IRVINE, Calif. - Sacramento State was back in action Sunday afternoon, taking on the UC Irvine Anteaters in the finale of this weekend's UCI Thanksgiving Invite. Despite a close game throughout, the Hornets fell in the weekend finale, 58-51, to the host Anteaters. 

With the loss, Sacramento State falls to 3-4 overall while UC Irvine improves to 4-2.

The Hornets tipped things off on Sunday less than 24 hours after Saturday's thrilling, two-point win over the Illinois State Redbirds. Unfortunately, the Hornets were unable to win their second game in as many days in Irvine. 

A slow start put Sacramento State in an early hole, 17-9, after the first 10 minutes. The Hornets began to chip away at the deficit, outscoring the Anteaters in the second quarter and closing the first half with a Jessica Rios triple to make it a five-point, 26-21 game. 

UC Irvine opened things back up after the break, however, going on a 10-4 run to start the half and taking a 44-34 lead into the final period.

Sacramento State climbed back within five, 53-48, after a Jazzy Carrasco bucket with just over a minute remaining in the game, but by then it was too little too late as the Anteaters made 6-of-8 free throws in the final minute to seal the game, 58-51.

Lianna Tillman paced Sacramento State in scoring on Sunday, putting up 16 points to lead a quartet of Hornets in double figures. Tillman dished out six assists while adding three rebounds and two steals to her afternoon. 

Summer Menke collected her second double-double of the season, going for 11 points and 10 rebounds (three offensive). She also added three assists. 

Sophomore shooter Jessica Rios finished with a season-high 12 points against UC Irvine, sinking a number of crucial threes in critical moments to prevent UC Irvine from going on major runs. She finished 4-for-8 from the floor overall, including 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. 

Isnelle Natabou was the team's fourth to score in double figures as the 6-5 center also went for a double-double on Sunday. Natabou led all players with 13 rebounds while scoring 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting. She blocked two more shots on Sunday, bringing her streak to six straight games with at least one block. 

As a team, Sacramento State tallied 12 assists on Sunday, one more than UC Irvine, which finished with 11, though lost the rebound battle, 38-34. The biggest difference in Sunday's contest came from the three-point line, where the Hornets shot just 23.1% (6-26). The outside effort brought down the team's overall field goal percentage to 33.9% while UC Irvine shot it at a 40.7% clip.

Sunday's game was the second in as many days for the Hornets, who close out the UCI Thanksgiving Invite 1-1.

Up next, the Hornets will return home, though just for a brief stop as they continue north for a weekend against Montana and Montana State. The early Big Sky action is just a preview of the conference season as the Hornets return to non-conference play after this weekend for three more games. 

First, Sacramento State takes on the Lady Griz of Montana on Thursday, Dec. 4. The Hornets upset the Griz in the first round of the 2021 Big Sky Tournament last march, ending the season early for Montana. 

Thursday night's game will stream live on ESPN+ with live stats available at HornetStats.com. As always, links, news, notes, and more can be found on the 2021-22 Women's Basketball schedule at HornetSports.com.