SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ For the second consecutive game, the University of Central Arkansas Bears spotted an opponent a big first-half lead, one they could not overcome, in dropping a 75-54 decision to Sacramento State on Sunday afternoon at The Nest.

The Bears (0-2) fell behind by 17 points at halftime after the Hornets used a 10-0 run midway through the first half. They shot 56.7 percent from the field and made 5 of 9 from the three-point line in the opening 20 minutes. UCA hit only 38.5 percent from the field and made just 1 of 6 from beyond the arc.

“It’s been the same story for us the past two games,’ said UCA head coach Corliss Williamson. “Our first-half performances have not been there, we have not come out ready to play the game like we should.

“We wait until we get down to compete, and you can’t do that on the road. We wait until we get down to play with the kind of energy we need and the kind we should start the game off with. We have to go out and find a way to put forth that effort at the beginning of every game, not wait until we get down.’

The Hornets (2-0), who made only 2 of 14 from three-point range in their opening victory on Friday, hit 6 of 14 (43 percent) against the Bears. Sacramento State shot 51.7 percent from the field for the game and placed three players in double figures. John Dickson and Konnor Veteto had 16 points each and Joe Eberhard added 12.

As they were against Stanford on Friday, the Bears were competitive in the second half, playing within four points (35-31) of the home team. UCA got 11 points apiece from junior center Terry Tidwell and junior guard Robert Crawford. Tidwell added a team-high 7 rebounds and senior guard Dewan Clayborn had a team-high 5 assists.

The Bears return from their two-game west coast road trip on Wednesday for their home opener against Philander Smith. Tipoff is 7 p.m. at the Farris Center. UCA is home for three consecutive games.