Sacramento State coach Mike Bibby talks to his players during a timeout during a game between Sac State and Presbyterian at Hornet Pavilion in Sacramento on Sunday, Nov. 16. The Hornets in Bibby’s first season as head coach saw their season end Saturday night with a first-round Big Sky Conference tournament loss to Idaho.
HANNAH RUHOFF
hruhoff@sacbee.com
In order for Sacramento State to rock the Big Sky Conference tournament bracket, the Hornets had to accomplish something they have not been able to do: win a game away from Hornet Pavilion.
It didn’t happen.
Seeded No. 8 in the 10-team event at the Idaho Central Arena, Sac State dropped a 68-45 setback to the No. 7 Idaho Vandals on Saturday night, ending an injury-plagued season for first-year coach Mike Bibby at 10-21.
The Hornets were cold, making just 14 of 55 shots (25.5%), including making just 3-of-17 3-pointers (17.6%) as the Hornets played all eight of their healthy players. The roster has been depleted with all sorts of ailments down the stretch of the season, including the team’s top player in junior 6-foot-11 forward Jeremiah Cherry and leading scorer in sophomore guard Mikey Williams.
Jahni Summers was the only Hornet to reach double-figures in scoring with 10 points. The team’s top healthy scorer, senior guard Prophet Johnson, scored 9 on 3-of-12 shooting. Arman Madi also scored 9 for Sac State, which dropped two close games in Big Sky play to Idaho.
Idaho improved to 18-14 and moved into Sunday’s second round of the tournament. Jackson Rasmussen scored 19 and Kolton Mitchell 17 for Idaho.
Though the Big Sky Conference Tournament is officially listed as a neutral-site game, Sac State finished 0-17 away from Hornet Pavilion, Sac State’s new on-campus venue that helped the school shatter attendance records.
Saturday marked the final Big Sky basketball event for the Hornets men’s program as they will start Big West Conference play next season.
The Sac State women open Big Sky Tournament play Monday against Idaho State.
Related Stories from Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee
Joe Davidson has covered sports for The Sacramento Bee since 1989: preps, colleges, Kings and features. He was in early 2024 named the National Sports Media Association Sports Writer of the Year for California and he was in the fall of 2024 inducted into the California High School Football Hall of Fame. He is a 14-time award winner from the California Prep Sports Writer Association. In 2021, he was honored with the CIF Distinguished Service award. He is a member of the California Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Davidson participated in football and track in Oregon.