MISSOULA, Mont. - Sacramento State scored nine unanswered points to open Big Sky action Thursday night at Montana, but despite the quick lead, the Hornets fell to the host Griz, 75-59, in Missoula. 

With the loss, the Hornets fall to 3-5 overall and start league play 0-1. Montana, meanwhile, improves to 6-1 overall and 1-0 in league. 

Sacramento State scored the game's first nine points on Thursday, jumping out to a 9-0 lead just three minutes into the game. The Hornets went up by as many as 10, leading 12-2 near the middle of the first quarter, but a 10-0 Montana run tied the game early in the second quarter. Montana took its first lead at the 7:44 mark in the second quarter and led at the end of the half, 36-30. 

Trailing by six at the break, Sacramento State's offense went quiet in the third quarter. The Hornets scored just nine points in the period, falling into a hole they were unable to climb out of. Despite scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter, the Hornets were unable to keep pace with Montana, falling, 75-59, in the end. 

Isnelle Natabou did much of the heavy lifting for Sacramento State, collecting her Big Sky-leading fourth double-double of the season. The freshman center scored 15 points while pulling in a game-high 13 rebounds, including six off the offensive glass. Natabou entered Thursday night's game with a Big Sky-leading 9.4 rebounds per game and saw her average climb to 9.9 after Thursday's 13 boards. 

Natabou also added a block to her stat line on Thursday, extending her streak of games with a block to six. 

Summer Menke just missed her third double-double of the season, finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds. Menke was 5-for-12 from the floor, including 2-for-4 from three, and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line. 

Lianna Tillman again led Sacramento State in scoring, putting up a game-high 19 points on 8-for-21 shooting. Tillman was 3-for-7 from beyond the arc and added a team-leading three assists. 

Freshman guard Katie Peneueta made her collegiate debut on Thursday night, playing 15 minutes and scoring nine points. The Vancouver, Washington native missed the season's first seven games due to injury, but looked strong in her first action of the year.

Peneueta finished 2-for-4 from the floor on Thursday, taking all four shots from three-point range. She went 3-for-3 from the free throw line and pulled in six rebounds. She also added two assists. 

Overall, Sacramento State shot 38.6% from the floor, including 35.0% from three-point range. Montana, meanwhile, shot 46.0% overall and 37.5% from three. Five different Griz players finished in double figures.

The two teams were nearly even in rebounds, with the Griz taking a slight advantage, 38-36. 

A major difference in the box score came in the points off of turnovers category, which Montana dominated, 17-5. The Hornets committed 13 turnovers on Thursday while forcing just four. 

Thursday night's game was the first of two through the state of Montana as the Hornets continue their road trip through Bozeman to take on the Montana State Bobcats. The Hornets and Bobcats tip off from Brick Breeden Field on Saturday at 6 p.m. PT. That game will stream live on ESPN+ with live stats on HornetStats.com.