SACRAMENTO -- Coming off a dominant defensive performance in Colorado and riding a seven-game winning streak, the Sacramento State women's basketball team heads to Flagstaff, Ariz., to close out its roadtrip, taking on Northern Arizona on Saturday (Jan. 14) at 1 p.m. PT.
GAME #16
WHAT: Sacramento State (13-2, 4-0 Big Sky) at Northern Colorado (9-9, 3-2 Big Sky)
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023
TIME: 1 p.m. PT
WHERE: Flagstaff, Ariz.
VENUE: Findlay Toyota Court
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: NAUAthletics.com
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IN THE RANKINGS: For the second consecutive week, the Sacramento State women's basketball stands among the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25, entering this week's games ranked No. 22 in the nation -- up two spots from last week's debut (https://collegeinsider.com/womens-mid-major-top-25). It is the highest ranking in that poll for the Hornets since they stood No. 22 on Feb. 11, 2014 -- a season that saw them among the top 25 for eight consecutive weeks following an 8-1 start that year, reaching as high as No. 13 in early January. This season, Sacramento State has been listed for seven consecutive weeks, making its debut among those receiving votes on Dec. 1 and remaining there for five consecutive weeks until coming in at No. 24 on Jan. 3.
NATABOU ON MID-MAJOR AWARD WATCH LIST: One season after showing she's one of the best in the West, junior post Isnelle Natabou is garnering national attention heading into the 2022-23 campaign, named as one of 25 players to the watch list for the 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats on Oct. 19. The first Big Sky Conference student-athlete ever to be named to the list for this particular award, Natabou is joined by 24 of her peers on the initial watch list and is only one of four from the West Coast named to the list along with Gonzaga's Brynna Maxwell, Portland's Alex Fowler, and San Francisco's Ioanna Kimili. For more details, read the complete release on HornetSports.com.
NATABOU NAMED TO BIG SKY'S PRESEASON TEAM: In addition to her national honor, Natabou was also named to the seven-member preseason all-conference team, joining Montana State's Darian White (who was selected the MVP), Idaho's Beyonce Bea, Montana's Carmen Gfeller, Northern Colorado's Hannah Simental, Montana State's Kola Bad Bear, and Weber State's Daryn Hickock. The native of the Czech Republic became only the third Hornet to earn preseason all-league honors in the process, joining former standouts Kennedy Nicholas (2019-20) and Brianna Burgos (2016-17).
BUT WAIT... THERE'S MORE!: The accolades continued to roll in for Natabou, who was also named the Big Sky's Preseason Player of the Year according to ESPN.com, which made its picks for all 32 Division I conferences on Oct. 25.
KAHLAIJAH DEAN... THE THIRD: Coming off a pair of lights-out performances in the scoring column, senior guard Kahlaijah Dean has been named the Big Sky Player of the Week for a third time this season on Jan. 10, averaging 28.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game in wins over Idaho and Eastern Washington, shooting just over 51 percent from the field and 89 percents from the line in the two games.
WHAT IS THE "JOUEUR DE LA SEMAINE?": It's the player of the week. That sounds good, we'll have that. Thanks to Kahlaijah Dean's award on Jan. 10, a Hornet has now been named Big Sky Player of the Week five times in the last eight weeks (Isnelle Natabou took home honors on Nov. 29 and Dec. 13, while Dean won twice on Nov. 22 and Dec. 27) -- the most of any school in the league this season. The five awards matches the 2012-13 squad for the most in a single season since the Hornets joined the league in 1996-97.
AND THE AWARD GOES TO...: Dean becomes the first Hornet women's basketball player to win Big Sky Player of the Week honors three times in the same season, while her three career awards makes her one of only 10 Sacramento State players to win multiple awards in a career. Her three honors trail only the four career awards claimed by Kylie Kuhns (2009-13), Alle Moreno (2010-14), Fantasia Hilliard (2011-15), Maranne Johnson (2014-18), and Natabou.
