MOSCOW, Idaho -- Idaho made its first nine, and 12 of its first 13 shots from the field, and never trailed on the way to an 81-67 victory over Sacramento State in a Big Sky Conference men's basketball game on Saturday evening at Cowan Spectrum.

The Vandals' first five buckets of the game came on layups, and by the time Idaho's run of nine straight converted field goals came to an end, the Hornets trailed by a 20-6 score during the opening five minutes. Throw in the fact that Sacramento State endured scoring droughts of 5:29 in the first half and 4:20 in the second half, and that's not a solid recipe for victory. However, the Hornets would not go away despite the tough start and the scoring droughts, going on a 15-1 run to close the first half and trail at halftime by just five points (38-33. The Hornets then opened the second half on a 4-0 run.

All of that amounted to a 19-1 run spanning both halves to get the Hornets within one point (38-37) of the Vandal lead with 18:39 to play, but that was as close as Sacramento State would come. The two teams exchanged buckets the next couple possessions, but the Hornets could never quite get over the hump. With Sacramento State trailing by five points (52-47) and 11:36 remaining, Idaho went a 9-2 run over the next 2:18 to take control of the game and a 61-49 lead. The Hornets would get no closer than seven points of the Vandal lead the rest of the way.

With the loss, Sacramento State concludes its brief road trip with an 0-2 record while falling to 7-14 overall and 4-6 in the Big Sky. With eight games remaining in the regular season, the Hornets sit in a tie for seventh place in the league standings with Portland State. Sacramento State had swept the season series with Idaho last season, but both games were decided by three points or less.

Meanwhile, the Vandals stayed hot, winning their fifth straight home game while improving to 12-10 overall and 7-4 in the Big Sky. Overall, Idaho has won six of its last seven games, and is a double overtime loss to Montana State (Jan. 26) shy of riding a seven-game winning streak. The Vandals jumped to fourth place in league standings.

Sacramento State got a huge performance from senior center Eric Stuteville, who finished with a career-high 24 points in 26 minutes played. The team tri-captain finished the game 10-for-11 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line while also adding four rebounds and one blocked shot. Sixteen of those points came in the second half, and he surpassed his previous career high of 22 points, set earlier this season against Abilene Christian.

The Hornets finished the game shooting .456 (26-57) from the field, .357 (5-14) from the 3-point line and 10-of-16 from the free throw line. Idaho, after its red hot start, shot .537 (29-54) from the floor, .417 (5-12) from beyond the arc and .692 (18-26) from the charity stripe. The Vandals had a 15-7 edge in points off turnovers and 24-15 in points off the bench. Sacramento State, which was outrebounded by a 31-29 margin, did outscore Idaho in second chance points by an 11-4 margin.

Four Sacramento State players scored in double figures, including senior guard Trevis Jackson, who dropped in a career-best 11 points on 3-for-5 shooting from the floor, 3-for-3 from the 3-point line and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. The team tri-captain played 32 minutes while also posting career highs in rebounds (4) and 3-pointers made.

Also in double figures for the Hornets were Justin Strings (16 points, four rebounds) and Marcus Graves (10 points, five assists, two steals). Both players finished the game shooting 5-of-12 from the field. No other Hornet finished with more than two points. Senior forward Nick Hornsby had a team-best seven rebounds.

Idaho was led by Victor Sanders, who finished with a game-high 31 points (5-of-8 3FG, 10-for-12 FT) to go along with six assists and three steals in a game-high 38 minutes. He was joined in double figures by Arkadiy Mkrtychyan (15 points), Pat Ingram (12 points) and Brayon Blake (11 points, eight rebounds). Ingram and Blake contributed 23 of the Vandals' 24 points off the bench.

Sacramento State returns home next week when the Hornets take on Weber State on Thursday and Idaho State on Saturday. Both games will tip at 7:05 p.m. Weber State is currently in first place with a 9-1 conference record and Idaho State sits in 10th with a 3-7 league mark.