SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento State women's basketball team tips-off its longest stretch of road games this season on Thursday (Jan. 26), heading to the "Treasure State" to take on Montana in Missoula at 6 p.m.
GAME #19
WHAT: Sacramento State (15-3, 6-1 Big Sky) at Montana (8-11, 4-4 Big Sky)
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023
TIME: 6 p.m. PT
WHERE: Missoula, Mont.
VENUE: Dahlberg Arena
WATCH: ESPN+ (https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401474002?gameId=401474002)
LIVE STATS: GoGriz.com (https://statb.us/b/431963)
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IN THE RANKINGS: After two weeks ranked among the top 25 in the College Insider mid-Major poll, Sacramento State slipped back into the ranks of those receiving votes for the second consecutive week (https://collegeinsider.com/womens-mid-major-top-25), picking up 54 votes to stand 26th... The Hornets made their debut in the top 25 back on Jan. 3 at No. 24, then jumped two spots to No. 22 in the Jan. 10 ranking... Those two rankings followed five consecutive weeks among those receiving votes beginning on Dec. 1... The No. 22 ranking on Jan. 10 was the highest for the program in the poll 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.
NATABOU MAKES MID-MAJOR AWARD MIDSEASON CUT: Initially named as one of 25 players to the preseason watch list for the 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats back on Oct. 19, junior center Isnelle Natabou got word that she has made the midseason top-15 cut on Jan. 18. The first Big Sky Conference student-athlete ever to be named to the list for this particular award, Natabou is one of only four from the West Coast named to the list along with Gonzaga's duo of Brynna Maxwell and Yvonne Ejim as well as Portland's Alex Fowler. 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.
AGAIN? AGAIN.: Senior guard Kahlaijah Dean picked up another Big Sky Player of the Week Award on Jan. 24, averaging 29.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 62 percent from the field and 67 percent from three-point range in wins over Idaho State and Weber State. Read the complete release at HornetSports.com.
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. 24, a Hornet has now been named Big Sky Player of the Week six times in the last nine weeks (Isnelle Natabou took home honors on Nov. 29 and Dec. 13, while Dean won three times on Nov. 22, Dec. 27, and Jan. 10) -- the most of any school in the league this season. The six awards as a team this year are a school record, surpassing the 2012-13 squad for the most in a single season since the Hornets joined the Big Sky in 1996-97.
AND THE AWARD GOES TO...: Dean became the first Hornet women's basketball player to win Big Sky Player of the Week honors three times in the same season with her award on Jan. 10, while her four career awards makes her one of only 10 Sacramento State players in the program's Division I history to win multiple awards in a career, tying her with Kylie Kuhns (2009-13), Alle Moreno (2010-14), Fantasia Hilliard (2011-15), Maranne Johnson (2014-18), and current teammate Isnelle Natabou, for the most in program history.
BIG (SKY) TIME: Dean's four awards this year are the most by any Big Sky Conference student-athlete during a single campaign since Northern Colorado's Savannah Smith took home the honor five times in a span of seven weeks during the 2018-19 season.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES: Montana enters the week with an 8-11 overall record and a 4-4 mark in Big Sky play after dropping games at home to Eastern Washington (87-60) and Montana State (72-63) last week... The loss to the Eagles snapped a three-game winning streak in league play... The Grizzlies are 4-5 at home this season, losing three of their last four... Senior forward Carmen Gfeller is one of four Montana players in double figures, averaging a team-high 13.0 ppg and shooting .492 from the floor to go along with 4.4 rpg and 13 blocks... Fifth-year guard Sammy Fatkin (12.5 ppg), junior guard Gina Marxen (10.8 ppg), and freshman guard Libby Stump (10.7 ppg) are all in double figures, while sophomore forward Dani Bartsch paces the team on the glass with 5.9 rpg.
SERIES NOTES: Montana leads the all-time series with Sacramento State by a 46-8 count dating back to the 1996-97 season... The Grizzlies swept the regular season series last year and have won nine of the last 10... The Hornets' last win in the series came in the 2021 Big Sky Tournament, 65-58, while their last regular season win over Montana came in 2018 with a 79-64 victory at home... Sacramento State is just 1-27 in Missoula, posting its only win on Jan. 21, 2017, by a 73-60 score... Since then, the Hornets have lost their last six trips to Dahlberg Arena.
