The Hornets’ Big Sky Conference Tournament hopes came to an end for the seventh straight year in a crucial must-win road game against Montana State. 

Hornets’ senior forward John Dickson scored a lay-up that tied the score at 49-49, with 9:10 remaining in the second half but the Bobcats (13-16, 10-10) rallied behind a 22-6 run that sent Sac State packing, 71-55.

The loss also placed the Hornets below the .500 mark for the first time all season, ending with an overall record of 14-15 and 8-12 in the Big Sky.

The Hornets made the game a close contest up until the nine-minute mark in the second half before going on another offensive drought that saw them shooting 1-for-10 to end the game. 

Sac State was led by three players with 13 points in Dickson, Dylan Garrity and Mikh McKinney.

As a team, the Hornets shot 15 for 43 from the field and 7 for 19 from the 3-point line. 

The Bobcats were led by four players who scored in double-digits. Guard Christian Moon was the difference in tonight’s game with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 from 3-point range. 

The Hornets’ 14-win season was the program’s second best since joining Division I in 1991.