ABOUT THE LUMBERJACKS: Northern Arizona enters Saturday's contest with a 9-9 overall record and a 3-2 mark in Big Sky play after its three-game league winning streak was snapped with a 78-66 loss to Portland State on Thursday... The Lumberjacks are 4-2 at home this season, having lost two of their last three... Grad forward Montana Oltrogge is one of five NAU regulars in double figures, posting team highs with 12.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while shooting 37 percent from the field... Senior guard Regan Schenck is averaging nearly seven assists per contest, leading the Big Sky with 124 overall and 6.89 per game.
SERIES NOTES: The Lumberjacks lead the all-time series with the Hornets by a 38-17 count after the two teams split their regular season series last season -- each team winning on the road... Sacramento State's 76-62 victory at NAU last year snapped a seven-game skid in the series dating back to 2019 and a five-game losing streak in Flagstaff... The Hornets are 7-20 all-time on the road against the Lumberjacks in the series.
PUTTING THE "K" in 1K: A picture is worth 1,000 words, but senior guard Kaylin Randhawa is now worth a 1,000 points in her career following her performance in the win over Eastern Washington on Jan. 7. The Turlock, Calif. native finished with 17 points, pushing her past the 1,000-point plateau in her collegiate career, which includes 524 points in three years at Pacific, 345 points last year at Utah State, and 146 points this season with the Hornets.
THE BEST AROUND: Nothing's ever gonna keep them down. The Hornets are off to their best start in school history at 13-2 overall, breaking a deadlock with the 2013-14 squad that opened 11-1 before losing its next three consecutive games. Included in that start, four straight victories to start Big Sky Conference play -- the first time since Sacramento State joined the league in 1996-97 that the Hornets have opened conference play with a 4-0 record.
NOT IF, BUT WIN: Sacramento State earned its 13th triumph of the season with its victory at Northern Colorado, moving to within one win of last year's 14-16 overall record. The Hornets have now posted double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since they went six straight years with 10-or-more victories from 2011-17.
OH, YES, THEY CALL IT A STREAK: Thursday's win over Northern Colorado extended Sacramento State's winning streak to seven games overall -- its longest since winning seven straight from Jan. 3-24, 2015 -- giving the Hornets two winning streaks of at least six games in the same season for the first time in the program's Division I history. The last time Sacramento State had a pair of six-game winning streaks in the same year came in 1984-85, when it won 14 of its last 15 overall while posting runs of eight consecutive victories from Jan. 4-29 and six straight wins to end the year from Feb. 5-18.
STREAKY STATS: Over the course of their last seven victories, the Hornets are averaging 69.7 ppg and 35.9 rpg, shooting .475 (171-for-360) from the floor. At the other end of the court, the Sacramento State defense has clamped down, allowing just 55.6 ppg and 25.6 rpg while holding opponents to .384 (139-for-362) shooting from the floor -- including a .266 (25-for-94) clip from beyond the arc.
NINE TIMES? NIIIIINE TIMES.: Wake up and smell the coffee, Hornet fans, it's already a record-setting season and we're only halfway done. Sacramento State clinched its ninth non-conference victory of the season on Dec. 21 at Cal State Fullerton, breaking a tie with the 2013-14 squad (8-2 in non-conference games) for the most in the history of the program. Of the Hornets' 11 non-conference opponents, seven finished with winning records and were a combined 64-50 (.561) in non-conference play. That kind of start bodes well for the Hornets, who won 18 games in 2013-14 -- ranking tied for the third on the school's single-season list.
HOME, SWEET HOME: Sacramento State's win over Eastern Washington on Jan. 7 improved the Hornets to 5-1 at The Nest this season, including wins in each of their last five contests. The five-game winning streak is its longest since the end of the 2014-15 season, which included a WNIT second-round victory over the Eagles as the fifth victory in that stretch.
ROAD WARRIORS: The win at Northern Colorado on Thursday improved the Hornets to 8-1 in games played away from the friendly confines of The Nest and 6-1 in true road games this season. The six road wins are just one shy of last year's total (7-7), which were the most since the 2015-16 team also won seven games away from home.