NOT IF, BUT WIN: Everything else is gravy in the win column for Sacramento State, which earned its 15th victory of the season against Weber State to close out a 2-0 week, already surpassing last season's win total with 11 regular season games remaining. Its the most wins in a single season since the 2014-15 squad won 18 games, and stands just four wins away from the school record of 19 wins shared by the 1990-91 (19-7) and 2012-13 (19-12) teams.
BIG START IN THE BIG SKY: In addition to opening the conference schedule with a 4-0 record for the first time in school history, the Hornets' 6-1 start in league play is also its best since the 2014-15 squad began the Big Sky slate with a 7-1 mark, losing its opener before winning seven straight.
SAFE AT HOME: The Hornets are starting to make winning at home a habit as their victory over Weber State improved them to 7-1 at The Nest this season -- including a seven-game winning streak. It is the longest home winning streak since Sacramento State opened the 2013-14 campaign with an 8-0 record en route to an 11-1 start overall, while the seven home wins are the most since the 2014-15 squad finished 11-3 within the friendly confines.
ROAD WARRIORS: The win at Northern Colorado on Jan. 12 was the Hornets' sixth win in true road contests this season, standing 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 The Nest. The six road wins are tied with Montana State and Northern Arizona (as of Jan. 23) for the most in the league following last week's games.
WIRE-TO-WIRE: For the second straight game, Sacramento State never trailed in its win over Weber State on Saturday, leading for all but the first 13 scoreless seconds before Isnelle Natabou scored inside to break the seal. It was the fifth wire-to-wire victory for the Hornets this season, joining wins over UC Davis, UTEP, Portland State, and Idaho State while the 39:47 in the lead is the most this year, just one second more than the 39:46 in the lead against Idaho State.
FROM WILD TO MILD: The Hornet defense did its best to tame the Wildcats, holding Weber State to just 13 made baskets and 28 percent shooting overall from the floor in the 70-44 victory. It marked the third time this season that Sacramento State has held an opponent to under 30 percent from the field (UC Davis at .278 and Northern Colorado at .298) while the 13 field goals are a season low, the fewest since Pacific Union finished with only 12 makes in 2019-20, and the fewest by a Division I opponent since CSUN was limited to 13 on Feb. 22, 1997.
YOU'VE MADE YOUR POINT: The 70 points in the win over Weber State marked the fourth time in the last six games -- and the seventh time overall -- that the Hornets reached or surpassed the 70-point plateau after doing so just three times in the previous 12 contests. Meanwhile, the 44 points allowed to the Wildcats were the second-fewest on the year behind only the 41 points surrendered to Northern Colorado -- both happening in the span of the last four games -- and the fifth time that a Sacramento State opponent has been limited to 50 or fewer points.
THIS IS 40: The Hornets shot 49 percent from the floor in their win over Weber State marking the 15th time in 18 games that Sacramento State has topped that plateau this season -- including five games above 50 percent and a 60 percent showing in the win at Northern Colorado on Jan. 12. On the flip side, the Hornets' defense has held opponents to under 40 percent from the field 10 times.
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN: Sacramento State's shooters have had their eyes on the prize from deep as of late, hitting 38-of-88 (.438) from beyond the arc over its last four games, including two of its five performances with 10-or-more three's made per game (12 at Northern Colorado and 10 vs. Idaho State).
MIND THE GAP: The 32-point win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 12 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. Thus far, nine of Sacramento State's 15 wins have been by double digits, while the 26-point win over Weber State on Jan. 21 marked the team's fifth of 20-or-more points.
SHOOTER!: Someone get a hand in the face of the Hornets. Sacramento State enters the weekend as one of the most efficient shooting teams in the Big Sky, leading the league in both field goal (.467) and three-point (.366) percentage, while ranking second in free throw (.781) percentage. The Hornets lead second-place Eastern Washington by more than 41 points in the field goal category, has a seven-point lead in three-point shooting over Portland State, and stands second only to Northern Colorado (.793) from the line.
