Montana St. wins defensive struggle with Sacramento St.

Feb 18, 2018, 06:31 pm

BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Tyler Hall scored 20 points, including four 3-pointers, and Montana State held off a late Sacramento State comeback bid to defeat the Hornets 62-59 on Saturday.

Sam Neumann added 17 points and 10 rebounds for Montana State (14-14, 9-6 Big Sky), which has won three-in-a-row.

Both teams labored for much of the game offensively. Neither group hit the 40 percent mark, and Montana State finished with just 20 made field goals. But the Bobcats hit two more 3-pointers and finished with an 11-point advantage at the foul line.

Montana State extended its lead to 54-44 after a Quinton Everett jumper with 5:24 left. But the Hornets made one final push, getting to within three (62-59) with 37 seconds to go. After Zach Green misfired from long range, Sacramento State had one opportunity to tie it, however Matt Battaglia missed from 3.

Eric Stuteville led Sacramento State (10-15, 7-7) with 15 points.