SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento State women's basketball team hits the road for the final time in the regular season, traveling to face Weber State and Idaho State this week. The Hornets and Wildcats tip-off on Thursday (Feb. 16) at 5 p.m. PT in Ogden, Utah, before heading to Pocatello, Idaho, on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tip-off.
GAME #25
WHAT: Sacramento State (17-7, 8-5) at Weber State (5-20, 1-12)
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023
TIME: 5 p.m. PT
WHERE: Ogden, Utah
VENUE: Dee Events Center
WATCH: ESPN+ (https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401474032?gameId=401474032)
LIVE STATS: WeberStateSports.com (https://weberstatesports.com/sidearmstats/wbball/media)
GAME #26
WHAT: Sacramento State (17-7, 8-5) at Idaho State (10-14, 5-8)
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023
TIME: 1 p.m. PT
WHERE: Pocatello, Idaho
VENUE: Reed Gym
WATCH: ESPN+ (https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401474035?gameId=401474035)
LIVE STATS: ISUBengals.com (https://statb.us/v/cssa/431249)
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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 fifth consecutive week (https://collegeinsider.com/womens-mid-major-top-25), picking up six votes according to the Feb. 14 poll... 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.
NATABOU SHOWN THE LOVE, NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Fresh off back-to-back 20-point performances and averaging a double-double, Natabou was named the Big Sky Player of the Week for the third time this season and a record fifth time in her career -- the most of any Hornet since Sacramento State joined the league in 1996-97. Natabou averaged 24.0 ppg and 10.5 rpg while shooting 22-of-33 (.667) from the field against Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado, grabbing 17 of her 21 rebounds for the week on the offensive glass. 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 Natabou's award, a Hornet has now been named Big Sky Player of the Week seven times in the season's 14 weeks (Natabou took home honors on Nov. 29 and Dec. 13, while Kahlaijah Dean won four times on Nov. 22, Dec. 27, Jan. 10, and Jan. 24) -- the most of any school in the league. The seven awards as a team this year are a school record, surpassing the 2012-13 squad for the most in a season since joining 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 four times in the same season with her award on Jan. 24, 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 along 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 tied with Idaho's Beyonce Bea for the most in the league this year and the most by any Big Sky 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 WILDCATS: Weber State enters the week with a 5-20 overall record and a 1-12 mark in Big Sky Conference play... The Wildcats have lost their last four straight dating back to a win over Eastern Washington on Jan. 28... Three of the team's five wins this year have come at home, but WSU has lost its last two home games... Senior forward Daryn Hickok leads the team in scoring at 16.4 ppg, averaging 6.4 rpg and shooting .428 from the field... Senior forward Jadyn Matthews is also in double figures, averaging 13.0 ppg while leading the team on the glass at 7.7 rpg.
SERIES NOTES: Weber State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 34-19, snapping a five-game skid in the series with a 70-44 win at The Nest earlier this year... The Hornets are 7-19 against the Wildcats on the road, losing their last three in Ogden, Utah... Sacramento State's last win at Weber State was on Jan. 11, 2020, by a 91-67 score... The Hornets' 26-point win at home this year was the largest in the series since a 43-point, 108-65, Sacramento State win on Jan. 24, 2015.
ABOUT THE BENGALS: Idaho State enters the week with a 10-14 overall record and a 5-8 mark in conference play after splitting its games at Montana (W, 55-54) and Montana State (L, 70-53)... The Bengals host Portland State on Thursday (Feb. 16) before welcoming Sacramento State... ISU is 4-5 at home this season, but has lost five straight dating back to a 65-52 win over Weber State on Jan. 7... Guard Callie Bourne is one of three Bengals in double figures, leading the team in scoring at 14.5 ppg while averaging 7.0 rebounds and shooting .404 from the field... Forward Laura Bello is also in double figures at 11.0 ppg and leads the team at 9.3 rpg.
