Down 11 points with less than six minutes left, Sacramento State put on a furious flurry to lead 72-70, but ultimately failed to complete the comeback losing to Montana State 78-75.

Alex Bausley and Loren Leath both missed 3-point field goals that could have tied the game in the final seconds.

“We didn’t play with the same intensity the whole game,” DaShawn Freeman said. “You can’t do that in Division I.”

Montana State (10-8, 3-1) went into the half trailing by three, but opened the second half shooting 11 of 13 from the field, running up a lead that reached 14.

Sac State (13-6, 4-1) head coach Jerome Jenkins said his team’s foul trouble played a part in their inability to slow down Montana State. “I wasn’t able to use my regular rotation,” he said.

The Bobcats were led by Ja’Ron Jefferson’s 22 points, including 18 second-half points.The Hornets were led by Clark Woods, who scored 20.

The Hornets will get a lift for Saturday’s matchup against Montana when senior Jason Harris comes back to the team after being recertified academically over winter intersession. Harris said he will be ready to play.

That game is at 7:05 Saturday at the Hornets Nest.