SACRAMENTO — Freshman Summah Hanson collected her 13th double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while senior Solape Amusan and sophomore Irune Orio added 12 points apiece, but a 9-0 run by visiting Montana State erased a halftime deficit and helped lead the Bobcats to a 55-51 win over Sacramento State on Saturday afternoon at The Nest.
Hanson finished 4-of-8 from the floor and hit 5-of-6 from the line in extending her Big Sky Conference lead in the category, posting her sixth double-double in her last eight games and notching her eighth straight double-digit scoring performance.
Her 12 rebounds were the most since she finished with 13 against Weber State on Feb. 10, and she wrapped up her day by adding four steals and a pair of assists to her stat line.
Amusan, honored after the game as part of "Senior Day" ceremonies, finished with 12 points on a quartet of three-pointers while grabbing four rebounds to go with a block and a steal. It was her eighth double-digit scoring performance in her last 13 games and her 11th overall this year.
Orio was 5-of-14 from the field en route to her 12 points, adding four rebounds and three assists. It was her first double-digit scoring game since she went for 13 points in a win at Northern Arizona on Feb. 15.
A 10-1 run in the early going put the Hornets (5-22, 4-12) in front, building a seven-point advantage five minutes in and leading by as many as nine points with 2:30 to play in the opening quarter en route to an eight-point advantage after one.
Montana State (15-13, 9-6) whittled that advantage down to just four early in the second, but a basket inside by Hanson and a three-pointer by Amusam boosted the lead back to nine before the Bobcats finished strong. A 9-2 burst by Montana State made it a two-point contest at 30-28 with 2:47 to play and the Bobcats trailed by that same margin at the break after Marah Dykstra found room inside before the end of the half to make it 36-34 in Sacramento State's favor.
The Bobcats continued that run to start the third quarter, outscoring the Hornets 14-2 over the first 5:34 to build their largest lead of the contest at 48-38. Sacramento State absorbed the punch and responded hitting four from the line and getting a three-pointer by Orio with just over a minute to play, closing the Hornets to within three at 48-45 with 10 minutes to play.
Both teams struggled in the fourth with Montana State hitting just 1-of-8 from the field to the Hornets 3-of-13, but the deficit for Sacramento State never grew larger than five. Versteeg scored on a drive to start the fourth and get her team to within one, and the Hornets were within a point with 2:36 to play, but could not get over the hump.
Dykstra hit a pair from the line and Natalie Picton hit 1-of-2 in the closing seconds to ice the game for the Bobcats.
Overall, Montana State shot just 34 percent from the field to Sacramento State's 33.3 percent, while the Bobcats finished with a 42-32 advantage on the glass.
The Hornets finish their regular season on the road next week, traveling to Portland State on Saturday (March 2) before taking on first-place Eastern Washington on Saturday (March 4).