 19.0 three pointers and Northern Arizona attempts 21.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, both have losing records. The Sacramento State Hornets are 6-10 while the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks are 3-12.
The Sacramento State Hornets average 5.9 steals per game. When giving up 5 or more steals, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks have an underachieving record (2-16) this season.
