RENO, Nev. — Sacramento State forward Summah Hanson had one of the best performances by a freshman in the program's recent memory on Thursday night, finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead a pair of Hornets in double figures, but it wasn't enough to tame the host Wolf Pack as Nevada pulled away late for a 69-53 win at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno.
Playing in only her second collegiate contest, Hanson finished the night 7-of-17 from the floor, 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, and hit 4-of-5 from the line to pace her side, adding two assists, a pair of blocks, and a steal to her rebounding total.
She became the first Sacramento State freshman to score 20 points in a game since Katie Peneueta had 20 at Northern Arizona on Feb. 3, 2022, and posted the most points by a Hornet freshman since Tiara Scott finished with 25 on Feb. 18, 2017, against Montana State. Scott finished 9-of-14 from the floor and drained seven three-pointers in that contest.
Adding in her 11 rebounds, Hanson also posted the first double-double by a Hornet freshman since Margaret Huntington had 10 points and 13 rebounds against UC Irvine on Dec. 14, 2013.
Joining Hanson in double figures was newcomer Sophia Lee, who finished 4-of-7 from the field for a career-high 11 points to go along with three rebounds and a pair of steals. Sophomore Benthe Versteeg set a new career high with eight assists to go with six points and seven rebounds.
The two teams went back-and-forth over the first six minutes of the contest, deadlocked at 9-9 at the media timeout before Nevada (1-0 overall) finished the period on an 8-0 run to lead 17-9 after 10 minutes. That run continued into the second quarter as the Wolf Pack scored the first four points in the period to make it a 12-0 burst before the Hornets responded.
A basket by Versteeg and back-to-back three-pointers from Lina Falk and Hanson keyed a 12-3 burst that had Sacramento State (0-2 overall) within three points at 24-21 with 4:22 remaining in the half, but the Wolf Pack scored five of the final seven points to carry a 29-24 lead into the locker room at the break.
Nevada then busted the game wide open to start the second half, using a 10-2 burst over the first three minutes to rebuild its lead to 13 at 39-26, but the Hornets continued to chip away, trimming a 17-point deficit down to just nine thanks to a 10-2 run over the final three minutes of the third quarter.
A lay-up by Lee to start the fourth made it a seven-point contest, but Sacramento State could get no closer as a 15-0 run by the Wolf Pack over the next four-plus minutes gave them their largest lead of the game to that point at 65-43 and they never looked back. The Hornets ended the game on a 10-4 run, which included Hanson's fourth triple of the night.
Sacramento State held a 42-33 advantage on the boards for the game, including 14 offensive rebounds, but could not overcome 28 turnovers that led to 34 points for Nevada.
After opening the season with two games on the road, the Hornets will enjoy the creature comforts of home for eight of their next nine contests beginning Sunday (Nov. 12) at 2 p.m. against Cal State Fullerton at The Nest on campus.
