Sacramento State’s women’s basketball has struggled before when facing Montana State, but not when it travels to Bozeman.

Despite losing seven out of their last nine games to the Bobcats since 2008, the Hornets started the 2012-13 Big Sky season rallying to get a win, 69-65 at Worthington Arena.

This was the second time in two years Sac State has gotten the better of Montana State on its home court.

“It was a back and forth battle just like you’d expect when you play Montana State,” said head coach Jamie Craighead. “They are a really good team and it was a great road win for us.”

The Hornets have not played a game since Dec. 7 and started the game missing their first eight shots before junior guard Alle Moreno hit a pair of 3-point baskets to cut the deficit, 10-6.

“I didn’t feel panicked or anything, I just felt like we weren’t settled,” Craighead said. “These kids really want to do well in the conference and it felt like we were a little bit strained.”

Sac State has struggled from the outside as it shot a combined 22 percent during its last two games, but the Hornets were on mark against the Bobcats. During the game, they shot 37 percent, their best performance since their game at Oregon State earlier this month.

“I needed to step up and knock some shots down for my team,” Moreno said after finishing with a team-high 18 points. “I was in the gym a little more this week and the encouragement from my teammates really helped.”

The Hornets’ 3-point shooting was complemented by inside presence from seniors Kylie Kuhns and Megan Kritscher to help make a 6-0 run. Sac State eventually took the lead with 1:35 remaining, but Montana State’s Peyton Ferris hit a 3-pointer with no time remaining to tie the game 33-33 at halftime.

Coming out in the second half, both teams exchanged leads back and forth and the Hornets kept the game close with their defense. 

All season, Sac State’s defensive mentality has been pressure and forcing turnovers, but now they also have an inside presence with Kritscher, who currently leads the nation with an average 4.75 blocked shots per game.

“It’s a really good feeling, but I’m going to take it one game at a time if it’s something I can do to help my team.” Kritscher said, who finished the game with four blocks.

With the Hornets leading 61-60 with 2:43 remaining in the game, Moreno hit a clutch 3-point shot to push her team toward their first conference win of the season. 

Sac State now travels north to the University of Montana to take on the Lady Griz. Last season the Hornets were swept, but now they feel like they have momentum.

“We just have to stay focused and not let it get to our heads,” Kritscher said. 

Tipoff is at 1 p.m. and can be viewed on BigSkyTV.

Follow Ryan on Twitter @rskuhn and for live game updates follow State Hornet Sports @sthornetsports