KEEP YOUR ENEMIES CLOSE...: And your deficits closer. Sacramento State has not trailed by more than four points at any point during its recent seven-game winning streak -- that deficit coming midway through the third quarter against Idaho on Jan. 5. The Hornets' largest deficit this season has been 14 points against San Diego State on Dec. 7, while they overcame and 11-point gap against UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 19 en route to a 70-68 overtime victory.
ONE IS THE LONLIEST NUMBER: But 60 is the winningest number for the Hornets. Thanks to its 73 points in the win Thursday, Sacramento State improved to 13-0 this season when scoring 60-or-more points and 6-0 when topping the 70-point plateau.
RARIFIED AIR: The Hornets hit for an even 60 percent from the floor in the win in Greeley, Colo., (elevation 4,675 feet) on Thursday -- the highest for a Sacramento State team since shooting .604 from the field at Northern Arizona on Feb. 3 of last season. A big part of that performance came in the second half against Northern Colorado when the Hornets were a combined 17-of-22 (.773) while outscoring the Bears, 48-22, over the final 20 minutes.
PUT A LID ON IT: As impressive as the Hornets' offense was against the Bears, their defense just may have been the star of the show. Sacramento State limited Northern Colorado to just .298 shooting from the field -- the second time this year that an opponent has shot led than 30 percent (UC Davis shot just .278 on Nov. 22 at the Golden 1 Center) -- while the 41 points allowed were the fewest against a Division I opponent in nearly two decades since the Hornets defeated Eastern Washington, 57-41, on March 5, 2005.
MIND THE GAP: The 32-point win over Northern Colorado marked the largest margin of victory in head coach Mark Campbell's tenure, besting the 22-point win over UC Davis earlier this year. It was the program's biggest win since a 59-point drubbing of NAIA member Pacific Union on Dec. 19, 2019, and the largest against a Division I foe since sinking Northern Arizona by the same margin in a 111-79 win over the Lumberjacks on March 4, 2016.
DON'T STOP ME NOW: 'Cause we're having a good time, having a good time. There hasn't been much that has slowed down Sacramento State's offense over the last three games as the Hornets have topped the 70-point mark (averaging 75.3 ppg in that stretch) in each of those contests -- something they had done only three times in their previous 12 games combined this year. The run includes a season-high 82 points in a win over Eastern Washington on Jan. 7, which were the most by a Sacramento State squad since it posted an 82-76 win over the Eagles on Jan. 28, 2021.
GIVE AND MAKE: The Hornets were in a giving mood in Greeley, dishing out a season-high 19 assists on their 27 made baskets en route to the 32-point victory. The 19 assists -- which included a group of four players with at least three assists on the night -- were the most since Sacramento State posted the same number of helpers against Portland State on March 6, 2020.
EVERYBODY ON THREE: Sacramento State's offense unleashed a fusillade of 12 makes from beyond the arc in the win over Northern Colorado, which stood just one shy of the season high of 13 against UC Santa Barbara back on Nov. 19 and marked only the fourth time this season the Hornets have made 10-or-more in a game.
SECOND VERSE, MORE THAN THE FIRST: The second half has been scintillating for the Hornets over their last three contests, shooting nearly 62 percent (43-for-70) after the break in that stretch, compared to "only" .432 (35-for-81) in the first half of their last three victories. Thursday at Northern Colorado, Sacramento State hit better than 77 percent (17-for-22) of its shots from the floor in the final 20 minutes, including a single-quarter season-best 80 percent (8-for-10) in the fourth to put the Bears away.
BLOCKING IT OUT: Boasting the Big Sky Conference's second-best scoring defense at 57.9 ppg allowed, the Hornets have also done work on the glass, holding opponents to a league-best 28.1 rebounds per game. Sacramento State allowed only 21 rebounds to Idaho on Jan. 5, which stood as the fewest allowed by the Hornets in their Division I history for exactly a week until they gave up only 19 rebounds to Northern Colorado on Thursday. That total against the Bears marked the 12th time in 15 games -- and the seventh straight contest -- that Sacramento State has allowed fewer than 30 rebounds in a game this season.
