Xavier Blount and Tre Johnson scored 14 points apiece, helping Montana State keep Sacramento State winless in conference play with a 72-65 victory Thursday night.
Johnson added 10 rebounds, and Mohammed Fall and Christian Moon each chipped in 10 points for the Bobcats (9-8, 4-2 Big Sky), who improved to 8-0 this season when leading at halftime. MSU was 15 of 16 (94 percent) from the free-throw line.
Dylan Garrity had 18 points to lead the Hornets (5-12, 0-6), and Heath Hoffman scored 15.
Sacramento State took its only lead, 13-11, on a Josh McCarver dunk 13:20 before halftime. Montana State responded with a 15-4 run, including a 3-pointer by Blount and two by Jeff Budinich, en route to a 40-28 halftime lead.
The Hornets got within 66-63 on a Garrity 3-pointer with 2:34 to play, but free throws by Rod Singleton and Johnson helped seal the win for MSU.
