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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sacramento State celebrated its three graduating seniors on Friday night honoring Gabi Bade, Camariah King, and Kennedy Nicholas before tip-off against Portland State. Despite a great crowd, great energy, and great performances, the Hornets fell in their regular season finale, 91-68, to the Vikings.
With the loss, Sacramento State closes the regular season 8-21 overall and, 6-14 in the Big Sky. Portland State finished with a 15-15 overall record and a 9-11 mark in league.
The Hornets had already locked up the nine seed in the upcoming Big Sky Tournament. With their win, the Vikings jumped to the number seven seed.
With that nine seed, Sacramento State will open the Big Sky Tournament in Boise on Monday, March 9 at 2:30 pm. The Hornets will go up against the league's number eight seeded Northern Colorado Bears.
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On Friday, the Hornets honored Gabi Bade, Camariah King, and Kennedy Nicholas before tip-off. Unfortunately, Bade was the only senior active on senior night as both King and Nicholas were sidelined with injuries.
Bade, also battling an injury, made the most of her night, scoring 13 points with eight assists and four rebounds in 34 minutes. She was 5-for-12 from the floor (2-8 3PT).
The eight assists matched a career best for Bade, who finishes her final regular season averaging 10.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game.
Tiana Johnson scored 21 points on Friday, matching Portland State's Tatiana Struen for most in the game. Johnson was 9-for-23 (1-2 3PT) and added five rebounds to her line for the night.
Milee Enger matched Bade with eight assists, a new career-high for the sophomore. She scored 12 points, collected three rebounds, and had two steals in the game.
Sacramento State and Portland State traded leads eight times in the first 12 minutes, but a 12-0 Vikings run in the second quarter gave Portland State its last lead of the night. Despite cutting a 15-point deficit down to six late in the third quarter, Sacramento State was unable to overcome the Vikings' lead.
Sacramento State shot 38.8% overall, including an efficient 41.7% from beyond the arc. The Hornets were just 6-of-14 from the free throw line. Portland State, meanwhile, shot 47.1% overall, including 48.3% from three. They were also over 90% from the free throw line (91.7%).
The Hornets are off for just two days before they play again, opening the Big Sky Tournament in Boise, Idaho, on Monday, March 9 at 2:30 p.m. MT/1:30 p.m. PT. Sacramento State will face the eight-seeded Northern Colorado Bears in the first game of the tournament.
Full details on how to follow Monday's tournament opener are available both at BigSkyConf.com and on HornetSports.com on the Women's Basketball Schedule page. Fans can also follow along on the Hornets Sports Experience app.
