SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento State had four players score in double figures, and knocked off Montana, 86-79, in front of the largest on-campus crowd in program history.

The Hornets, who built a 17-point halftime lead (49-32), led for over 34 minutes of clock (34:29) and swept the Montana schools at home for the first time since the 2014-15 season. The Hornets beat Montana State on Thursday by an 83-80 score. In addition, the game was played in front of a crowd of 3,116 - the largest on-campus crowd in program history (1948-pres.). 

Sacramento State moved into Hornet Pavilion this season, and the homecourt advantage is already evident. The team has consistently sold out the fixed seating portion of the facility, and tonight's crowd of 3,116 was over 100 more than the 3,000 capacity. The Hornets have won six straight at home, improved to 8-1 inside the friendly confines, and are now 4-0 against Big Sky Conference opposition at home.

The Hornets moved their record to 8-13 overall and 4-5 in the Big Sky. Led by first-year head coach Mike Bibby and his staff, the eight overall victories and four conference wins are already more than all of last season's totals of 7-25 and 3-15. Sacramento State is 2-0 in its stretch of three home games in five nights, concluding with a Monday night matchup vs. Weber State at 7 p.m.

The Hornets have also defeated second-place teams (Montana State, Montana) in back-to-back games. The Griz had won four straight, were coming off a road win over previously unbeaten Portland State, and dropped to 13-10 overall and 7-3 in conference. Montana also had its five-game winning streak vs. the Hornets come to a close.

Sacramento State played a near flawless first half in racing to its 49-32 halftime lead. Montana jumped out to a 7-2 early lead, and the Hornets responded with a 12-0 run. After a Mark Lavrenov layup gave the Hornets a 9-7 lead with 14:29 left in the first half, Sacramento State led the rest of the way.

There were some tense moments late when Montana used a 9-2 run to get within two points, 81-79, with 1:07 left. The Grizzlies had a chance to tie or take the lead, but the Hornets forced  a Money Williams miss, and Mikey Williams knocked down a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left to put the Hornets back up four points (83-79). Sacramento State scored the game's final five points and did not allow Montana to score the last 1:06. That included forcing a pair of Montana turnovers in the final 20 seconds.

Four Hornets scored at least 14 points, led by Prophet Johnson's 26 points, seven rebounds, four assists and five steals Both Jahni Summers and Arman Madi scored 17 points as Madi buried 4-of-6 from long range and set his career high in scoring. Mikey Williams played 37 minutes, and responded with 14 points (10-of-11 FT), four rebounds and game-high eight assists. The foursome combined to score all but 12 of the team's points. Johnson notched his 1,000th career Div. I point early in the first half, and he did it in less than three seasons of Div. I ball.

The Hornets shot 49% (29-59) from the field, 46% (11-24) from the 3-point line, and held large advantages in points off turnovers (20-12), fast break points (12-4) and bench points (17-6). Madi contributed all 17 of those bench points. His previous career highs had been 10 points and two 3-pointers. Taj Glover contributed a pair of rebounds, three assists, and a game-high +17 plus/minus in 11 minutes.

Tonight marked the midway point of the Big Sky season, and the Hornets have nine games left in the regular season (all second matchups against Big Sky teams).

The Hornets will play their third home game in five nights when they host Weber State on Monday at 7 p.m. The Wildcats are the first Big Sky team that Sacramento State will play for a second time. The Hornets fell to Weber State in Ogden on Jan. 3 by a 95-82 score.

NOTABLES
• Tonight was Native American Heritage Night, and the Hornets debuted a new uniform set in honor of the evening
• In addition, tonight was Greek Night at Hornet Pavilion
• Earlier this afternoon, Sacramento State announced a historic $7.5 million multi-year partnership with Wilton Rancheria and Sky River Casino
• Two games remain on the Hornets' season-long four game homestand. That includes Monday's game vs. Weber State, and next Saturday vs. Portland State. Entering this homestand, the four opponents took up four of the top five spots in the Big Sky standings