 Derek Lambeth scored a season-high 25 points in the win over Montana State. |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. ---- Senior Derek Lambeth scored a season-high 25 points and Jimmy White added a double-double to help lead the Sacramento State men’s basketball team to a 72-52 victory over Montana State Saturday night at the Hornets Nest.
The win gave the Hornets the sixth and final berth into the Big Sky Conference Tournament. The team will meet No. 3 Montana on Saturday, March 8. Sacramento State ended the regular season with an 11-16 overall record and a 5-9 mark in Big Sky games.
The loss eliminated Montana State from the playoff race and dropped their overall record to 11-16. The Bobcats also had a 5-9 league record but lost the tie-breaker with the Hornets due to the fact that they were swept in the two regular-season games.
Montana State led, 29-24, at halftime but quickly saw its lead evaporate following a three-pointer by Lambeth and a layup from Cedric Thompkins. The lead switched hands two times before Frank Brown gave the Bobcats a 34-33 advantage with 15:38 remaining.
From that point, Lambeth took over. The Oakland native hit back-to-back threes before Pete Conway answered with a jumper for MSU. Lambeth continued his run with a jumper and a third three-pointer. During the stretch, which lasted 2:45, Lambeth outscored the Bobcats, 11-2.
Sacramento State was never threatened the rest of the way and the team pushed its advantage to 20 points with 2:23 left.
Lambeth ended the game 8-of-16 from the floor, including a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the arc. His five treys eclipsed his previous career mark of three, while his point total was two shy of the 27 he scored last season at Cal State Fullerton.
White was also highly efficient from the field, making 7-of-10 field goals, including a three.
As a team, Sacramento State shot .468 during the contest including an impressive 29-of-62 (.600) in the second half. During the period, the team also made 6-of-8 threes (.750)
Montana State was paced by Shea Washington who had 13 points and 12 rebounds. Pete Conway added 11 points.
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