SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Justin Strings scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds as Sacramento State beat NAIA University of California Merced 81-54 on Saturday night.

Strings was 8 of 14 from the field and 6 of 10 from the line for the Hornets (2-6). Eric Stuteville added 15 points and five rebounds, Nick Hornsby had 13 points and a team-high 15 rebounds, and Marcus Graves added 12 points and 10 assists. The team averaged 61 percent shooting from the field, 42.3 percent from the line and had a 51-17 rebounding edge over California Merced.

A Stuteville dunk that gave Sacramento a 27-15 lead with 6:31 to go in the first period sparked a flurry from both teams and the Hornets emerged with a 43-29 advantage at the break. They led by double figures throughout the second period.

Cole Taira scored 15 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field including three 3-pointers for the Bobcats.

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