Following their first two Big Sky Conference victories, Sacramento State began a two-game road trip to Moscow, Idaho, and Cheney, Washington, to take on the Idaho Vandals and the Eastern Washington Eagles.

Jan. 22: Idaho 86, Sac State 76

Heading into the matchup at Idaho Central Credit UniArena, the Hornets had a 2-3 record in conference play and were looking to climb up to a .500 record. They had just won their previous two games, including their most impressive win of the season against the Northern Colorado Bears.

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The Vandals were looking to start a win streak of their own, having taken down Weber State in their previous game on Jan. 17. They entered the match 3-2 in conference play and 11-7 on the season.

It was a battle from the start with freshman forward Mark Lavrenov asserting himself as Sac State’s go-to guy from the jump. Lavrenov ended the first half with nine points and nine rebounds, with six boards being on the offensive glass. 

Halfway through the opening period, the Vandals had a 1-point advantage, 25-24.

The Vandals were on fire from the 3-point line in the first half, connecting on 11 of their 21 attempts from deep. Their consistent shooting allowed them to build up a lead later in the half, ending the first half leading by a score of 53-38.

The second half saw the Hornets try to fight their way back into the game, getting the deficit as low as three, but were unable to fully erase the Vandal lead with the contest ending 86-76 in favor of Idaho.

Lavrenov’s scoring exploded in the second half; he scored the opening six points for Sac State and ended the game with 26 points and 12 rebounds, setting a career high for the second game straight, recording his third consecutive double-double and posting his fourth game straight with 10 or more rebounds. 

Senior guard Prophet Johnson, the reigning Big Sky Player of the Week, took a step back in scoring but still played the all-around game that Hornet fans have become used to. He tallied eight points, nine assists and eight rebounds. 

Sophomore guard Mikey Williams returned to the lineup after missing the team’s previous two games with an injury and scored 14 points, six rebounds and two steals in 27 minutes.

Idaho had a balanced scoring night, with three players scoring more than 15 points. Senior guards Biko Johnson and Isaiah Brickner had 20 and 19, respectively, and redshirt sophomore guard Kolton Mitchell had 17. The trio also combined for eight made threes.

Idaho redshirt junior guard Jack Payne had a double-double of his own, scoring 12 points and posting 12 rebounds. It was Payne’s highest rebounding game and first double-double of the season.

Jan. 24: Eastern Washington 75, Sac State 67

Sac State’s game against Eastern Washington in Cheney, Washington, was unfortunately more of the same.

Both teams entered the game 2-4 in conference play, with the Eagles looking to leapfrog the Hornets from their position in the Big Sky standings. EWU was coming off of a 4-point loss to Portland State, the conference leader. 

The game followed the same pattern that every road game has for the Hornets this season, as they stay close behind their opponents but never catch up fully and lose their steam toward the end.

It was an offense-on-offense affair early on, with neither team having much success at stopping the other from scoring. Both squads ended up slowing down at a similar rate, with the Eagles slightly ahead throughout the game.

The Hornets ultimately weren’t able to close the gap, losing the game to EWU with a final score of 75-67.

Saturday’s loss sees the Hornets’ road record drop to 0-12 on the season and 0-5 in their Big Sky road games. For a team that has little difficulty winning at home, the question remains how this squad will learn to win outside Hornet Pavilion.

“We’ve got a lot of guys learning what it takes to win in this league,” head coach Mike Bibby said. “This is one of those games you grow from, if you’re willing to put the work in.”

Lavrenov had another strong performance, tying his career high from the previous game against Idaho with 26 points. Fourteen of his points came from his season-high 15 attempted free throws, showcasing the increased physicality he’s showcased since the beginning of the conference schedule.

This game saw a more reserved role from Williams who recorded five field goal attempts, his least of the season despite playing all 40 minutes. In the contest against EWU, Williams was utilized more as a playmaker, with his five assists being the most he’s had in a Big Sky game.

Johnson also played the entire duration of the game, scoring 18 points and cleaning the glass 11 times. This statline marked his seventh double-double of the season, but his first in conference competition. 

The Eagles won the game with no true dominant scorer, having four players score 11 points or more. They also won the battle on the boards 31-25 and moved the ball more efficiently, finishing with five more assists than the Hornets.

Sac State returns home for their first matchup of their season-long four-game homestand on Thursday, Jan. 29 when they host the Montana State Bobcats. The Bobcats are currently 7-1 in Big Sky play, sitting at No. 2 in the conference.

“I believe in this group. We’re not where we want to be yet, but we’re building the right habits,” Bibby said. “The response from this locker room will tell you a lot about who we are moving forward.”