SACRAMENTO — Fresh off a season-best shooting performance against Santa Clara on Wednesday, the Sacramento State women's basketball team closes out a run of five straight at home on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 2) at 2 p.m., welcoming CSUN to The Nest.

THIS WEEK…
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | CSUN | Big Sky Conference

GAME #7
WHAT: CSUN (2-3) at Sacramento State (0-6)
WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023
TIME: 2 p.m. PT
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
ARENA: The Nest
WATCH: ESPN+ 
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com
TICKETS: HornetSports.com

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'
• Sacramento State will not leave the state of California for the remainder of the calendar year until it rings in the New Year with a trip to Minnesota to take on St. Thomas to kick-off the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge
• The Hornets were 17-4 in games played in the "Golden State" last year, posting an 11-2 record at home and winning four of their last five -- the only loss in that stretch coming against UCLA in the NCAA Tournament

IN THE RANKINGS
• Neither Sacramento State, nor CSUN, are ranked nationally entering this week's games
• Sacramento State was scheduled to face four teams listed in the preseason College Insider poll (as of Nov. 1), all among those receiving votes and three of those during Big Sky Conference play: Eastern Washington (50 votes), Northern Arizona (4), UC Davis (3), and Montana (1)
• The Hornets finished 2022-23 ranked No. 22 in the final College Insider Mid-Major poll, but are unranked in that poll to start the 2023-24 campaign

THE COACHES
• Sacramento State's Aaron Kallhoff is in his first season at the helm of the Hornets. He has served five previous seasons as a head coach at the junior college level and spent 10 years as an assistant at five Division I programs: Arkansas State, TCU, LSU, Penn State, and BYU
• CSUN's Carlene Mitchell is in her third season at the helm of the Matadors' program, posting an 18-46 (.281) record in her previous two campaigns.

ABOUT THE MATADORS
• CSUN enters the week with a 2-3 overall record, having lost its last three straight following back-to-back wins over Utah State (79-64) and SeattleU (81-72 in overtime) to start the year
• The Matadors last played on Nov. 22, traveling to Minneapolis and falling at Minnesota, 84-31
• CSUN also has losses to Santa Clara (71-39) and NAIA foe Hope International (64-60)
• The Matadors have yet to win on the road, falling at Santa Clara and Minnesota
• Junior guard Erica Adams, a transfer from Pacific, leads the team in scoring at 15.0 ppg and is shooting .480 from the floor this year, but hasn't played since the team's win over SeattleU in the second game of the year
• Freshman guard Kaitlyn Elsholz is also in double figures for CSUN, averaging 11.4 ppg and leads the team with eight three-pointers made
• Junior forward Kayanna Spriggs paces the Matadors on the glass, averaging 7.2 rpg, while also leading the team with 12 steals on the year
• As a team, CSUN is averaging 58.0 ppg while giving up 71.0 ppg, and has been outrebounded by an average of 10 rebounds per contest

SERIES NOTABLES
• Sacramento State leads the all-time series with CSUN by a 20-17 count according to records dating back to the 1976-77 season
• The Hornets and Matadors were conference rivals in the America West Conference from 1994-96, with Sacramento State winning all five games -- which included a non-conference tournament meeting at Idaho State in 1995 -- in that stretch
• That rivalry spilled over into the Big Sky Conference era, where CSUN won eight of the 10 meetings between the two schools from 1996-2001
• The Hornets have won two of the last three after the Matadors posted eight straight wins in the series from 1998-2001
• That eight-game streak for CSUN followed a stretch of 16 consecutive Sacramento State wins -- and 18 victories in 19 games -- from 1989-97
• The Hornets posted a 63-61 victory over the Matadors last season in Northridge -- the first meeting between the two schools in women's basketball since the 2014-15 campaign
• Each of the last two games have been played in Southern California as Saturday marks the first clash in Sacramento since Nov. 18, 2013, which ended in a 92-73 Hornet victory
• 11 of Sacramento State's 20 wins in the series have come at home where the Hornets are 11-5 in the history of the series
• However, the Matadors have won four of the last five meetings at the Nest after Sacramento State snapped a four-game home skid with its win in 2013

