RENO, Nev. – Sacramento State got a career-high 31 points from sophomore Maranne Johnson and a near triple-double from senior Adella Randle-El with 20 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists in a 102-89 win over Southern Utah in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament Monday evening in the Reno Events Center.

The No. 7 seed in the Big Sky Tournament, Sacramento State (14-16) won for the seventh time in its last nine games and beat the Thunderbirds for the second time in six days. Southern Utah (4-25) was the No. 10 seed after a three way tie at the bottom of the conference standings with Northern Arizona and Portland State.

"We were able to knock enough shots down and pick up our defensive effort from the last time we played," Sacramento State head coach Bunky Harkleroad said. "It was a really good team effort for us tonight and we had a lot of big contributors. We're thrilled to get a win and look forward to getting after it Wednesday."

The Hornets advanced to face second-seeded Eastern Washington in the quarterfinal round at 5:35 p.m. Wednesday. The teams split two games this year with each winning on the other's home floor, including a 94-91 Hornet win in Cheney Feb. 18 on a game-winning three from Johnson.

She hit a career-high seven threes on Monday, scoring 18 points and hitting on 4-of-8 three point attempts in the second half. She also had six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks in 28 minutes.

"Having (injured junior guard Brianna Burgos) off the floor, I felt like I had to step up a little more and shoot as many shots as possible," Johnson said. "I knew my team would have my back and try to get the boards."

Randle-El finished just one rebound and one assist shy of the first triple-double in program history and had a game-high five steals. Senior Ericka Magaña matched her career high with 18 points, shooting 7-of-14 overall and 4-of-9 from three, and junior Gretchen Harrigan tallied 17 points, five rebounds, and three assists making a career-high tying four 3-pointers.

The Hornets broke Big Sky Tournament records for points, made 3-pointers (19), 3-point attempts (58), and offensive rebounds (30) in a game. Johnson also attempted the most 3-pointers (18) in tournament history while finishing one make shy of the record.

After falling to the Hornets 82-72 on their home floor last Wednesday, Southern Utah played Sacramento State tight again through a lot of Monday's game. SUU ended the first quarter on a 7-0 run and led 23-18 going to the second.

The Hornets had a 14-2 run midway through the second quarter to take a 43-35 lead and, after hitting seven 3-pointers in the quarter, led 53-46 at the half. Sacramento State blew the game open early in the third quarter, turning a 58-52 lead into a 74-54 advantage with a 16-2 run over five minutes.

Southern Utah closed the third quarter on an 8-0 run to get back within a 79-68 deficit going to the fourth, but Sacramento State hit a quick three to start the final quarter and led by at least 12 points the rest of the way.

The Hornets outrebounded Southern Utah 51-47 with 30 offensive boards. The squad forced 21 turnovers and outscored the T-Birds 31-13 in points off turnovers. Southern Utah outshot Sacramento State 49.3% to 39.6% but attempted 25 fewer shots and made 10 less 3-pointers.

Sophomore Jessica Richardson had 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Thunderbirds. Senior Ashleigh Munns made five 3-pointers and finished with 15 points in her final collegiate game.

Two years ago Southern Utah knocked Sacramento State out of the Big Sky Tournament in the first round in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The Hornets have now won a Big Sky Tournament game in four of the last five seasons after having never won a tournament game prior to the 2011-12 season.