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BOISE, Idaho -- Four Hornets scored in double figures, but it was not enough as Sacramento State's season came to an end in a 90-83 loss in the first round of the Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday morning at Idaho Central Arena.

With the loss, the Hornets are eliminated from the first round of the postseason event for just the second time in the last seven years. Entering today, Sacramento State had won two straight, and five of its last six first round games. Northern Colorado will advance to tomorrow's quarterfinal round to play No. 1 seed Southern Utah.

In a highly entertaining game that saw both teams shoot well, Northern Colorado pulled away late in a contest that had been a three-point game with 1:20 to play. In fact, after a Bryce Fowler driving layup cut the Bear lead to 82-79, Northern Colorado scored on each of its final four possessions. That included a bucket from Daylen Kountz at the 45 second mark and the team shot 6-for-6 from the line over the final 19 seconds to put things away.

One of the four Hornets to score in double figures was Fowler, who was brilliant all morning. The senior guard scored a team-high 23 points to go along with four rebounds and a pair of steals. In the process, Fowler became the 18th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points, and 12th in the Div. I era (1991-pres.). He entered the game needing 20 points to achieve the milestone, and his free throw with 2:17 left accomplished the feat.

The Hornets conclude the hectic season with an 8-12 record. Sacramento State, which had 10 games canceled this season, finished 5-9 in league play and assumed the No. 9 seed for the tournament. The schedule was not kind to the Hornets as they had six games canceled against three of the bottom five teams in the Big Sky, and played two games against each of the top six teams in the league. Heading into tournament play, Sacramento State had played three consecutive games that were decided by three points or less.

Northern Colorado, which moved its record to 11-10, was 6-8 in Big Sky play and received the No. 8 seed for the tournament. The Hornets and Bears did not meet during the regular season.

In a game that featured plenty of offense, Sacramento State shot 56% (34-61) from the field, 70% (7-10) from the 3-point line and 62% (8-13) from the free throw line. The field goal percentage and 3-point percentage were the highest marks for the Hornets in a Big Sky Tournament game, and the team's four turnovers were its fewest ever at the tournament.

However, Northern Colorado shot 57% (34-60) from the floor, 65% (13-20) from the 3-point line and 9-for-10 from the free throw line. The Bears entered the game as the Big Sky's second best 3-point shooting team and Bodie Hume made sure that mark stayed intact as he scored a career-high 30 points on 10-for-19 from the field and 7-of-10 from distance. Hume had 16 points in the second half, and hit a number of big shots to snuff Hornet rallies. Northern Colorado also owned a commanding 34-19 advantage in the rebounding department.

Sacramento State had a 45-42 lead at halftime, but the Bears opened the second half on an 8-0 run, punctuated by a Hume 3-ball, to lead, 50-45, with 17:58 to play. Northern Colorado never trailed the rest of the way as Sacramento State made things a one-possession game on seven occasions, but could never quite get over the hump.

The Hornets had four players score in double figures, including Fowler who was 9-for-18 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. Senior Ethan Esposito, the Big Sky's second leading scorer, finished with 18 points, four rebounds and a career-high four assists. Twelve of his points came in the second half and he was a big part of the Hornets outscoring the Bears, 46-38, in the paint.

Junior Zach Chappell scored a season-best 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 from the 3-point line. He also added two steals, and he had 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting in the first half alone. Senior Christian Terrell rounded out the Hornets in double digits with 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting and 2-of-4 from the 3-point line. Those four players combined to score 73 of the Hornets' 83 points. William FitzPatrick had five points, Brandon Davis three points and David Jones two points and four rebounds.