Sacramento State has been a far from successful road team this season, but they found a sliver of success on their most recent road trip.

In a 2-game outing that sent the Hornets from Utah to Idaho, the Hornets ended their 7-game losing streak in their first game and began a new one in their second.

Thursday: Sacramento State 80, Weber State 77

As the second half came to a head in Sac State’s matchup against Weber State on Thursday, the Hornets were in familiar territory.

Close games heading into crunchtime have typically foreshadowed a loss amid Sac State’s 7-game losing streak, but the Hornets broke free from their dry spell on Thursday in a shootout with their Big Sky Conference bottom-bunkmate.

Sac State began the game hunting for outside looks, knocking down three of their first six 3-point attempts that led to a 13-0 run after going down 2-5 to begin the game.

The Hornets’ steady offense and lockdown defense complimented each other en route to a 12-point lead midway through the first half, but redshirt freshman guard Nemanja Sarenac hit two quick threes to spark a 9-0 Wildcat run.

Sac State was able to weather the storm, hitting timely shots in the final minutes of the half to keep Weber State at arm’s length and take a 40-37 lead into the locker room.

A hot shooting night from a habitually struggling Sac State offense made the difference The Hornets shot over 60% from three in a second half that turned into a shootout with Weber State.

Sac State led 65-56 with 10 minutes remaining in the game, but a signature Hornet 3-minute scoring drought allowed Weber State to cut their lead to just a point.

Senior guard Blaise Threatt took full advantage of the shortage of Sac State points and became the main source of offense for the Wildcats, converting tough looks inside to keep them within one possession as the game wound down.

Hornets’ senior forward Jacob Holt recognized the moment and became aggressive on the offensive end. He scored 11 of his game-high 27 points in the final six minutes of play and hit a dagger three to put the game on ice with 36 seconds left.

JACOB. HOLT. @SacHornetsMBB wins in Ogden #ExperienceElevated pic.twitter.com/lHaDaTMFbC

— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) February 21, 2025

“We’re playing with more fire,” Holt said. “We did what coach asked and got the job done.”

Also contributing to Sac State’s second-half barrage was freshman guard Lachlan Brewer,who contributed a career-high of 17 points and knocked down five threes, tying Holt for the game high and setting another career best.

“We had good preparation as a team the last few days and executed it well tonight,” Brewer said. “We kept the ball moving well as a team, on the offensive end and I was in the right spot to be on the end of some of the plays we made.”

Sac State head coach Michael Czepil continued to praise his players on their growth and is happy they can finally celebrate victory.

“I do feel like we’re playing good basketball in spite of the results,” Czepil said. “For the young guys to keep pushing and getting better through the close losses is a credit to them.”

Saturday: Sacramento State 66, Idaho State 83

Sacramento State captured lightning in a bottle against Weber State, but fell back down to Earth in last Saturday’s faceoff with Idaho State.

The Hornets were able to carry over their stellar 3-point shooting from their previous game, converting on 44% of their attempts, but were unable to replicate the result.

Leading the 3-point barrage were senior guard EJ Neal and sophomore guard Emil Skytta, who tied at three triples a piece.

“We preach to shoot the open looks,” Neal said. “The gravity that our bigs take up, it leaves shooters open. I definitely think it’s sustainable. We have great shooters on this team.”

Sac State kept pace with Idaho State for the first nine minutes of the game, tying the game at 17 a piece before missing six straight shots to set the table for a Bengal takeover.

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The Bengals took advantage of the Hornets’ scoring drought and ended the half on a 30-13 run, taking a 17-point lead into halftime.

The second half has been the comfort zone for Sac State. They have either tied or outscored their opponent in second-half points over their previous three games and Saturday’s game was no different.

“It just takes them a little time to figure things out,” Czepil said about the team’s first-half woes.

Sac State’s offense showed signs of life in the final period, opening up on a 5-0 run, courtesy of two quick baskets from Holt, but turnovers once again halted any chance of a Hornet comeback.

Eight second-half turnovers turned into 10 points for Idaho State to seal the game.

“Our turnovers just come down to our inability to be ball tough and play off two feet,” sophomore guard Bailey Nunn said. “We will be better come next week.”

The 15 total turnovers spelled doom for the Hornets and buried them against Idaho State as they picked up their twenty-first loss of the season.

The Hornets return to The Nest on Thursday at 7 p.m. for a matchup against Big Sky Conference leader Montana to kick off their final homestand of the season.