Blistered by hot shooting, Sac State lost handily to the Montana Grizzlies and Idaho State during their recent road swing, rounding out their regular and Big Sky conference seasons.

Against the Grizzlies, the Hornets (5-22, 2-14) actually enjoyed a small half-time lead, 33-32, but watched as Montana (11-16, 6-10) powered its way to an 84-67 victory during the second half. Montana outscored the Hornets 52-34 in the final frame, shooting 20 of 29 from the floor and seven of 14 from behind the arc.

“What can I say?” Hornet head coach Jerome Jenkins said. “Bottom line, Montana just beat us.”

Trailing by just one at the intermission, the Grizzlies tore out of halftime, opening the second period on an 18-5 run en route to a 12-point lead. The 12-point cushion would be all they would need as the Hornets slipped deeper and deeper into their rear view.

However, Jenkins believes the disparity had nothing to do with the effort his boys showed.”I thought in the first half we fought hard,” Jenkins said. “Late in the second half, the game just got away from us.”

Four players scored in double-digits for the Grizzlies, led by Travis Greenwalt and Dan Trammel. Greenwalt and Trammel combined to score 37 points on 15 of 19 shooting to pace Montana. Jared Buckmaster and Ryan Slider, who tallied 12 and 10 points apiece, joined them in the box scores.

Senior swingman Pablo Gonzales led the Hornets with 16 points on six of 14 shooting and made a pair of three-point baskets. Arinze Anoruo connected on six of eight from the field, chipping in 13 points during an evening where the future melded with the present.

“Some of my younger players got the chance to grow up,” Jenkins said. “I threw them in the fire. They have a chance to be good in the future, with the right players around them.”

In Pocatello, Idaho, the Bengals wasted little time disposing of the Hornets. Among the best three-point shooting teams in Division I basketball, the Bengals buried the Hornets beneath an efficient aerial barrage, connecting on 14 in all, and winning 107-79.

“We just ran into a team that is beating everybody right now,” Jenkins said. “I think ISU is playing very well right now. They can go very deep in the Big Sky tournament. They?re peaking at the right time.”

All five Idaho State (14-13, 10-6) starters scored in double-digits, led by Rashad Kirkland?s 22 points. Tim Erickson, the Bengals? primary deep threat, chipped in 20 points, nailing six three-point baskets and Jordie McTavish (14), D?marr Suggs (10) and Doug Silva balanced out the attack.

“ISU is a very balanced team,” Jenkins said. “They have quite a few guys who can hurt you.”

The Bengals ultimately sealed the victory during the game?s opening stages. Extending their lead to double-digits just eight minutes into the contest, the Bengals coasted to a 50-32 advantage at the break.

Idaho State continued the attack in the second half, enjoying a lead of 20 or more for a majority of the period; an obstacle even Jenkins knew was too big to overcome.

“At this point in the season, I knew it would be (too big an obstacle),” Jenkins said. “I really didn?t know if it (a run) was going to happen for us that night.”

In their final game, seniors Rame Batta, Gonzales and Rickie Glenn played well for Sac State. Batta registered a new career-high with 23 points, while Gonzales and Glenn pitched in 16 and 12, respectively.

Glenn?s 12-point production put him at 401 total points for the season, ranking him 10th all-time at Sac State.