On March 1, 2003, the Sacramento State men’s basketball team earned its first playoff berth since entering the Big Sky Conference in the 1996-1997 season.

In the last game of the season, the Hornets were able to pull out a 72-52 win over Montana State in front of a sellout crowd at home to clinch a spot in the conference tournament.

Senior team captain Derek Lambeth led the way for the Hornets with a career-high 25 points, and he added a career-high five three-pointers.

Jimmy White also chipped in a double-double for Sac State with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

In 2002-2003, there were eight teams in the Big Sky Conference and the top six teams qualified for the Big Sky Tournament.

After the win, Sacramento State and Montana State held the same record overall record of 11-16 and 5-9 in conference play, but the Hornets earned the tiebreaker by going 2-0 against the Bobcats in the regular season.

The Hornets would also go on and win their first-ever Big Sky Tournament game with an 88-75 road victory against Montana on March 8 before falling in the semifinals against Weber State.

You can reach Anthony Honradeat [email protected]