SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Senior Jaydia Martin finished with a team-high 16 points to lead four Hornet starters in double figures, but an 11-0 Montana run spanning the second and third quarters broke open a tight game on Saturday afternoon, lifting the visiting Grizzlies to a 69-63 win over Sacramento State at The Nest.
The Hornets suffered their third consecutive game, falling to 10-12 overall and 3-6 in Big Sky Conference play. Montana, led by a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double by Dani Bartsch, improved to 9-12 overall and 5-5 in league play.
Martin finished 6-of-11 overall from the field — including a quartet of three-pointers — and added nine rebounds to narrowly miss out on a double-double of her own. Senior Katie Peneueta and junior Benthe Versteeg chipped in 13 points apiece, while junior Fatoumata Jaiteh also was close on on a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Versteeg added six points and eight assists against only one turnover, hitting 6-of-13 from the floor. Sophomore Madison Butcher was the only other Hornet in the scoring column, adding nine points and four rebounds off the bench.
In a first half that featured three tied scores and nine lead changes, both Sacramento State and Montana traded baskets nearly the entire opening period as a pair of three-pointers by Martin got the Hornet offense humming and another triple by Versteeg keyed a run of five straight points that eliminated the Grizzlies' largest lead of the day to that point.
The Hornets led by a point at the end of the first thanks to a Versteeg drive and Sacramento State opened with the first five points of the second quarter that gave the Hornets their largest lead of the season just a minute into the period. Montana answered with a 9-2 burst to regain the lead, but neither team was able to pull away, with the Grizzlies stealing a one-point lead at the break thanks to a three-pointer in the final minute.
Using that momentum, Montana took control at the start of the third, scoring the first eight points of the quarter to build a nine-point advantage, holding the Hornets scoreless for the first three minutes before Jaiteh converted an "and one" to stem the tide.
The Grizzlies extended their lead to as many as 10 points in the period and led by 11 following a pair of free throws to start the fourth, but Sacramento State was undaunted. A personal 7-0 run by Butcher cut the deficit back down to four points with 7:35 remaining in regulation and the Hornets trailed by only three after a Peneueta triple with 4:11 to play, but could get no closer.
Sacramento State out-shot Montana, 42 percent to 37 percent, for the game and out-rebounded the Grizzlies, 37-34, including hitting on a 64 percent clip in the fourth quarter during its comeback attempt. Montana was able to turn 14 Hornet miscues into 16 points and received 17 points from their bench.
The Hornets look to get back on track with two more home games next week, opening the second round of Big Sky play against Eastern Washington (Feb. 6) and Idaho (Feb. 8) at The Nest. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, on those days.
