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BOISE, Idaho – Sacramento State had three players score in double figures, and the defense limited Weber State to 37% shooting in a 62-54 win over the Wildcats in the first round of the Big Sky Conference Tournament on Wednesday morning at the CenturyLink Arena.

The Hornets entered the tournament as the No. 9 seed while Weber State was the 8 seed. The teams played the first game of the men's tournament this morning at 8:35 a.m. PDT, and Sacramento State responded by leading for over 37 minutes of game clock and outscoring the Wildcats by four points in both halves.

The Hornets, who scored on four of their final five possessions to put the game away, limited Weber State to 37% (22-60) shooting, and 2-of-14 from the 3-point line. Sacramento State also had 11 second-chance points off 10 offensive rebounds, and led the final 17 minutes of the contest.

With the victory, Sacramento State, which has won its first game of the tournament five times in the last six years, will advance to the quarterfinal round where the team plays Eastern Washington tomorrow at 11 a.m. PDT. Eastern Washington is the No. 1 seed after winning the Big Sky's regular season championship and received a bye in the first round. The Hornets lost both meetings to the Eagles this season, but both games were decided by five points or less.

The Hornets improved to 16-14 overall this season, and entered the single-elimination tournament as the No. 9 seed after going 8-12 in conference play. The 16 wins are the second most in the Div. I era (1991-pres.), trailing only the 2014-15 team which posted a 21-12 record.

Weber State's season comes to an end at 12-20 overall. The Hornets beat the Wildcats on two of three occasions this year, as the two teams split the regular season series with both winning on their home floor.

After the Wildcats took their first and only lead of the game at 32-30 on a three-point play from Jerrick Harding with 17:56 remaining, the Hornets immediately responded with a 7-0 run.

Both teams battled back and forth as it remained a two-possession Hornet lead (or less) for the next 11 minutes of game clock. Sacramento State finally made things a three-possession game when Bryce Fowler buried an off-balance 3-pointer from the wing just before the shot clock expired to give the Hornets a 51-44 lead with 4:25 left.

The Hornets led by at least five points the rest of the way, which included scoring on four of their final five possessions of the contest. Sacramento State finished the game 37% (22-60) from the field, but went 10-for-23 from the 3-point line. Four different Hornets buried multiple 3-pointers, and the 10 three-balls were the second highest output of the year for Sacramento State.

Osi Nwachukwu scored in double figures for the fifth time in the last six games with a team-high 16 points (7-11 FG, 2-4 3FG), two steals, and a +20 in plus/minus. Izayah Mauriohooho-Le'afa posted his second career double-double as the guard finished with 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.

Fowler had 15 points (3-5 3FG), including 12 in the second half, and Chibueze Jacobs posted six points, six rebounds and three assists. Joshua Patton added four points, five rebounds and a blocked shot, and Ethan Esposito posted six points. For Patton, he is now just one block shy of becoming the first player in program history to record 200 career blocked shots.

Brandon Davis added two points, five rebounds and four assists.

Harding was the only Weber State player to score in double figures as he finished with 33 points on 10-21 FG, 1-8 3FG, and 12-14 FT. He drew 10 of Sacramento State's 19 fouls.