Defending Big Sky champion Northern Colorado outlasted Sacramento State Saturday night, earning a hard-fought 61-53 victory.

The Hornets held their own in the first half, led by Josh McCarver’s eight defensive boards 11 points by Jackson Carbajal.

Down by three with just .6 seconds remaining in the first half, John Dickson caught the inbound pass from down court and flipped it to Joe Eberhard, who hit a three point shot which didn’t appear to get off in time, but was allowed by the officials. The benches erupted for very different reasons.

Coach Brian Katz had to think hard to remember the last time the so-called “home run” play worked for him in a game.

“It’s something you practice everyday,” Katz said. “And to be honest, it doesn’t work. The last time it worked? Probably 20 years ago. But you have to practice it every day, because if that’s the end of the game and there are .6 or .8 (seconds left), you (have to) be able to do something.”

The play resulted in a 27-27 tie at halftime.

In the second half, Northern Colorado pulled away. Whereas Sac State was able to rely on the three-point shot to keep it close before halftime, the Hornets went just two-for-11 from beyond the arc after the break. Heath Hoffman, who entered play leading the conference in three-point percentage, was 0-6 from deep range.

Points in general, however, were hard to come by. Bears guard Tevin Svihovec led all scorers with 16, but also led the game in turnovers with six. Both teams ended up with 13 giveaways.

“It was a tough, grind-it-out kind of game,” Katz said. “I don’t want to say it was ‘ugly’ like the way they played, but it was an ugly game. Both teams had trouble scoring. It was kind of a grind-it-out, old fashioned kind of (game).”

The game held special significance for Jackson Carbajal, since it was his first home game of the season. Carbajal had been out since the first game of the season when he suffered what he described as a bone contusion in his knee. He said his doctor told him to limit his minutes on the floor while he continues with physical therapy, but he should be able to log more time in the next couple games.

Carbajal credited his solid first half to the joy of finally playing in front of a friendly crowd.

“This is the first time I played at home, other than the two minutes I played at the beginning (of the season opener),” Carbajal said. “I was just happy to shoot at the baskets I’ve been shooting at in practice.”

Both teams now have an overall record of 5-9, but the Hornets fall to 0-3 within the Big Sky, while UNC improves to 2-1, good enough for a share of third place in the conference. Sac State now sits in last.

The Hornets next welcome Eastern Washington to the Nest on Thursday, while the Bears return to Greeley to host Portland State the same evening.

Alex Grotewohl can be reached at [email protected].