Slim Prophet margin: Sac State’s Johnson leads Hornets in thrilling home win
With just under 16 minutes left in the second half Thursday night, Prophet Johnson signaled to his coaches that he needed a breather.
How could this be? This is Prophet Johnson, the relentless senior for Sacramento State who plays to the point of exhaustion. He generally doesn’t need a breather unless he’s crawling to the sideline during a timeout, his legs too spent to sprint anymore.
Johnson got his breather, caught his second wind, and then helped will the Hornets to their most inspiring victory of the season.
With Johnson muscling inside or hitting jumpers long and short, and with considerable help from Mikey Williams and Mark Lavrenov, Sacramento State outlasted Montana State 83-80 with a thrilling finish in front of another full house of nearly 3,000 at sparkling Hornet Pavilion.
A 6-foot-3 guard, Johnson scored a game-high 27 points to continue his torrid Big Sky Conference pace, and he had five rebounds, six assists and two steals as the Hornets beat the Bobcats of Bozeman for the first time at home in six years. Montana State came in winners of nine of their last 10 games and were 7-1 in conference play.
Williams is a sophomore guard who is among the leading scorers in the Big Sky, and he dropped in 23 points days after being held to a season-low 4 in a 75-67 loss at Eastern Washington. Williams had five assists and two steals. Lavrenov produced yet another big outing in his freshman season out of Placer County’s Rocklin High School, where he was the 2024-25 Sacramento Bee Player of the Year. He scored 17 points to go with 12 rebounds after recent games of 17, 26 and 26 points.
Jahni Summers, a 6-6 wing, scored 5 points, but 3 of them helped decide the game. Off a steal and pass from Williams, Summers threw down a thunderous dunk and was fouled. His 3-point play gave Sac State a 79-75 lead with 28.4 seconds left as the crowd and Hornets bench erupted.
Lavrenov and Williams coolly made free throws in the closing seconds to ice it, the Hornets outscored the Bobcats 24-2 on fastbreak points, and Hornets coach Mike Bibby soaked in a needed triumph as Sac State is coming off a tough road trip that dropped the Hornets to 0-12 away from Hornet Pavilion. They’re 7-1 on their home court.
“Great win,” said Bibby, the Hornets first-year coach. “Great crowd. We have it in us. They’ve just got to go out and show it. The first half was the best half I’ve seen us play so far. And, generally, everybody was happy for each other. If we keep playing like this, we can do some good things.”
Johnson grit sets home tone
Bibby knows what he’ll get out of Johnson, and that’s effort. Johnson is a native of Ohio and a transfer from Fairfield, an NCAA Division I program in Connecticut. He had a season-high 30 points in a spirited rally and victory over Northern Colorado on Jan. 17 and is averaging 16.4 points. His 8.2 rebounding average makes him the only Division I player in the country under 6-foot-5 to average eight or more rebounds a game.
Johnson labored through a tender calf, cramping and fatigue. Then again, he only knows one speed, and that’s frenetic.
“I want to play to my full potential,” Johnson said. “I don’t want to take any breaks, but if I’m tired, I’m tired, and I need a quick break and go back in. I’m just blessed to be in this position, being here. I don’t want to cheat myself, so I’m going to be all in.”
Johnson and his teammates know how to play to the crowd, and all of it within reason as Bibby demands discipline and fundamentals. He reminds players with a bark to set screens, to move without the ball.
The players say little in games, letting Bibby work over referees when warranted. But their game speaks loudly. The Hornets are a fun watch — on the break, hitting 3-pointers, dunking and competing. For a team with 14 new players to the program, it’s been a work in progress with a lot of encouraging signs despite the 7-13 overall record (3-5 in Big Sky action).
“It feels great that we have a crowd like this, and the fans and crowd are hyping us up,” Johnson said.
Johnson said his 6-foot-9 grandfather, Harold Johnson, inspires him. He added that longtime NBA star guard Russell Westbrook, currently with the Sacramento Kings, also inspires him in the way he competes and how versatile he is.
“He’s a tough player, plays hard and rebounds, and he gets people involved,” Bibby said of Johnson. “He’s learning how to pace instead of going 100 mph. He leaves it out on the court.”
Lavrenov said of Johnson, “He’s such a competitor. I saw that in the summer. We’re just two guys going at it, two guys who love to compete. I fell in love with his game right away. I knew I wanted to go to war with this guy. He’s going to bring it every single play.”
Sac State hosts Montana on Saturday, Weber State on Monday and first-place Portland State on Feb. 7.