NOTHING BUT NET: In addition to the above rankings, the Hornets also stand among the top 20 in the NCAA in all three shooting categories, ranking 14th in free throw, 17th in field goal, and 20th in three-point percentage as of Jan. 23. Sacramento State is one of seven schools to rank among the top 20 in the nation in both field goal and three-point percentage, joining the likes of UConn, Colorado State, Illinois, Iona, LSU, and Iowa.
NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH: But there are such things as free points, and senior Kahlaijah Dean is taking full advantage. Ranking third in the Big Sky with 92 makes from the line and seventh with an .821 free throw percentage, Dean finished a perfect 7-for-7 at the line against Idaho State on Jan. 19 (her third "perfect" game with at least six attempts this year), and has moved her to within 20 makes of the school's all-time single-season top 10 list (Shelby Boudreaux is 10th with 112 made in 1995-96) and 14 away from the program's Division I top 10 (Julie Wastell with 106 made in 1998-99).
BUILDING BLOCKS: Thanks to her three blocks over the weekend against Idaho State and Weber State, Isnelle Natabou has moved into eighth place on the school's all-time blocked shots list with 60, swatting 36 last season and adding 24 more this year. Her total passed Hannah Friend (2017-19) for the spot and trails Sephora Scoubes (1999-01) by seven for seventh. Natabou isn't the only one climbing the list as sophomore Katie Peneueta and her 50 career blocks -- 29 of those coming this season -- are just six shy of Atty Boyer (2005-09) and her 56 blocks for 10th place.
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 517 boards, Natabou stands 53 shy of the all-time top-10 (Linda Simmons is 10th with 570 from 1977-81) and only 12 back of the Division I list (Emily Christensen is 10th with 529 from 2007-12).
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 17-point, 18-rebound effort in the win over Weber State, Natabou collected her third double-double in her last five games and her 10th of the season overall -- ranking No. 17 in the NCAA in that category as of Jan. 23. In her 10 double-double performances this year, the native of the Czech Republic is averaging 16.8 ppg, 13.6 rpg, and shooting 70-for-104 (.673) from the floor.
AND I'M REEEEEE.... RE-BOUNDING: The 18 rebounds against the Wildcats marked Natabou's second-highest total of the season (20 against UC Irvine in the season opener) and the 10th time in 18 games that she has grabbed 10-or-more in a single contest. Of her 18 boards, Natabou corralled nine of those on the offensive glass -- tied for the second-most in her career and the most since she had 10 offensive rebounds as part of a career-high 22-rebound night at Portland State on Jan. 15.
FOUR!: One of the steadiest shot-makers in the nation continues to rank among the top five in the country in an ever-changing national ranking for field goal percentage as Natabou enters the week at No. 4 in the NCAA in the category three days after standing No. 3 in the nation. Natabou's .654 from the field trails only Liberty's Mya Berkman (.724, Indiana's Mackenzie Holmes (.681), and Ohio State's Taylor Thierry (.669).
TWO FOR 30: No, it's not the latest meal deal from your favorite sit-down eating establishment. Senior Kahlaijah Dean's 31-point outburst in the win over Weber State not only tied her Sacramento State career high set against Eastern Washington back on Jan. 7, but made her the first Hornet to have two games of 30-or-more points since both Hannah Friend accomplished the feat three times and Maranne Johnson did it twice during the 2017-18 season.
SHE'S A WALKING BUCKET: On her way to 31 points against Weber State, Dean finished 10-of-13 from the field -- including 6-of-7 from three-point range, marking the fourth time in her last six games that she has finished with double-digit makes from the floor and the sixth time she has done so overall this season. In addition, the six three's matched teammate Katie Peneueta's six makes from distance at CSUN on Dec. 19 for the most by a Hornet this year.
20-20-20-20-20-30-20-20-30 VISION: It's truly a sight to see. Dean's 31 points against Weber State on Jan. 21 marked her ninth game -- and her fifth in the last six outings -- with at least 20 points this year, while her 31 points against Eastern Washington and the Wildcats 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.
THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE: Kahlaijah Dean is still out there doing Kahlaijah Dean things, notching her ninth straight double-digit scoring performance with 31 points against Weber State after being held to a season-low nine points against CSU Bakersfield. In that stretch, Dean has been a machine, averaging 24.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, and 4.1 apg, while shooting .493 (73-for-148) from the floor -- including a run shooting .667 (14-for-21) from beyond the arc in the last three games after hitting just eight combined in the six games prior to that -- and .887 (55-for-62) from the line during that stretch.
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 18 games in the green and gold, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has brought her total up to 1,810 career points, ranking No. 22 among active scorers across the country as of Jan. 23 and posting a total that would rank second on Sacramento State's all-time scoring list, trailing only the 2,064 points by Kristy Ryan from 1990-94.
HERE'S A QUARTER: Give Kahlaijah Dean 10 minutes and she's going to do some damage. Give her four of those and watch out. The senior from Bakersfield, Calif., scored 11 points in the fourth quarter of Saturday's win over Weber State, her 14th double-digit quarter this season out of 17 by a Hornet this year. She has accomplished the feat five times in the third, four times in the first, three times in the fourth, and twice in the second.
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.
OH, YES, THEY CALL IT A STREAK: The Hornets' win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 12 extended Sacramento State's winning streak to seven games overall -- its longest since winning seven straight from Jan. 3-24, 2015 -- giving them 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, posting runs of eight consecutive victories from Jan. 4-29 and six straight wins to end the year from Feb. 5-18.
THE BEST AROUND: Nothing's ever gonna keep them down. Despite suffering their third loss of the year, the Hornets are still off to their best start in school history at 15-3 overall, breaking a deadlock with the 2013-14 squad that opened 11-1 before losing its next three consecutive games. Included in this year's start, four straight victories to tip-off 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.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DARLING: Natabou is one of 22 players in the NCAA averaging a double-double (as of Jan. 23), but one of only five to average at least 15.9 points and 10.5 rebounds entering the week along with LSU's Angel Reese (24.2 ppg-15.6 rpg), Virginia Tech's Elizabeth Kitley (18.7 ppg-11.1 rpg), DePaul's Aneesah Morrow (25.2 ppg-11.8 rpg), and South Florida's Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu (16.3 ppg-12.4 rpg).
PUTTING THE "KAY" IN 1K: A picture is worth 1,000 words, but senior guard Kaylin Randhawa is now worth more than 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 167 points this season with the Hornets.
BLOCKING IT OUT: Boasting the Big Sky's second-best scoring defense at 57.8 ppg allowed, the Hornets have also done work on the glass, holding opponents to a league-best 28.2 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 Jan. 12. Last week, Weber State was held to just 22 rebounds in the Hornets' 26-point win, marking the 14th time in 18 games that Sacramento State has allowed fewer than 30 rebounds in a game this season.
THREE IS MORE THAN TWO: Trust us... Katie Peneueta has certainly done the math. In 37 career games with the Hornets, the Vancouver, Wash., native has made a living from long distance, sinking 97 of her 105 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.
THE PENEUETA IS MIGHTIER: One of four players in double figures against Idaho, sophomore Katie Peneueta collected her third double-double of the year, adding a career-high 11 rebounds, 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 against San Francisco State on Feb. 21, 1983.
PASSING THE CRASH TEST: Another double-digit rebounding performance for Isnelle Natabou is nothing new for the junior, who owns six of the top 10 single-game rebounding performances in the Big Sky this season. Natabou, whose 18 rebounds against Weber State are the second-most in the league this year, enters the week ranked among the top 25 in the nation in three of the four major rebounding categories: offensive rebounds (10th), rebounds per game (16th), and total rebounds (23rd).
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 against Weber State on Jan. 21 -- her fourth 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 and Portland State. It is the ninth 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 (36.3 mpg), Peneueta (35.9 mpg), and Dean (35.0 mpg). The trio ranks second, fourth, and sixth, respectively, in the league in minutes and entered the week ranked among the top 60 in the nation at 20th, 29th, and 51st, 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 20th-highest in the NCAA for a single-game -- and the most of any Big Sky player -- as of Jan. 23, and stands as one of only thirty-eight 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.
