The Hornets’ Nest will play host to the Big Sky men’s basketball quarterfinals on Saturday for the first time since Sacramento State joined the conference in 1996. The Hornets defeated Montana State 80-74 on Sunday at Worthington Arena in Bozeman, Mont., in a win-or-go-home game, earning the fourth seed in the tournament. It was the second year in a row that Sac State bested the Bobcats in the final regular season game for a postseason berth. Sac State went into the last week of regular season play with a chance to grab the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye, but after an 80-69 loss on Wednesday to Montana, the best the Hornets could finish was with a fourth place seed and a first round game at home. “I told Joseth (Dawson) on (Feb. 2) after we beat Idaho State that I wanted to play another game at home,” senior Joel Jones said. “I love playing at home in front of the fans. I love Sacramento.” The game tips off at 7:05 p.m. and tickets went on sale yesterday at 10 a.m. They are $10 for students, faculty and staff and $15 for the general public. Tickets at the $10 discounted price will stop being sold on Friday at 5 p.m. and tickets sold on the day of the game will be $15. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at 916-278-4323 or at www.tickets.com. Sac State will have to contend with defending conference champions, Weber State (14-13, 7-7) in the first round. The Wildcats finished the season winning four of their final five games, with the only loss coming to the Hornets, 64-61, on Feb. 19 in Sacramento. “We’re extremely confident,” junior Jameel Pugh said. “We’ve protected the home court all year and we’re going to look to continue that trend.” Sac State again broke overall and conference records under fourth-year head coach Jerome Jenkins, finishing a Division I best 13-14 overall and a Big Sky best 7-7. After starting the conference 1-4, Sac State rebounded to win six of its final nine games for the playoff spot. “Our continued improvement over the years is a testament to the Sacramento State administration and my players believing in me,” Jenkins said. “Our guys have gotten better and better during the season, and it all came together (Sunday).” Montana State had 31-17 lead with 6:48 left in the first half before Sac State heated up from behind the 3-point line as E.J. Harris, Pugh and Dawson all hit 3-pointers in a 22-3 run that gave the Hornets a 39-34 lead into the break. In the second half, the Hornets’ defense stepped up the intensity, forcing 18 turnovers for the game. Their largest lead reached 13 points before the Bobcats, led by Jason Erickson’s 10 second half points, tied the game at 72-72. A Pugh lay-up, who scored a career and game-high 24 points, gave Sac State its final lead of the game at 76-74 before Brandon Guyton and DaShawn Freeman hit clutch free throws in the final 26 seconds to secure the win.

Dawson and Guyton added 15 and 13 points, respectively. In Sac State’s last home game of the season on Feb. 21, the Hornets Nest was without power for 48 minutes because of a campus-wide blackout. If the Hornets win on Saturday, they will travel to Eastern Washington on Tuesday to play in the semi-finals against either Northern Arizona or Eastern Washington.