SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sacramento State trailed by two at halftime on Saturday, but the Hornets turned in an excellent second-half performance, outscoring the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, 44-35, en route to an exciting 73-66 win in the Nest.

For the second time in as many games, the Hornets (2-17, 2-14 Big Sky) and T-Birds (9-6, 4-3 Big Sky) were locked in a back-and-forth battle throughout the first half. The two teams traded leads four times and were tied another five over the first 20 minutes of action.

Sacramento State looked like a different team than the one that faced Southern Utah on Thursday. The Hornets put forth a rounded first-half effort, receiving offensive and defensive contributions from multiple players. Both Milee Enger and Jessica Rios hit two three-point field goals in the first half and Tiana Johnson had six points and four boards as the Hornets went into the half trailing by two, 31-29. 

Coming out of the break, Sacramento State exploded for 44 second-half points, led by Milee Enger (11 pts) and Summer Menke (12). The two teams continued to trade leads (they went back and forth nine times in total), but momentum really began to swing in Sacramento State's favor at the end of the third quarter when the Hornets went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 50.

From there, the Hornets held the Thunderbirds to just three made field goals in the fourth quarter as the game went final, 73-66.

In total, Enger finished with a team-high 17 points, just one shy of her career-best of 18 (2/22/20 at Idaho). The junior from Herriman, Utah, made a career-high four triples in the win, going 4-for-6 from distance and 5-for-9 overall.

Enger was one of four Hornets to finish in double figures on Saturday. She was joined by Summer Menke, who went for 15 points (12 in the second half), Tiana Johnson (14 pts) and Jordan Olivares (11).

For Johnson, the 14 points went along with 10 rebounds, giving the junior her third double-double of the season.  

Saturday's contest was also a physical one with the two teams combining for 43 total fouls (23 against the Hornets). Three players fouled out, including Sacramento State's Johnson and Olivares, as well as Southern Utah's Liz Graves.

Speaking of Graves, the T-Birds guard led all players in both scoring and rebounding, going for 18 and 13 in her team's losing effort.

Overall, Sacramento State outshot the Thunderbirds by a narrow 42.9-41.5% margin. The two teams were nearly identical from three, with Sacramento State and Southern Utah shooting 34.8% and 35.0%, respectively.

Sacramento State is on the road next, heading to Ogden, Utah to face Weber State on Thursday, Feb. 25 and Saturday, Feb. 27. Both games will stream live on Pluto.TV. For more information, including direct links and series previews, be sure to visit the Hornet women's basketball homepage online at HornetSports.com.