INTRODUCING...: Freshman Akaysha Muggeridge became the latest Hornet to make their collegiate debut in the green and gold this year, entering the game in the second half of Thursday's win over Northern Colorado and grabbing her first career rebounds in three minutes of action off the bench.
21 AND COUNTING: And the beat goes on. Isnelle Natabou's 16 points at Northern Colorado gave her double-digit points in each of her last 21 games dating back to last season, averaging 15.7 ppg (330 total) in that stretch while shooting .682 (144-for-211) from the field. THREE!: One of the most consistent and reliable shot-makers in the nation, Natabou enters Saturday's contest at Northern Arizona ranked No. 3 in the NCAA in field goal percentage, shooting .671 on the season to trail only Liberty's Mya Berkman (.694) and Indiana's Mackenzie Holmes (.68.5) after Ohio State's Taylor Thierry (.667) fell to fourth.
I DOUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLE DARE YOU: Keep on eye on your box scores. If Isnelle Natabou has a double-double, you may be in trouble. Thanks to her 16-point, 10-rebound effort in the win over Northern Colorado, Natabou collected her seventh double-double in her last nine games and her ninth of the season overall -- ranking No. 11 in the NCAA in that category as of Jan. 13. In her nine double-double performances this year, the native of the Czech Republic is averaging 16.8 ppg, 13.1 rpg, and shooting 63-for-88 (.716) from the floor.
THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE: Kahlaijah Dean is still out there doing Kahlaijah Dean things, notching her sixth straight double-digit scoring performance with 16 points at Northern Colorado after being held to a season-low nine points against CSU Bakersfield. In that stretch, Dean is averaging 22.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 4.5 apg, while shooting 43 percent (45-for-104) from the floor and 88 percent (38-for-43) from the line during that stretch.
HERE'S A QUARTER: Of Kahlaijah Dean's 16 points against Northern Colorado, 10 of those came in the third quarter alone, marking the ninth time that the senior has posted double-digit points in a single quarter out of the 12 by a Hornet this year. She has accomplished the feat three times in both the first and third quarters, twice in the second, and a final double-digit performance in the fourth.
THE DEAN OF SCORING: Dean brings with her a pedigree of knowing where the basket is, reaching the 1,000 career point milestone as only a junior at Oakland University and finishing her four years with the Golden Grizzlies with 1,425 points. Following her first 15 performances in the green and gold, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has brought her total up to 1,723 career points, ranking No. 25 among active scorers across the country as of Jan. 13 and posting a total that would rank third on Sacramento State's all-time scoring list, passing Maranne Johnson's 1,627 points from 2014-18 and trailing Heidi Carroll's second-place total of 1,733 from 1982-86.
1-2 PUNCH: Dean (second at 19.9 ppg) and Natabou (fifth at 16.5 ppg) are one of only two teammate tandems to rank among the top 10 in the Big Sky in scoring, joining Weber State's Daryn Hickock (third at 16.9 ppg) and Jadyn Matthews (eighth at 13.3 ppg).
KAYLIN'S KILLING IT: Senior Kaylin Randhawa has been in a groove as of late, reaching double figures for the eighth time this year with her 11 points at Northern Colorado and a season-best third straight game with 10-or-more points. During her recent scoring binge, Randhawa is averaging 13.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, shooting 50 percent (13-for-26) from the field and draining half (6-for-12) her three-point attempts. She finished with 17 points in the shootout with Eastern Washington on Jan. 7, matching her Hornet career high set in overtime against UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 19.
31 FLAVORS: Fresh off a 26-point explosion against Idaho on Jan. 5, senior Kahlaijah Dean did herself five better two days later against Eastern Washington, finishing with 31 points to eclipse her previous Sacramento State career high of 28 points against Cal State Fullerton in the non-conference finale. The 31 points fell just three shy of Dean's collegiate career best of 34 points set at Central Michigan on Dec. 7 of last season while at Oakland University and marked her fourth career 30-point game -- three of those with the Golden Grizzlies.
