Heading into Montana, to face both the University of Montana and Montana State University, all the Sacramento State men’s basketball team had to do was sweep. Controlling their own playoff destiny, two wins against the Montana schools would have sealed up the program’s first-ever Big Sky Conference Tournament appearance.

Easier said than done.

Sac State dropped two pivotal away games, falling to Montana first on Friday, 86-53, and then to conference leader Montana State on Saturday, 70-60.

“We can’t worry about what happened in the past,” head coach Jerome Jenkins said. “We had a rough road trip.”

With the two losses over the weekend, the Hornets fell out of the tournament standings but are within contention and still may be able to make the play offs. Portland State University climbed into the final playoff spot, capitalizing on Sac State’s road woes.

On Friday, Montana built a commanding 17-point lead at halftime (38-21) and never looked back, cruising to a 86-53 victory.

The Hornet offense was never able to find a rhythm as they struggled to knockdown shots and establish an effective offense to counter that of Montana’s. The Grizzlies shot 50.7 percent from the floor, while Sac State could only muster a 30.6 shooting percentage, connecting on just 19-of-62 shots.

No Hornet players managed to reach double digits in scoring. Junior Rashaad Hooks led the team with nine points.

Their shooting woes, however, weren’t just from the field. The Hornets converted an uncanny 10-of-24 free throw attempts (41.7 percent), down nearly 20 percent from their conference average. The Grizzlies’ defense continued to rattle the Sac State’s offense, forcing the Hornets into 21 turnovers.

On the offensive-side of the ball, Montana used a three-prong attack to near perfection. The Grizzlies Ryan Slider poured in a game-high 18 points, drilling 7-of-13 shots. Teammate Travis Greenwalt chipped in 15 points while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds while David Bell tallied 10 points.

Reeling from a 33-point defeat at hands of Montana, Sac State mended its wounds – particularly its shooting – just in time for Big Sky frontrunner Montana State. Even then it wasn’t enough to top the surging Bobcats, who downed the visiting Hornets 70-60.

A 9-0 run with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game, nullified the improved marksmanship the Hornets displayed.The Hornets made 21-of-49 shots from the floor, while cashing in on 14-of-19 attempts from the free throw line.

“We were able to get some rest and played a much better game,” Jenkins said.

But just as the Hornets looked poised to upset the Bobcats for the second time this season, the Bobcats, this time, had a flurry of answers.

Holding onto a slim six-point lead, 21-15, with 5:51 remaining in the first half, Montana State ripped off a 12-6 run to close the half knotted up, 27-27.

“That only happens to us on the road. Those crucial mistakes cost us. We have to be able to handle adversity on the road,” Jenkins said.

With the Hornets trailing by one, 40-39, with less than ten minutes left, the Bobcats pieced together all the offensive support they would need. Scoring in bunches, Montana State converted a 3-point play and two 3-pointers to give themselves a comfortable ten-point cushion, 49-39.

Buried in the scoring column, Sac State was unable to create a run for themselves against the Bobcats despite inspired play from juniors Jimmy White and Derek Lambeth.

Both White and Lambeth, who is still recovering from a knee injury and trying to reach 100 percent, each had 15 points coming off the bench.

“(Lambeth) is more confident with his knee right now and that’s a plus for us,” Jenkins said.

Montana State’s forward Damir Latovic proved to be the biggest trouble for the Hornets, scoring 20 points and pulling down 13 rebounds.

Sac State’s record in conference dropped to 3-9 and 9-17 overall.

This upcoming weekend the Hornets will play two decisive home games that will determine if they will be able to play in the conference tournament.

“We know we can fulfill our own destiny. We win two games and we’re in,” Jenkins said. “This is a positive time for the community of Sacramento and Sac State, the team has never been in this position before.”

On Friday night Eastern Washington will step into the Hornet gym with a conference record of 9-3 and a six-game winning streak. Tip off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

“We are going to have to fight and scrap on the inside to keep their big guys in control,” Jenkins said. “But we’re up for a big game.”

The decisive game, however, will be against Portland State on Saturday at Hornet Gym, with tip off scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Barring unexpected upsets, the winner of this game will be continuing on into the postseason; the loser, on the other hand, will be taking an early vacation during the first weekend of March.

“We have to really get out and defend. We have to get back in transition to stop their big guys,” Jenkins said.

The good news for the Hornets is that senior Ronnie Walton, who has been sidelined due to a hairline fracture in his shin will attempt to practice with the team during the week, with hopes of playing in the teams final two games.