Sacramento State was led by sophomore guard Kim Sheehy, who scored 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting from behind the three-point line in 38 minutes on the floor.

Montana improves to 16-6 overall and still sits undefeated at the top of the Big Sky Conference with a league record of 9-0.

“I am really proud of our players for the way they executed a good game plan and stuck with it for 40 minutes,” head coach Dan Muscatell said.

The game was decided in the final moments, when the Grizzlies held a 56-54 lead with 42 seconds remaining. Montana’s Laura Cote missed a jump shot, but Jody McLeod grabbed the offensive rebound forcing Sacramento State to foul. McLeod made 1-of-2 free throw attempts to give the Hornets the opportunity to tie the game with six seconds left on the clock, but Sheehy’s last-second three-pointer fell just short.

“In the end, the difference in the game was a little bit too much size under the basket and a little bit better free-throw shooting,” Muscatell said.

Montana outrebounded Sacramento State, 43-33, including grabbing 18 offensive rebounds. At the free-throw line, the Grizzlies were 20-of-24 from the stripe and the Hornets were 10-of-15.

The game ended with eight ties and in the second half, the lead exchanged hands three times. Montana failed to score from the field in the last 2:30 of the game, but sunk four of its final six free-throw attempts. The Hornets also struggled with their shot late in the game, only scoring on 3-of-4 free-throw attempts after the 3:24 mark.

“The game was so back and forth,” Muscatell said. “We had many chances to fold the tent and be satisfied that we had played well against Montana for a good length of time, but we answered all their runs.”

Montana had two players finish in double figures, with McLeod scoring a game-high 19 points and adding 10 rebounds (five offensive). Also in double figures was Hollie Tyler with 16 points.

In the first half, Sacramento State had its biggest lead of the game, 23-17, with 7:21 remaining until the break. Sheehy and junior guard Cindy Alldrin each scored six points in the first 20 minutes, with Sheehy sinking both of her shots from behind the three-point line.

Montana finished the half on 11-6 run, but the Hornets maintained the halftime lead, 29-28. In the second half there were four ties in the first eight minutes, with Sacramento State taking their biggest lead of the half at 41-38 with 10:32 to go on Sheehy’s third three-pointer of the game. Sheehy now has 40 three-pointers on the season, ranking ninth all-time in Hornet history.

Montana responded by building a 51-46 lead with 3:50 to go behind five points from McLeod on three-consecutive possessions. But Sacramento State responded with a three-pointer from Alldrin and a steal and breakaway lay-up from senior guard Tyeisha Brown to tie the game at 51-51. Alldrin finished the game with nine points and a team-high four assists, while Brown ended her night with six points and three steals. The Vallejo, Calif., native now has 59 steals this season, tying her for eighth all-time in a single season. Sophomore guard Stephanie Cherry added nine points and six rebounds, while junior forward Lindsey Heard scored seven points and led the team in rebounds with eight.

Sacramento State plays its final road game of the regular season on Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. against Montana State at Worthington Arena. The Bobcats are currently 7-15 on the season and 1-8 in conference.