20-20-20-20-20-20 VISION: Dean's 31 points against Eastern Washington on Jan. 7 marked her sixth game with at least 20 points this year and were the most by a Hornet since Lianna Tillman finished with 35 at Idaho on Feb. 24 last season en route to Big Sky MVP honors.
BOXING OUT AND CLOSING IN: Following a year in which she grabbed the fourth-most rebounds in a single Hornet season, Natabou has her sights set on both the school's all-time and Division I top-10 lists for career rebounds during her second year in the green and gold. Entering Saturday with 485 boards, Natabou stands 85 shy of the all-time top-10 (Linda Simmons is 10th with 570 from 1977-81) and only 44 back of the Division I list (Emily Christensen is 10th with 529 from 2007-12).
THE PENEUETA IS MIGHTIER: One of four players in double figures against Idaho, sophomore Katie Peneueta collected her third double-double of the year in the process, adding a career-high 11 rebounds against the Vandals, while hitting a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor. However, her most impressive performance may have been at the defensive end, where she finished with a career-high seven blocks -- six of those against the conference's leading scorer Beyonce Bea. The seven blocks are tied for third on the school's single-game list and were the most since Kennedy Nicholas had seven at Weber State on Feb. 20, 2019. The record is held by Heidi Carroll, who swatted 10 shots against San Francisco State on Feb. 21, 1983.
THREE IS MORE THAN TWO: Trust us... Peneueta has certainly done the math. In 36 career games with the Hornets, the Vancouver, Wash., native has made a living from long distance, sinking 96 of her 104 career field goals from behind the three-point line. At the media timeout of the second quarter on Nov. 22 against UC Davis, Peneueta's previous 30 makes from the field had all been three-pointers until she posted up and found room inside for a lay-up at the four-minute mark of the period -- her first two-point basket since scoring inside at Northern Arizona with 21 seconds left in a 76-62 victory on Feb. 3 last year -- and she finished with a career-high three (out of four makes) two-pointers against Idaho on Jan. 5 as part of her third double-double this season.
PASSING THE CRASH TEST: Another double-digit rebounding perfomance for Isnelle Natabou is nothing new for the junior, who owns five of the top eight single-game rebounding performances in the Big Sky this season. Natabou enters the week ranked among the top 30 in the nation in three of the four major rebounding categories: offensive rebounds (14th), rebounds per game (18th), and total rebounds (29th).
NO SLEEP TILL...: No rest for the weary for the Hornets as Natabou became the latest to go all 40 minutes in a game this season at Portland State on Dec. 31 -- her third game this year playing all 40 minutes (or more) when you include the 43-minute performance in overtime against UC Santa Barbara and her 40 minutes against UTEP. It is the eighth time a Sacramento State player has played every minute, joining Benthe Versteeg's 40-minute performance at Cal State Fullerton and Peneueta's four games of 40 minutes or more (at Santa Clara, vs. UC Santa Barbara, vs. UTEP, at Cal State Fullerton).
MINUTE WOMEN: Speaking of minutes, there haven't been many players in the Big Sky -- let alone the entire country -- who have seen more time on the court this year than the Hornets' Natabou (35.94 mpg), Peneueta (35.72 mpg), and Dean (35.55 mpg). The trio ranks third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in the league in minutes and entered the week ranked among the top 40 in the nation at 25th, 32nd, and 37th, respectively.
ARE YOU BOARD?: Natabou clearly wasn't in the Hornets' opener against UC Irvine, as her 20 rebounds were the most since she had 22 against Idaho in an overtime win on Jan. 22 last year and was her third career game with 20-or-more. Nationally, the 20-rebound performance is tied for the 18th-highest in the NCAA for a single-game -- and the most of any Big Sky player -- as of Jan. 13, and stands as one of only thirty-three 20-rebound games in the NCAA.
HORNETS GO GLOBAL WITH SIGNEES: Head Coach Mark Campbell racked up the frequent flier miles to sign four student-athletes during the recent NCAA signing period, welcoming post Paula Haw and guard Lina Falk from Germany, forward Summah Hanson from Australia, and guard Sofia Alonso from Spain.
