IRVINE, Calif. - Sacramento State won a thriller Saturday afternoon, fending off the Illinois State Redbirds late, 65-63. Lianna Tillman's bucket with three seconds remaining proved the difference in the win.

With the victory, Sacramento State improves to 3-3 overall. The Redbirds fall to 1-5 on the season.

Saturday's game was the Hornets' first action in this weekend's UC Irvine Thanksgiving Invite. They'll face the host Anteaters in tomorrow's tournament finale. 

Sacramento State led for 34 minutes of Saturday afternoon's contest, including by as much as 14 midway through the third quarter. But Illinois State made a run in the fourth, scoring a game-high 23 points in the period and climbing back even with the Hornets. The two teams traded buckets over the final two minutes of action, but it was Lianna Tillman's basket with three seconds remaining that put the Hornets ahead for the final time. 

Tillman, who entered Saturday's game averaging better than 20 points per game, scored just nine against Illinois State, though her final bucket was the crucial game-winner. The graduate transfer added a season-high nine assists while playing all but 28 seconds of Saturday's game.

On a night where Tillman scored just nine, senior guard Summer Menke did much of the heavy lifting for Sacramento State, scoring a team-high 20 points. The Scottsdale, Ariz. native was 8-for-14 from the floor, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. 

She added five rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 39 minutes to her final line. 

Jessica Rios and Jazzy Carrasco both finished in double-figures for the Hornets, scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively. Rios was excellent from outside, going 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. For the season, the sophomore is shooting a spectacular 44.8% from distance. Carrasco finished 3-for-8 from outside and added a pair of critical free throws with just over a minute left to put the Hornets back ahead at the time, 61-59.

As a team, Sacramento State shot a season-high 50.0% from three, going 12-for-24 from beyond the arc. In addition to the trio of Menke, Rios, and Carrasco, Tillman and Nina Barry each added a three in Saturday's win. 

Isnelle Natabou led all players with eight rebounds and also added a block. The 6-5 center has at least one block in five straight games and is averaging 2.0 over that stretch. She scored eight points on 4-for-7 shooting.

Nina Barry added a season-best five points, all in the first half, going 2-for-2 from the floor (1-1 from three). 

In total, Sacramento State shot 49.0% from the floor, a season-best. The Hornets also won the rebound battle for the fourth time this year, edging Illinois State by a slim 28-27 margin. 

Despite allowing the Redbirds to tie the game late, the Hornets never trailed after the 7:01 mark in the first quarter. After falling behind quickly, 4-0 to start the game, the Hornets went on a 13-2 run to end the first, limiting the Redbirds to just six first quarter points. 

Sacramento State will return to action quickly as the Hornets take on the UC Irvine Anteaters tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 p.m. PT. Sunday's Thanksgiving tournament finale will stream live on ESPN+ with live stats available through UC Irvine Athletics. Links for both can be found online on the Sacramento State women's basketball schedule.