Sacramento State has stolen tournament berths before, clinching Big Sky Tournament appearances in the conference finale the past two seasons.

This year though, Hornets guard DaShawn Freeman made the steal a game early, clinching the Hornets (11-15, 7-6) third-straight tournament appearance in its second-to-last conference game.

With just seconds remaining and the Hornets leading by a single point over visiting Montana State, Freeman stole the ball away from driving Bobcats guard Nick Dissly to preserve a 70-68 victory in front of 1,012 on Saturday night.

“I either had to go for it, or they were going to get a layup,” Freeman said. “Fortunately I got it.”

Following the steal, Freeman passed the ball to Jameel Pugh, who was fouled with 1.9 seconds remaining. Pugh hit the first free throw, but missed on the second, resulting in a Montana State full-court heave that drilled off the backboard as time expired.

“I just had to sit and watch the game,” Sac State head coach Jerome Jenkins said. “Ultimately, players play the game and make plays and DaShawn made the play down the stretch.”

Pugh, playing in his final regular season home game as a Hornet on Senior Night, finished with 25 points — including seven 3-pointers — and six rebounds.

“Jameel still has his best basketball ahead of him,” Jenkins said. “He is maturing more and more each game.”

Sac State led by as many as 12 midway through the second half, but allowed the Bobcats to rally back, as the Hornets converted just a single field goal in the game’s final 7:23.

That lone field goal, a mid-range leaner in the lane by Jason Harris, ended up being the game winner.

Sac State has now beaten the Bobcats six straight times at the Hornets Nest and in seven of the teams’ last nine meetings. The Hornets have knocked the Bobcats out of an opportunity to play in the Big Sky Tournament the last two seasons, but this loss won’t keep the second-place Bobcats out this year.

Sac State is now tied for third place with Montana. If the Hornets win on the road against Northern Arizona, they will host a first-round conference game. The Hornets can still finish anywhere from third to sixth place in the Big Sky.

Close games at home haven’t been uncommon; six of the Hornets’ nine home wins have come by seven points or less.

Before the game, fans Sac State and fans honored Pugh and E.J. Harris on Senior Night. Both Pugh and E.J. Harris are on pace to graduate this spring.

“It meant a lot for me to go out on a winning note,” said Harris, who finished with nine assists and five points. “But my education was real important to me. I told my Dad I was going to go to school and get a degree. You can’t play basketball forever; I know I need something to fall back on.”

Graduating its players has been a greater focus for the Hornets under Jenkins’ tenure.

“We had zero graduation rate when I got here and now we have guys graduating from the program,” Jenkins said. “It’s a great testament to my staff, the basketball program and guys believing in me and doing what I ask them to do by going to class.”

The Bobcats took advantage of poor Sac State shooting in the first half. As a team, the Hornets shot just 24.3 percent from the floor in the first half. Without Pugh, who scored 16 of the Hornets 30 first half points, Sac State was just 4-of-25 from the field.

The Hornets were able to stay in the game, down 31-30 at halftime, by forcing 10 Bobcats turnovers and grabbing 14 offensive rebounds.

The Bobcats got two quick baskets out of the half, but the Hornets would go on a 17-3 run behind seven straight points from Freeman and the strong play of freshmen Schuyler McKay and Randy Adams.

Jason Harris scored 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting in 32 minutes.

The Hornets shot 35 percent from the field and 24.5 percent from behind the arc.