FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The Sacramento State women's basketball team jumped out to a big lead in the first quarter and never trailed in a 76-62 win over Northern Arizona at the Walkup Skydome on Thursday night.

The Hornets improved to 10-10 overall and 6-5 in the Big Sky Conference while winning for the sixth time in the last seven games. NAU dropped its second in a row and is now 9-10 overall and also 6-5 in conference.

Lianna Tillman and Katie Peneueta each scored 20 points to pace the Hornets. Isnelle Natabou (16 points, 17 rebounds) and Summer Menke (11 points, 10 rebounds) added double-doubles in the win. Northern Arizona was guided by a career-high 24 from Emily Rodabaugh.

Sacramento State stormed out of the gates leaving the Lumberjacks unable to overcome the deficit. Menke started the game with a three and, following an NAU jumper, the Hornets went on a 16-0 run behind six points from Tillman and Peneueta and two each from Menke and Natabou. The Lumberjacks ended the scoring drought with a basket at the 4:11 mark but was unable to score again for the rest of the quarter as the Hornets led 25-4.

Northern Arizona began to climb back into the game with a 10-run in the middle of the second quarter to cut the Hornet lead to eight. Peneueta ended the streak with a three-pointer and Natabou followed with a layup before Miki'alo Maio capped the half with a layup just before the buzzer to trim Sacramento State's lead to 35-24.

Northern Arizona scored the first six points of the third quarter to pull within five in the first two minutes. That run was matched by a layup from Natabou and consecutive buckets from Tillman. The Hornets eventually stretched the lead to 18 after back-to-back threes from Peneueta who finished the game 6-of-7 from long range en route to her career high scoring total.

After NAU scored six unanswered, Peneueta connected on another three-pointer to give the team a 53-38 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Lumberjacks opened the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run which was eventually stopped with baskets from Natabou and Tillman. A layup from Rodabaugh and a three from Regan Schenck  drew NAU within six (59-53) with just under five minutes to play.

However, that would prove to be as close as the team would get as the Hornets would go on a 12-2 run over the next three minutes to put the game away.

Sacramento State shot a season-best 59.2 percent from the field, making 26-of-49 attempts. The team was 8-of-15 from three (53.3 percent) and 10-15 from the line (66.7). The Hornets had a big advantage on the glass with 38 rebounds compared to 20 from the Lumberjacks. Sacramento State played just seven players during the game with each of the five starters logging at least 27 minutes and four playing 37 minutes or more.

The Hornets return to The Nest to play Portland State on Saturday, Feb. 7, at noon (NOTE: GAME WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR 2 PM).