MISSOULA, Mont. -- Senior guard Kahlaijah Dean finished with a game-high 24 points while Solape Amusan and Kaylin Randhawa also ended the night in double figures for Sacramento State, but host Montana rallied from down 14 points in the third quarter to post an 81-77 victory on Thursday night at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula.
The loss dropped the Hornets to 15-4 overall and 6-2 in Big Sky Conference play, ending their brief two-game winning streak.
Led by 21 points from Mack Konig, the Grizzlies improved to 9-11 overall and 5-4 in league play, winning for the 28th time in 29 meetings between the two programs in Missoula.
Dean, held to just seven first-half points, exploded in the second half scoring 17 points on 6-of-13 from the field en route to her 10th 20-point game of the season and her seventh in the last nine contests. She added four rebounds and four assists to her stat line as she reached double figures for the 10th consecutive game.
Amusan reached double figures for the second time in her last three starts, setting a collegiate career high with 19 points on six three-pointers to go with four assists. Amusan, who had 11 points in Sacramento State's win over Idaho State last week, broke her previous collegiate best of 15 points set against Northwestern while she was at Illinois on Feb. 24, 2021.
Randhawa finished with 12 points on 4-of-8 from the field while junior Isnelle Natabou grabbed 10 rebounds to go with her seven points on 3-of-4 from the field.
In a hole following a blistering first quarter offensive performance by Montana, the Hornets answered in a big way to grab a nine-point lead at the break, outscoring the Grizzlies by a 28-10 count in the second period alone. The 28 points were the most by Sacramento State in any quarter this season, while the 47 first-half points were the most in any half this season since the Hornets finished with a 48-point second half at Northern Colorado.
Both teams played an even third as an 8-2 burst midway through the period staked Sacramento State to its largest lead of the night, 63-49, with just under three minutes remaining in the period.
Montana answered with five straight points to close out the quarter and continued to claw away at the deficit, eventually getting to within five points with 6:20 remaining in the game. Amusan answered with her sixth three-pointer of the night to build the lead back to eight, but an 8-0 run by the Grizzlies tied the game at 72-all with 3:05 remaining.
Senior Jordan Olivares, who finished with seven points and a career-high eight rebounds on the night, drained a three-pointer to briefly regain the lead for the Hornets, but a crucial three-point play by Gina Marxen keyed a 9-2 finish for Montana as the Grizzlies took a 78-77 lead and never looked back.
Statistically, both teams were pretty even on the night with Montana making one more basket in one fewer attempt, while Sacramento State tied a season high with 13 three-pointers and shot 43 percent from beyond the arc for the night. The Hornets finished with a 34-28 advantage on the glass, including 12 offensive rebounds, but committed 13 turnovers on the night that led to 20 points for the Grizzlies.
Sacramento State closes out its two-game two-step in Montana on Saturday (Jan. 28), heading to Bozeman to take on Montana State. Tip-off is scheduled for Noon PT. The Bobcats won their fifth consecutive game on Thursday, downing Portland State, 64-52, to move a half game ahead of the Hornets in the Big Sky standings.
