BOZEMAN, Mont. — In a defensive struggle where both teams shot below 40 percent from the field, it was Montana State that outlasted Sacramento State, 62-59, on Saturday afternoon at Worthington Arena.

The Hornets, who trailed, 54-44, with 5:24 remaining, cut that deficit all the way to three points with 37 seconds left. After forcing an MSU shot clock violation, Sacramento State took over the ball with 7.5 seconds left. Marcus Graves quickly dribbled up the floor and whipped a pass in the corner to true freshman Matt Battaglia. However, Battaglia's shot, which had the perfect distance, hit the front rim and bounced off with a second remaining. The Hornets' Trevis Jackson grabbed the offensive board and raced to the opposite corner for an off-balance 3-ball that hit nothing but net. But, unfortunately for Sacramento State, Jackson's shot clearly came after the final buzzer had sounded and Montana State walked away with the victory.

The Bobcats led for over 31 minutes of game clock, including the entire second half and the final 26:18. Sacramento State endured long scoring droughts in both halves, and at one point in the first half, went through a stretch of 13 misses in 14 field goal attempts.

After a Quinton Everett jumper gave Montana State a game-high 10-point lead (54-44), the Hornets closed the final 5:11 on a 15-8 run. Sparking the run was junior forward Justin Strings who scored 11 points during the spurt, including three 3-pointers (5:11, 4:15, and 0:56). Prior to the run, the Hornets' leading scorer had just two points, but made up for it late, including a runner with 37 seconds left that drew Sacramento State to within, 62-59. However, that was as close as the Hornets would get.

The Hornets led by as many as three points during the opening seven minutes and trailed just 28-25 at halftime despite shooting 30 percent (10-of-33) from the field. Sacramento State got better in the second half (48%), and finished the game shooting .391 (25-64) from the field, .278 (5-18) from the 3-point line and .444 (4-9) from the free throw line. The charity stripe continues to be a disaster area for the Hornets as the team is shooting 51% (19-37) from the line over the last two games and just 64% for the season.

With the loss, Sacramento State had its three-game winning streak snapped while falling to 10-15 overall and 7-7 in the Big Sky Conference. The Hornets had been 4-0 in games decided by three points or less prior to today's loss. That included a 67-65 victory at Montana on Thursday night that began the team's brief road trip.

With just four games left in the regular season, Sacramento State will remain in seventh place in the 12-team Big Sky standings. The top five teams at the end of the regular season receive a first round bye in the Big Sky Tournament in Reno on March 7-11.

Montana State, which won its third straight and eight of the last 10, improved to 14-14 overall and 9-6 in league. Coupled with the Bobcats' 74-65 victory over the Hornets earlier this season at the Nest, Montana State swept the regular season series over Sacramento State for the second straight year. However, the Hornets did beat the Bobcats in the first round of last year's Big Sky Tournament.

The Bobcats didn't shoot particularly well, finishing 36% (20-56) from the field and 28 percent (7-25) from distance, but were very proficient from the free throw line (88%, 15-of-17). That big edge in made free throws (15-4) had a major role in determining today's outcome. Sacramento State held advantages in the rebounding department (41-35), points in the paint (30-20) and second chance points (15-7). Both teams turned the ball over just seven times and the game featured a combined five steals. One game after getting zero points from its bench, Sacramento State's reserves combined for four points today.

Leading the way for the Hornets was senior center Eric Stuteville, who finished with 15 points (6-of-11 shooting), 12 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. The double-double for Stuteville was his sixth of the season and 10th of his career. The 10 career double-doubles are the second best mark in Sacramento State's Div. I era (1991-pres.).

Joining Stuteville in double figures was Srings (13 points, nine rebounds) and guard Marcus Graves (11 points, three assists). All 13 of Strings' points came in the second half as the junior shot 0-for-5 in the first half. Nick Hornsby added eight points and seven rebounds, and has now pulled at least six boards in 12 straight games. Guard Izayah Mauriohooho-Le'afa had eight points, three rebounds and three assists without a turnover. The true freshman has just one turnover in his last 152 minutes played. Both Jiday Ugbaja and Chibueze Jacobs had two points, and Jackson finished with three rebounds.

Montana State's Tyler Hall, who entered the game averaging 22.9 points per game, finished with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, 4-for-8 from the 3-point line and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Sam Neumann added a career-high 17 points to go along with 10 rebounds and Zach Green had nine points and five boards.

The Hornets' final two home games will come next week against Northern Arizona on Thursday and Southern Utah on Saturday. Both games will tip at 7:05 p.m. Prior to Saturday's game, Hornet seniors Stuteville, Hornsby and Jackson, who are this year's team tri-captains, will be honored for their contributions to the program.