SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Montana’s Katie Edwards scored a career-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, to lead the Grizzlies to a 78-59 win over Sacramento State on Saturday night at Dahlberg Arena.The Hornets fall to 6-10 on the year and 1-3 in the Big Sky Conference, while the Grizzlies, the defending Big Sky champions, improve to 13-3 and 2-1 in league.
Senior guard Cindy Alldrin led Sacramento State with 13 points, while senior guard Lindsay Calmettes posted a career-high 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc.
Montana held a 36-26 advantage at halftime, but shot 60.7 percent (17-of-28) from the floor in the second half to pull away. The Hornets struggled from the floor, shooting just 31.1 percent (19-of-61) for the game.
The Grizzlies were able to maintain their 10-point lead through the first seven minutes of the second half, before exploding for an 8-0 run, sparked by two of Edwards'' seven three-pointers. With an 54-36 lead at the 12:16 mark, Calmettes drained two treys, cutting the lead to 58-44 with 9:38 remaining, but Sacramento State would pull no closer.
The Hornets never had the lead in the game and three-pointers from Edwards and Mandy Morales helped Montana take a 22-point advantage, its largest of the game, with 8:20 remaining.
Morales added 15 points for the Grizzlies, while Edwards tacked on nine rebounds and four assists to her performance.
The Hornets were out rebounded 47-27, with Montana picking up 14 boards on the offensive glass.
In the first half, Montana jumped out to an early 7-0 lead just three minutes into the game, and extended it to a 14-4 lead at the 14:17 mark.
The Hornets would come no closer than cutting the deficit to six, 19-13, at the 9:44 mark behind a jumper from Katelyn Ciampi.
Sacramento State forced Montana into a game-high 14 turnovers, while committing just nine, a new season low. The Hornets were also nearly flawless from the free-throw line, shooting 92.9 percent (13-of-14).
Sacramento State''s biggest struggles came from long distance, shooting just 28.6 percent (8-of-28).
The Hornets next travel to Northern Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 28 to end its three-game roadtrip.