POCATELLO − Ask any player, ask any team and they’ll tell you there are some nights no matter what you do the ball isn’t going your way and you aren’t going to win.

Unfortunately, a game like that came to the Idaho State women’s basketball team Monday night as Sacramento State came into Reed Gym, shot a blistering percentage and ruined Senior Night for nearly 1,200 fans, winning 85-72.

The loss, coupled with Northern Colorado’s two-point win at Montana, meant ISU gets the No. 4 seed for the postseason tournament in Boise and, for better or worse, gets an immediate rematch with the Hornets, who finish as the No. 5 seed, next Monday at noon at the Idaho Central Arena. The two teams split in the regular season, each winning on the opponent’s home floor.

The Bengals finish the regular season 19-10, 12-6 in Big Sky play. Sacramento State is 14-17, 8-10 in the league.

The tone of the game was set early as the Hornets center, Fatoumata Jaiteh, the transfer from Northern Arizona, nailed a three-ball, giving Sacramento State an early lead. She would drain another one in the second quarter at a time that blunted a Bengal rally. For the season she came in only shooting 26% from deep with only five makes the entire season.

That started the Hornets off on a three-point shooting deluge. In the first quarter, they dropped in three, added five more in the second quarter on their way to 14 for the game, two off the record for most ever in a single game against the Bengals.

But it wasn’t just three-pointers they were making; they were hitting everything — 71% just in the first quarter when they scored 27 points, the most ISU has allowed in the first quarter this season. Their outstanding guards Benthe Versteeg and Natalie Picton, the transfer from Montana State, kept penetrating, breaking down ISU’s defense and getting the ball to their bigger players for easy shots. The Hornets listed six players at 6-2 or taller on their roster.

When they weren’t doing that, their penetration forced the Bengals to double-team to try to stop the ball, and they simply passed the ball outside to the wings who were open for easy looks — and they didn’t miss much. The Hornets came into the game shooting 40% from the floor for the year, 30% from beyond the arc and 69% from the foul line. In this game, against statistically the best defense in the Big Sky, they blistered the nets to the tune of 54% overall, 50% from three and 75% from the charity stripe.

They outscored ISU in every quarter, led by the big three of Versteeg, Picton and Rubi Gray, who combined for 60 points on 22-of-40 shooting. They hit on nine of the 14 long balls Sacramento State converted in the game. Gray had 20 points, Bengal killer Picton scored 18 and Versteeg added 16.

In the first half, ISU trailed by 15 at one point, made a run and cut the deficit to only three, but time after time the Hornets would fire in a three-ball and keep Idaho State at bay. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the lead had ballooned to 21 points. The 85 points allowed by ISU were the most in any game this year, including games against teams from the Power 4 and Group of 6 leagues.

ISU, meanwhile, shot 41%, which normally isn’t bad, and 36% from three to go along with 79% from the free throw line. But as it turned out, they were outscored 42-15 from long distance and that was the difference in the game as once again another opponent walked into Reed Gym and had players have career nights with tremendous shooting.

Alyse Aby had her career-high 20 points to lead ISU in scoring, Tasia Jordan had 17, Kasey Spink 12 and Piper Carlson had her sixth double-double of the year with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Point guard Aspen Caldwell, who hurt her ankle late in the Montana State loss and missed the Weber State game, was dressed and appeared to be moving well in pregame warmups, although she didn’t play in the game. Barring a setback, she probably will be good to go for Boise, and that could make a big difference.

The last time ISU finished the regular season with an opponent then immediately played them in the first round of the postseason tournament was in March 2017. They ended the year with a loss to Montana at Dahlberg Arena, then beat them three days later in Reno, 63-53.

Given the fact that the team was hampered by serious injuries and had only nine players available for Senior Night, whatever happens next week in Boise doesn’t take away from the fact that they won 19 games under circumstances where a lot of other clubs would have just mailed it in and given up on the year.

But Monday night showed sometimes it’s just not your night.