Chris Lange’s lob pass turned into a made 3-pointer wasn’t the only unexpected occurrence for the Sacramento State men’s basketball team this weekend.

The Hornets (10-13 overall, 4-6 in Big Sky Conference), who had lost 5-of-6 games coming into the weekend, upset Eastern Washington (16-9, 8-3) on Thursday, 77-71, and knocked off Portland State (4-20, 2-9) on Saturday, 72-58.

With four games remaining, head coach Jerome Jenkins’ squad is now in a three-way tie for fifth place in the Big Sky with Idaho State and Northern Arizona.

But the Hornets have rights to the sixth-and-final seed in the Big Sky Tournament due to a tie-breaker they own over Northern Arizona.

With the 2-0 homestand, Sac State surpassed the program’s Div. I mark for wins in a season with 10, and Big Sky wins with four.”We’ve accomplished something no one else has ever accomplished,” Jenkins said, “so we got to be feeling really good. But the job is not done yet.”

Lange’s bizarre basket, an accomplishment in itself, gave the Hornets a 27-13 lead with 7:35 remaining in the first half against Eastern Washington.

“It looked like it was an accident, but that was total skill right there,” said Lange, an Albuquerque native. “That’s how we do it in New Mexico.

“Coach actually told me I can’t shoot any more threes because my percentage has been down, so I figured I’d just pass it in there. The rim got in the way, so we’ll go with it.”

The Eagles took their first lead of the game at 47-46 with 15:26 remaining in the game. Hornet shooting guard Brandon Guyton responded with three 3-pointers over the next 12 minutes, giving the Hornets a 69-65 lead at the 3:30 mark.

Eagles point guard Danny Pariseau made two free throws to tie the game at 69-69 with 2:53 on the clock, but Sac State made 8-of-10 free throws in the final two minutes to seal the game. The Hornets outrebounded Eastern Washington 44-27, including a game-high nine from forward Jimmy White.

Shooting guard Brandon Guyton chipped in with seven boards and 14 points, including 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. Point guard Raashad Hooks finished the night with a game-high 23 points, including 9-of-9 shooting from the free-throw line.

On Saturday, five Hornets scored in double figures against Portland State, led by senior forward Derek Lambeth’s 17, which included 10-of-12 free throws. Lange poured in 13 while Hooks scored 12.

Hooks’ backup, DaShawn Freeman, dished out seven assists and recorded two steals while committing only one turnover. Coming into the game Freeman was No. 13 in the nation with 2.7 steals per game.

“That man is just growing up before everybody’s eyes,” Jenkins said, “and he is going to be one of the top point guards in this conference as the future goes on. But Raashad Hooks is doing a great job in mentoring him and leading our team.”

Shooting guard Kevin Briggs led the Vikings’ offensive attack with 18 points, while iron man point guard Jeb Ivey was held to 10 points on 3-of-17 shooting. Ivey played 36 minutes despite leaving the game in the second half with a hamstring injury.

The Hornets will next travel to Weber State on Thursday and Idaho State on Saturday.

“We’re still growing and we’re going to keep maturing,” Jenkins said. “But no question, we’re pushing for a tournament run.”Now in their seventh season of Div. I basketball, the Hornets have never made a Big Sky Tournament.