Derek Lambeth scored a season-high 21 points with the help of 10 free throws.

The win improved Montana to 13-15 overall and 7-6 in Big Sky Conference games. The victory also assured the Griz of finishing third in the final standings. The Hornets dropped to 10-16 overall and 4-9 in league games. Sacramento State can still qualify for the Big Sky Tournament with a win over Montana State on Saturday night.

After trailing by as many as five, 10-5, Montana made their move with just over 16 minutes to play in the first half. Bell sparked the run with a pair of baskets sandwiched around a Marcus Rosser jumper to give the Grizzlies the lead (11-10). From that point, Montana pushed its lead to 14 after a three-pointer from Kevin Criswell. Brandon Guyton stopped the run with a three-pointer just before halftime to make the score, 38-27.

Guyton’s three was the first for Sacramento State in the period as the team missed its first 11 attempts from long range. Conversely, UM made 3-of-7 attempts from behind the line in the period and 16-of-27 total field goals (.593) in the first 20 minutes.

The Hornets found themselves down 13, 42-29, early in the second half before the team’s offense awoke. Raashad Hooks began a run with a jumper and Jimmy White electrified the crowd with a follow-up dunk to trim the deficit to nine. Hooks added a second jumper and Guyton buried a three to end a 9-0 run. Following a UM hoop, Guyton made back-to-back threes to make the score, 45-44, in favor of the Grizzlies.

Montana began to pull away, leading by as many as seven. Down four, 65-61, with 4:27 left, Sacramento State used a three-point play by Derek Lambeth to get back into the game. Lambeth gave the Hornets their first lead since the opening minutes with a runner on the next possession.

The lead, however, was short-lived, due to the play of Bell. The Grizzlies’ leading scorer made all six of his free throws and added a three-pointer to seal the game.

Despite shooting just 5-of-16 from the floor, Lambeth led Sacramento State with 21 points. The senior did most of his damage from the line, making 10-of-11 free throws. White and Guyton each added 12 points and Cedric Thompkins contributed 10.

Bell’s total of 22 points was just slightly behind Criswell’s 25. Like Lambeth, Bell was 5-of-13 from the floor but also made 10-of-11 free throws. Criswell sparked the team in the first half with 19 points in the opening period. The freshman was limited to six points in the final 20 minutes.

As a team, Sacramento State improved on both sides of the court in the second half. The Hornets made seven of their final 14 three-pointers and shot .481 from the field in the second half. Defensively, Sacramento State held the Griz to 9-of-23 overall in the half. The .391 shooting percentage was .202 better than the Montana’s first-half effort.

Sacramento State concludes its regular season on Saturday against Montana State. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. Prior to the start of the contest, Sacramento State will honor its four seniors (Hooks, Lambeth, White and Leo Cravey) who will be playing their final home game.

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