SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Junior Isnelle Natabou and Katie Peneueta each finished with a double-double to lead a group of four Hornets in double figures and Sacramento State weathered a lengthy run by UTEP on Saturday afternoon, claiming the championship of the Holiday Beach Classic with a 63-50 victory over the Miners at the Mott Athletic Center in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
The victory was the fifth straight for the Hornets, who improved to 5-1 overall on the season and posted its longest winning streak since winning five straight from Jan. 15-27 last season. The five wins in its first six games puts Sacramento State on its best start since the 2013-14 squad opened the year 11-1 in its first 12 games that year.
Led by 18 points from N'Yah Boyd, UTEP fell to 5-1 overall on the year after rallying to score the final 16 points in its tournament opening win over San Jose State on Friday night. The Miners become the second school to be handed its first loss of the year by the Hornets, who also beat a 3-0 UC Santa Barbara team back on Nov. 19.
Natabou led Sacramento State with 17 points and 14 rebounds — six of those offensive — for her third double-double of the season, reaching double figures in all six games this season and tying her second-highest total on the glass this year, matching the 14 boards against UC Davis on Tuesday (Nov. 22). Natabou hit 6-of-7 from the floor and all five of her free throws en route to her team-high total, adding a season-high three blocks while playing all 40 minutes.
Peneueta tallied her second double-double of the year, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds in a 40-minute effort while adding a pair of blocks to her team-high total entering the day. The 10 rebounds tied her career high set at Santa Clara on Nov. 14 earlier this year, while the 11 points marked her fourth double-digit scoring performance of the season.
Senior Kahlaijah Dean finished with 14 points, five assists, and three rebounds for her sixth straight double-digit performance, while freshman Madison Butcher chipped in a career-high 10 points and six rebounds to go with a pair of assists and two blocks off the bench.
Sacramento State led by as many as 13 points with 3:50 remaining in the second quarter when UTEP made its move, closing the period on a 10-0 run to trail by only three, 27-24, at the break, and then made the first two baskets in the third quarter to take its first lead of the day, putting the Hornets behind for the first time since the overtime period against UC Santa Barbara.
Peneueta answered with a three-pointer on her team's next possession and the two teams traded points from the line over the next four minutes before two free throws by Elina Arike and a jumper by Boyd put the Miners ahead, 37-35, with three minutes to play.
Another three-pointer on the fast break by Peneueta briefly regained the lead for Sacramento State, but a free throw re-tied the game at 38-all with 1:24 remaining in the period.
That's when the Hornets found their second wind as Dean drained a three-pointer and Kaylin Randhawa hit two from the line to stake Sacramento State to a five-point lead at the end of the third and the Hornets continued to run to start the fourth. Peneueta sank two free throws following a technical foul against UTEP and Natabou scored inside to grow the Hornets' lead to nine.
Randhawa hit a jumper to make it an 11-1 run, rebuilding the lead to double digits and Sacramento State held on from there. The Miners got no closer than six points the rest of the way, but Dean made a basket, Natabou scored inside, and the Hornets hit 5-of-6 from the line down the stretch, capping the scoring on a put-back by Natabou for the final score.
Sacramento State shot .393 from the floor for the game -- its lowest of the season after not shooting worse than 47 percent in its first five contests — but the defense was stellar, limiting UTEP to just .333 from the field and 2-of-7 from distance.
The Hornets held a commanding 41-28 advantage on the glass, including 12 offensive rebounds that led to 10 second-chance points.
After a busy week that saw Sacramento State play three games in five days, the Hornets play only once next week, welcoming Fresno State to The Nest on Saturday (Dec. 3) at 2 p.m.
