The Hornets improve to 6-9 on the year and earn their first Big Sky Conference win, improving to 1-2. The Bobcats fall to 1-13 and 0-2 in the Big Sky.

Heard was joined in double figures by junior guard Kim Sheehy, who added 11 points and senior guard Cindy Alldrin who put up 10 points on an 8-for-8 performance from the free-throw line, while also dishing out four assists.

Sheehy sank three shots from beyond the arc, extending her Big Sky-leading three-point streak to 21 games, and also totaled three assists.

With the score knotted 32-32 at the break, Sacramento State opened the second half on a 9-2 run, capped with a three-pointer from senior guard Lindsay Calmettes.

Montana State regained the advantage, 43-42, at the 11:59 mark on a jump shot from Alyssa Nelson, and the teams exchanged the lead eight times, before the Hornets took control for good at the 4:36 mark on one of Heard’s two treys.

With a 56-54 lead, Sacramento State held the Bobcats scoreless on their next two possessions, extending the lead to 60-54, before Whitney Connolly cut the deficit to three with a long-distance jumper at the 3:03 mark. Connolly led all scorers with 19 points.

For over two minutes neither team could produce a basket on the offensive end, until Alldrin made her way to the free-throw line, going 4-for-4 for Sacramento State from the charity stripe in the final minute.

Sacramento State shot 42.0 percent from the floor while holding Montana State to 38.2 percent. The Hornets also shot 76.2 percent from the free-throw line and outrebounded the Bobcats 37-29.

Senior forward Katelyn Ciampi added nine points and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, three on the offensive end.

The Hornets will next travel to Montana on Saturday with a 6:05 p.m. (PST) start time.