Sacramento State’s men basketball team fell to conference-leading Weber State University Friday night, 81-59, at the Dee Evans Center in Ogden, Utah.

The Hornets tried to keep it close in the first half, as there were six ties and seven lead changes, but trailed by eight points at halftime.

Senior center Justin Eller was one of two players to score in double-figures, as he led the team with 12 points on 4-8 shooting and seven rebounds. Junior forward Duro Bjegovic notched 10 points and five rebounds.

It was not enough to keep Sac State from dropping its fifth-consecutive game, all of which have been Big Sky games.

Wildcats’ guard Damian Lillard, who scored 27 points against Sac State on Dec. 5, was held to 15 points on the night. He came into the game averaging nearly 20 points per contest. However, Weber State had three other players score in double-figures, including center Steve Panos, who led all scorers with 18 points. He also had a game-high 10 rebounds.

The win improves the Big Sky-leading Wildcats to 8-1 in the conference and 14-7 overall.

The loss drops the Hornets to 1-8 in conference play and 7-15 overall.

The men return to the court on Saturday to face Idaho State University at 6:05 p.m., the end of the team’s season-long four-game road trip. The Hornets’ lone conference win came against the Bengals on Dec. 19 at the Hornets Nest, 64-63.

Dustin Nosler can be reached at [email protected]