SACRAMENTO — Sophomore Benthe Versteeg finished with 17 points to share game-high honors while freshman J'yana Salton came off the bench to provide a spark with a career-high 10 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome a hot-shooting night by visiting Idaho, which posted an 88-51 victory on Thursday at The Nest.

In the Big Sky Conference opener for both teams, the Hornets moved to 1-9 overall on the season and 0-1 in league play while the Vandals improved to 6-5 overall and 1-0 in conference.

Versteeg was hot out of the gates, scoring 13 of her career-high 17 points in the first 20 minutes, finishing 7-of-16 from the field, including a trio of three-pointers, and adding four rebounds. The total surpassed her previous high of 16 points against Santa Clara on Nov. 30, and marked her fourth double-digit scoring performance of the season — all coming in her last six games.

Meanwhile, Salton, who had played in 17 combined minutes in her first five appearances of the year, finished with her first collegiate double-digit scoring performance in 14 minutes, finishing 5-of-8 from the field and adding a rebound. The freshman hit her first five shots of the game — including a 4-for-4 performance in the third quarter alone — and marked the first field goals of her collegiate career.

Freshman Summah Hanson, who added nine points, and redshirt freshman Sophia Lee tied for team-high honors with seven rebounds each — the latter setting a career-high in the category — while senior Solape Amusan added four rebounds, two steals, and a pair of blocks on the defensive end.

Idaho led wire-to-wire, shooting just under 59 percent from the field for the contest — including 60 percent in the first quarter and 62 percent in the third — and hit 52 percent of its shots from beyond the arc. The Vandals opened the game on a 10-2 run and never let the Hornets come closer than 10 points with just under two minutes to play in the opening period.

Sacramento State had its best quarter in the third, draining 47 percent from the field and trailing Idaho by only two points in period scoring, 19-17. 

All five Vandal starters finished in double figures, led by Kennedy Johnson's 17 points, while Hope Butera finished with a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.

The Hornets return to the court on Saturday (Dec. 30) at 2 p.m., welcoming preseason league favorite Eastern Washington to The Nest. The Eagles opened conference play with a 68-58 victory over Portland State on Thursday to tip-off their league schedule.