CONFERENCE CALL
• Sacramento State is a combined 87-104 against the current Big West Conference alignment, having faced 10 of the 11 members
• Saturday's game against CSUN will be the third of four against Big West opponents -- all coming within the friendly confines of The Nest
• Sacramento State fell to Cal State Fullerton, 61-51, on Nov. 12 and UC Davis, 79-57, with one game remaining Cal Poly (Dec. 21)
• The Hornets were an impressive 6-1 against the league last season, dropping their opener against UC Irvine before rattling off six straight wins over UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, CSUN, and Cal State Fullerton
• Sacramento State's 32 wins over UC Davis are the most against any other current Big West school, followed by the 20 wins over CSUN and 13 more against Cal Poly

RUNNING A GAUNTLET
• Entering this weekend's game against CSUN, the Hornets previous six opponents have posted a 28-14 (.667) combined record -- a mark that grows to 30-17 (.638) when you include the Matadors' results thus far.
• Washington's perfect 7-0 record tops the list, while Santa Clara matches the Huskies with seven wins this season
• Including the Matadors, five of Sacramento State's seven opponents thus far have records at .500 or better on the year

TURNING ON THE OFFENSE
• Wednesday's clash with Santa Clara saw the Hornets put up a season-high 65 points -- just a week after setting a season high with 57 points against UC Davis
• In the process, the Hornets' 20-point third quarter against the Broncos were the most in any single quarter this year
• Sacramento State also posted its highest scoring first quarter (15) and tied its highest-scoring fourth quarter (16) against Santa Clara

NET GAINS
• Sacramento State blistered the nets against Santa Clara, setting season highs in field goal (.568) and three-point (.750) percentage as well as field goals (25) and three-pointers (12) made
• The field goal percentage was the program's highest since the Hornets shot .600 at Northern Colorado on Jan. 12 of last year
• The .568 field goal percentage is the third-best single-game shooting performance in the Big Sky this year (as of Nov. 30)
• The 12 makes from beyond the arc were the most since Sacramento State made 13 against Portland State at home in last year's regular season finale on Feb. 27
• The Hornets' 12 three's are tied for the fourth-most in the league while the .750 three-point percentage is the best single-game performance in the Big Sky (as of Nov. 30)
• By hitting 75 percent of their three-point attempts, the Hornets posted the program's best three-point percentage since they shot a school single-game record .778 (7-for-9) at San Jose State on Nov. 29, 1997
• Sacramento State did not shoot lower than 50 percent in any quarter against Santa Clara, including a 64 percent (9-for-14) clip in the third quarter alone

BRING ME SOLO...
• After scoring 11 points against UC Davis for her first double-digit scoring performance of the year, senior Solape Amusan exploded for a team-high 18 points off the bench against Santa Clara
• Amusan, who posted her seventh career double-digit scoring performance as a Hornet, hit 6-of-7 from three-point range and added a career-high three steals against the Broncos
• Her total was just one shy of her career high of 19 set at Montana on Jan. 26 last season, while the six makes tied her career high set against both Montana schools in back-to-back games on the road last year
• Amusan's six three-pointers are tied for the most in a single game in the Big Sky this year and were just one shy of the school's single-game top 10, posting the most makes from beyond the arc since Kahlaijah Dean (7) and Katie Peneueta (6) did so against Montana State on Feb. 23 of last season
• Over her last two contests, Amusan is averging 14.5 ppg while shooting 71 percent (10-for-14) from the field overall and 90 percent (9-for-10) from beyond the arc

QUEEN "B"
• Sophomore guard Benthe Versteeg finished with career highs in both points (16) and assists (10) against Santa Clara on Wednesday, collecting her first career double-double -- and the fourth by a Hornet this season -- in the process
• Versteeg's double-double was the first point-assist double-double by a Hornet since Kahlaijah Dean finished with 16 points and 10 assists against Portland State on Feb. 27, 2023
• Versteeg finished 7-of-11 from the field en route to her second straight double-digit scoring performance and the third of her career
• Over her last two games, the native of the Netherlands is averaging 13.5 ppg and 7.0 apg while shooting 12-of-22 (.545) from the floor

SHE GIVETH...
• Versteeg enters the weekend ranked atop the Big Sky's list in both assists per game (5.3) and total assists (32)
• Her 10 assists against Santa Clara marked only the second double-digit assist total in the Big Sky thus far (as of Nov. 30), standing behind only Eastern Washington's Jamie Loera, who had 12 helpers at Utah State on Nov. 10
• The 10 helpers were just one shy of the school's single-game top 10 (seven players are tied for ninth with 11 assists, the last being Fantasia Hilliard at Montana in 2015)
• She also ranks third in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3) and is among the top 100 in the NCAA in both assists (69th) and assists per game (37th)

