GREELEY, Colo. -- The Sacramento State defense held host Northern Colorado to under 30 percent shooting for the game and allowed its fewest points to a Division I opponent in nearly two decades as the Hornets exploded for a 73-41 victory over the Bears on Thursday night in Greeley, Colo.
The victory was the seventh straight for Sacramento State, which improved to 13-2 overall and remained unbeaten in Big Sky Conference play at 4-0. The seven consecutive wins marks the program's longest winning streak since winning seven straight from Jan. 3-24, 2015.
Northern Colorado suffered its fourth straight defeat, falling to 8-8 overall and 1-4 in league with the loss. Leading scorer Hannah Simental, who entered the day averaging a team-high 16.2 ppg, was held to just two points and no field goals for the contest, limited to just four field goal attempts.
Blistering the nets to the tune of an even 60 percent from the field for the game — the highest for the Hornets since shooting .604 from the floor at Northern Arizona on Feb. 3 last season — Sacramento State was equally as impressive on the defensive end, holding the Bears to a .298 clip while allowing the fewest points against a Division I opponent since a 57-41 win over Eastern Washington on March 5, 2005.
Combined, the Hornets were 17-of-22 (.773) in the second half and outscored UNC by a 48-22 count over the final 20 minutes, turning a six-point lead at the break into a 32-point win in the final minute — the largest margin of victory in head coach Mark Campbell's tenure.
Reigning Big Sky Player of the Week Kahlaijah Dean and junior Isnelle Natabou each finished with a game-high 16 points, while Natabou added 10 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season to go with three blocked shots. Natabou, who logged her 21st consecutive double-digit scoring performance, finished 7-of-8 from the field after hitting her first four shots of the night, while Dean hit four of her six baskets in the second half, adding four rebounds and four assists.
Sophomore Katie Peneueta finished with 12 points on a quartet of three-pointers, adding three rebounds, while Kaylin Randhawa added 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Freshman Kaylie Edge chipped in six points on a pair of three-pointers late, while classmate Madison Butcher added five more early. Benthe Versteeg and Jordan Olivares rounded out the Hornet scorers with four and three points, respectively.
Sacramento State grabbed a one-point lead after one period of play, with neither side leading by more than three points, but a 10-0 burst to start the second quarter by the Hornets gave them an 11-point advantage just three minutes in. They led by that many with 3:04 to play in the half, but a 5-0 run capped by a Gabi Fields three-pointer cut the deficit to just six at the break — the 13th time this season that Sacramento State has led at the half.
However, a 10-0 explosion out of the locker room to start the third quarter was the decisive blow as the Hornets scored 18 of the first 20 points in the period to go up by 22 points with three minutes to play in the quarter and they never looked back.
Northern Colorado never got closer than 16 points the rest of the way, held to just 31 percent shooting from the field in the final 20 minutes.
After holding Eastern Washington to a Division I era best 21 rebounds in its last outing, Sacramento State was even stingier on the glass on Thursday, limiting Northern Colorado to just 19 rebounds en route to a 35-19 advantage in that category. The Hornets also had a season-high 19 assists on its 27 makes, posting their highest assist total since tallying 19 against Portland State on March 6, 2020.
Sacramento State closes out its road swing on Saturday (Jan. 14), traveling to Flagstaff, Ariz., to take on Northern Arizona at 1 p.m. PT.
IN THE BONUS: Freshman Akaysha Muggeridge made her Division I debut in the second half on Thursday, playing three minutes and grabbing her first career rebound… Sacramento State doubled-up Northern Colorado in the paint, out-scoring the Bears by a 28-14 count inside… The 13 turnovers on Thursday are tied for the second-fewest by the Hornets this season, trailing only the eight at Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 21… The 12 three-pointers were one shy of the team's season high after hitting 13 in a win over UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 19… The 73 points marked the third straight game that Sacramento State has scored 70-or-more points after doing so three times in its first 12 games combined… Thursday's win was only the fourth in 16 trips to Greeley, Colo., for the Hornets in the history of the series.
