SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Sacramento State led for nearly 36 minutes of game clock while receiving 21 points from Marcus Graves, and 18 points and 16 rebounds from Eric Stuteville on the way to a 75-63 win over Idaho State in front of a near sellout crowd at the Nest.

Stuteville was incredible all evening, as his 16 rebounds are a career high and tied for the fourth best single-game mark in Sacramento State's Div. I era (1991-pres.). Eight of those rebounds came on the offensive glass and helped the Hornets to a whopping 18-4 advantage in second chance points. Stuteville also shot 8-for-11 from the field, added two blocks and recorded his second straight double-double and ninth of his career. In fact, in two games this week, the senior big man averaged 20.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game while shooting .708 (17-of-24) from the field.

Graves' 21 points matched a season high as he shot 7-of-14 from the field and 7-for-7 from the free throw line while adding six assists in a game-high 38 minutes. Guard Izayah Mauriohooho-Le'afa added 10 points and two steals, and turned in yet another strong defensive effort. One game after limiting the nation's best 3-point shooter Jeremy Senglin to 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting, the true freshman held Idaho State guard Ethan Telfair to five points on 1-of-9 shooting. Both players average better than 17 points per game in conference play.

Sacramento State led the final 35:21 of the contest and used a 16-6 to run to close the first half and take a 43-31 lead into halftime. The Hornets, who are now 7-3 when leading at intermission, withstood a 14-4 Idaho State run to open the second half that got the Bengals back to within, 47-45, of the Hornets' lead with 14:16 left.

However, that was as close as Idaho State would get the rest of the way as Sacramento State broke open a close game by finishing the final 4:02 on a 14-6 run. The Hornets scored on seven of their final eight possessions of the game, and saw Stuteville score eight of Sacramento State's 14 points during the game-ending spurt. That included a fadeaway 12-footer from the baseline with an expiring shot clock that proved to be the dagger with a minute to play.

With the victory, Sacramento State won its fourth straight home game while improving to 9-14 overall and 6-6 in the Big Sky. The Hornets jumped past Portland State in conference standings and now sit all alone in seventh place in the 12-team league. With just six games left in the regular season (four on the road), Sacramento State still has a shot of securing one of the top five seeds for the Big Sky Tournament in Reno on March 7-11. The Hornets are 1.5 games back of fifth place, and the top five seeds receive a first round bye in the postseason tournament.

Idaho State, which had won two of its last three games, dropped to 6-19 overall and 3-9 in the conference. The Hornets are now 19-28 all-time against Idaho State, including an 11-12 mark when playing the Bengals on the home floor.

The Hornets had six players finish with at least six points in tonight's game, including Justin Strings (10 points, seven rebounds), Trevis Jackson (seven points, two assists) and Nick Hornsby (six points, six rebounds, two steals). Sacramento State received 65 points from its five starters, and finished the game shooting .468 (29-62) from the field and .765 (13-17) from the free throw line. The Hornets held a commanding 38-25 edge in the rebounding department, and exactly 19 of those 38 boards came on the offensive glass. Sacramento State also scored 16 points off 12 ISU turnovers, and the Hornets benefitted from an 8-for-17 Idaho State performance from the free throw line.

"Obviously, the rebounding disparity, especially the 19 offensive boards, were huge," Sacramento State head coach Brian Katz said. "I thought, collectively, our guys defended well, especially when we had some trouble scoring the ball during the first part of the second half.

"Eric (Stuteville) has shown continual progression all year, and he just keeps getting better each game. The offensive rebounds numbers of late are incredible, and he is really coming into his own."

The Bengals finished the game shooting .510 (25-49) from the field, but made four less field goals and five less free throws than Sacramento State. Idaho State saw three players finish in double figures, including center Novak Topalovic who had 17 points and 12 rebounds. Brandon Boyd added 15 points and Robert Jones had 13 points.

Sacramento State returns to action next week when it travels to the Montana schools. The Hornets will play at Montana on Thursday at 6:05 p.m. PST, and at Montana State on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. PST. Sacramento State played both teams at home earlier this season, beating Montana, 92-83, and losing to Montana State, 74-65.