ORI-OH!
• After scoring just two points in her first two starts of the season, sophomore Irune Orio has been very consistent from the field over the last four contests, averaging 7.0 ppg while shooting 48 percent (10-for-21) overall from the floor and 40 percent (6-for-15) from beyond the arc
• Her eight points against Santa Clara tied a season high, while including a pair of assists and 3-of-6 shooting from the floor

HELP ME, HELP YOU
• Sacramento State finished with 18 assists on its 25 makes against Santa Clara, a season high for helpers and the most since the Hornets had 21 against Portland State on Feb. 27 of last year
• Wednesday's performance saw Sacramento State assist on 72 percent of its made baskets -- the highest since it finished with 25 assists on 29 makes (.862) vs. Northern Colorado on Feb. 11 of last season

LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT COMBINATION
• Through the first six games this season, Sacramento State has put six different starting lineups on the floor thus far
• All told, 10 different Hornets have earned a start, with Hanson and Versteeg the only two players to start all six games
• The starting five against UC Davis on Nov. 21 put up 42 points against the Aggies -- the highest total by a Hornet starting five this year (previous high was 41 at Nevada on Nov. 9)

HOLD UP, WAIT A MINUTE
• You seemingly can't get Versteeg or Hanson off the floor through the first six games this season
• The Big Sky Conference leader in minutes per game (37.7 mpg), Versteeg went the full 40 minutes against UC Davis on Nov. 21 -- the most by a Hornet in a game this season -- and has played 37-or-more minutes in each of her last five games
• The UC Davis game marked the second time she has gone the distance in a game in her career, also playing the full 40 at Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 21 last year
• Hanson, meanwhile, is third in the league at 34.3 mpg -- including a season-high 39:22 against Nevada, which stood as the most in a single game by a Hornet this year until Versteeg's complete game
• After playing in only 19 minutes at Washington in the opener, Hanson has played 35-or-more minutes in four of her six contests

SEEING DOUBLE-DOUBLE
• Entering this week's competition, Hanson was one of 12 players in the Big Sky to post a double-double in a game this year and one of only two to have multiple double-doubles to start the year
• Hanson's three double-doubles are the most in the Big Sky and tied for 18th in the NCAA entering the weekend against CSUN
• Hanson was the only freshmen -- and one 11 underclassmen overall -- in the nation with three-or-more double-doubles entering the week
• She was one of only 21 non-Power 5 student-athletes (out of 45 as of Nov. 27) to post at least three double-doubles

DOUBLE-DOUBLE, HANSON STYLE
• After scoring eight points and grabbing six rebounds in her debut at Washington, Hanson rattled off three consecutive double-doubles against Nevada, Cal State Fullerton, and San Diego State, only to have her run ended against UC Davis on Nov. 21
• During her double-double run, the Brisbane, Australia, native averaged 19.7 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, while shooting .432 (19-for-44) from the floor, .500 (9-for-18) from three, and .800 (12-for-15) from the line
• She also added 2.3 assists and 2.3 blocks per game in that stretch
• Hanson is the first Hornet to post three-straight double-doubles since Isnelle Natabou did so against UTEP (17-14), Fresno State (16-11), San Diego State (23-10), and CSU Bakersfield (19-14) from Nov. 26-Dec. 10 last year

SUMMAH TIME!
• With her career-high 22-point outburst at Nevada on Nov. 9, Hanson became the first Hornet freshman to score 20 points in a game since Katie Peneueta had 20 at Northern Arizona on Feb. 3, 2022
• The 22 points were the most by a Sacramento State freshman since Tiara Scott scored 25 against Montana State on Feb. 18, 2017. Scott was 9-of-14 from the floor, including seven three-pointers
• Hanson's double-double against the Wolf Pack was the first by a Hornet freshman since Margaret Huntington had 10 points and 13 rebounds against UC Irvine on Dec. 14, 2013
• Hanson has either shared or led the team in scoring in four of the team's six games while pacing the squad in rebounding five times

SHE'S KIND OF A BIG (SKY) DEAL
• Hanson enters this week's competition ranked No. 4 in the Big Sky in scoring (15.0 ppg) and tied for third in rebounding (8.3 rpg)
• Hanson is one of only four players from around the league to rank in the top 10 in both categories, joining Northern Colorado's Delaynie Byrne (2nd & 7th), Montana State's Katelynn Limardo (7th & 8th) and the Bobcats' Lexi Deden (5th & 4th)
• Among that group, Hanson is the only freshman as the others are in, at least, their third season of college basketball
• She also ranks in the top five in the league in 11 other categories