In this season’s final game at the Nest, Sacramento State ended their tenure at the 70-year-old building in an all too familiar fashion, losing 60-87 to Montana State on Saturday.
The Nest has served as the battleground for the Hornets since 1955, but has not been kind to them lately, including this year’s 7-23 campaign. It has only seen three winning seasons since Sac State’s move to Division I in 1991.
Various Hornet alumni were in attendance for the last game in the gym they once called home. Despite the loss, Sac State head coach Michael Czepil said he was pleased to see their support.
“It was great to see all the ex-players and folks around the program come back,” Czepil said. “It’s special for them to spend some time in a place where they’ve made so many memories. I love the Nest, and I think it’s a great place to play college basketball.”
The stage was set for the Hornets to overcome their first-half scoring woes that have been a weakness for them in conference play. They have only averaged 30 points across their last 17 opening periods.
Sac State asserted themselves early in the game, as senior forward Jacob Holt scored or assisted on the Hornets’ first 10 points to take a 10-5 lead in the first five minutes.
There was hope that Sac State would end their time at The Nest on a positive note and enter a new era with a clean slate, but the Bobcats had other plans.
Montana State ranks third in the Big Sky Conference in 3-pointers, with an average of eight per game. Sac State’s late rotations on defense opened the floodgates for the Bobcats to knock down 14 threes for the game on 60% shooting.
“We were slow in our rotations,” Czepil said. “For their best shooter to get 12 attempts off, that means we’re a step slow.”
Montana State graduate student guard Tyler Patterson was a microwave and turned up the heat against Sac State, knocking down eight of his 12 attempts from long-range.
As the Bobcats warmed up, Sac State cooled down, and turnovers began to pile up for the Hornets at the nine minute mark.
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Montana State took eight first-half Hornet turnovers to the bank for 13 points and ended the half on a 7-1 run to take a 45-34 lead.
The Hornets’ second half on Thursday outscored conference leader Montana by 10 points, and they were primed to replicate that performance against the Bobcats.
Unfortunately for the Hornets, the Bobcats were determined to steal their thunder, scoring on their first two possessions to expand their lead to 16, before a layup by Holt stopped the bleeding.
Along with Holt, sophomore guard Emil Skytta was a primary source of offense for Sac State, as the two combined for 19 of the Hornets’ 26 points in the second half.
“I think we just lost our juice,” Skytta said. “I feel like everybody came out great. They started getting easy ones from 3-point land and that took a toll on us.”
The Hornets had no answer for the Bobcats, whose 3-point storm rained out the final home game and senior night festivities.
Holt said his final home game as a Hornet didn’t go the way he had hoped, but he is still grateful for his time at Sac State.
“I was so thankful when ‘Zep’ was the first one to recruit me here out of the portal,” Holt said. “I’ve had a great time in my two years here. I’ve grown a lot, as a person and as a basketball player. I can’t thank the Sac State community enough for supporting us through the years. Stinger for life.”
Sac State has one game left in their season, as they face Portland State on the road Monday at 7 p.m. The Hornets look to gain momentum before entering the Big Sky Tournament on March 8.
