CEDAR CITY, Utah – Despite an off shooting night Sacramento State made enough baskets and free throws down the stretch to erase a halftime deficit and hang on for an 82-72 win on Wednesday night at Southern Utah.

With the win Sacramento State (12-16, 9-8 Big Sky) clinched at least the No. 7 seed for the Big Sky Tournament. Sacramento State will play at either 5:30 pm (as the 7 seed) or 8:00 pm (as the 6 seed) to open play at the Big Sky Tournament on Monday in Reno.

The Hornets could still finish as the sixth seed with a win over Northern Arizona AND a loss by Weber State against Eastern Washington on Friday. The Hornets will play either the 10 or 11 seed in the first round of the tournament and potentially could face Southern Utah (3-24, 1-16 Big Sky) again on Monday.

The Hornets shot just 33.8% overall and 27.7% from 3-point range but hit 13 3-pointers and shot 17-of-22 at the free throw line. Sacramento State also limited Southern Utah to just 38.9% shooting and the Thunderbirds made only four 3-pointers.

There were six ties and six lead changes in the first half. The Hornets shot just 26% in the second quarter but led 37-42 with three minutes remaining. Southern Utah ended the half on an 8-0 run to pull ahead 45-42 at the break.

The Hornets pulled even and the game was level at 50-50 with four and a half minutes to play in the third quarter before an 11-6 run gave the visitors a 61-56 lead going to the fourth. In the final quarter Sacramento State shot 45.5% overall and was 9-of-12 at the free throw line, leading by at least seven points for the duration.

Senior Adella Randle-El led the Hornets with 25 points and nine rebounds, recording her seventh consecutive double-digit scoring game and her eighth 20-point game of the season. Junior Gretchen Harrigan poured in 17 points, eight rebounds, and a team-high three steals, shooting a perfect 7-of-7 at the line, and sophomore Taylor Brown contributed 12 points.

Randle-El, Harrigan, and Brown accounted for all 21 of Sacramento State's points in the fourth quarter. Brown and sophomore Maranne Johnson each hit three 3-pointers in the game as the Hornets forced 24 turnovers to outscore the T-Birds 22-13 in points off turnovers.

Southern Utah had a 52-42 overall rebounding edge and a 17-7 advantage in second chance points with 18 offensive boards. SUU shot 19-of-37 (51.4%) in the first half but just 9-of-35 (25.7%) in the second half. Jessica Richardson led the Thunderbirds with 16 points and six rebounds.

The Hornets close the regular season at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks are 6-22 overall and 2-15 in Big Sky play and have lost eight straight games and 13 of their last 14 contests.