Patton’s 23 points carries Sacramento St. past N. Arizona

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Joshua Patton scored 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting and Sacramento State beat Northern Arizona 64-57 on Thursday.

Sacramento State (9-4, 2-2 Big Sky) turned a 14-11 advantage into a 30-15 lead over seven minutes in the first half. The Hornets led 41-21 at halftime before the Lumberjacks began to slowly chip away. Cameron Shelton made a pair of foul shots to reduce NAU’s deficit to 55-50 with 5:01 left but it couldn’t closer.

Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’afa had 11 points for Sacramento State, which earned its sixth straight home victory. Ethan Esposito added 10 points. Osi Nwachukwu added five steals and three blocks.

Brooks DeBisschop led Northern Arizaon (7-6, 1-3) with 15 points off the bench. Cameron Satterwhite scored 12 and Shelton 10.

The Lumberjacks have lost four of their last five.