SERIES NOTES: Idaho State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State by a 45-9 count, but the Hornets have won two of the last three meetings following their 66-52 win at The Nest earlier this year... Sacramento State is just 2-23 on the road against the Bengals, snapping a four-game skid in Pocatello with a 73-57 win last season... The Hornets' only other win on the road against Idaho State came on Jan. 14, 2016, with a 68-59 triumph, ending an 0-for-19 start in the series on the road... Of the last 13 meetings, 12 have been decided by 10 points or more, save for a 77-70 Bengal win in 2021.
PREVIOUSLY...: vs. Weber State: Kahlaijah Dean tied her Sacramento State career high with 31 points and Isnelle Natabou finished with a 17-point, 18-rebound double-double in a 70-44 win on Jan. 21. The Hornets, who never trailed, shot 49 percent from the field, while the defense limited the Wildcats to just 28 percent from the field -- the second-lowest single-game percentage by an opponent this season... vs. Idaho State: Kahlaijah Dean finished with 27 points, while Kaylin Randhawa (12) and Solape Amusan (11) also finished in double figures, leading the Hornets to a wire-to-wire 66-52 win on Jan. 19. Sacramento State drained 10 three-pointers and hit 14-of-15 from the line in the win, limiting the Bengals to 37 percent from the field overall.
EIGHTY IS GREATY... TAKE TWO: Despite the effort ending the a loss, the Hornets tied their season high with 82 points in an overtime defeat against Northern Arizona on Feb. 9, matching the total from an 82-74 victory over Eastern Washington back on Jan. 7. It's the first time that Sacramento State has reached 80 points in a game twice in the same season since scoring 82 against San Francisco and the Eagles in 2020-21.
THAT'S SO EXTRA: Sacramento State's overtime battle with Northern Arizona on Feb. 9 marked its second foray into extra time this season along with its win over UC Santa Barbara back on Nov. 19. It was the first time that the Hornets have played two overtime games in the same season since 2020-21 at Portland State (Jan. 7) and at Weber State (Feb. 27). A third overtime game this season and one would have to go all the way back to the 2012-13 campaign since that has happened: at Oregon State (W, 80-71), at Eastern Illinois (L, 72-67), and vs. UC Davis (W, 68-65).
MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH: A couple points here and there and the Hornets' record could look even better than it already does. Of Sacramento State's seven defeats this year, four of those have come by four points or fewer -- with three of those coming in Big Sky play.
RIDING THE HOT HAND: After shooting 52 percent from the field against Northern Arizona, the Hornets followed up that performance by hitting 51 percent from the field against Northern Colorado -- the third time this season that Sacramento State has shot at least 50 percent in back-to-back games and the sixth and seventh times that it has hit 50 percent from the field this year. The Hornets have shot better than 40 percent in each of their last three games, hitting .497 (91-for-183) in that stretch, and 19 of the team's 24 games overall.
NOT IF, BUT WIN: Everything else is gravy in the win column for Sacramento State, which earned its 17th victory of the season against Northern Colorado on Feb. 11, already surpassing last season's win total with five regular season games remaining. It is the most wins in a single season since the 2014-15 squad won 18 games, and stands just two wins away from the school record of 19 wins shared by the 1990-91 (19-7) and 2012-13 (19-12) teams. Among the Hornets' Division I teams, the 17 wins rank tied for the fourth-most in program history, while ranking tied for seventh overall with the 1992-93 squad that finished 17-10 overall.
SINGLE-SEASON WIN TOTALS
t1. 2012-13 19 (19-12)
t1. 1990-91 19 (19-7)
t3. 2014-15 18 (18-16)
t3. 2013-14 18 (18-12)
t3. 1982-83 18 (18-9)
t3. 1976-77 18 (18-4)
t7. 2022-23 17 (17-7)
t7. 1992-93 17 (17-10)
LET'S GO HALVSIES: In jumping out to an early lead against Northern Colorado, Sacramento State's 42-point first half against the Bears marked the 10th time this season that the Hornets have scored at least 40 points in a single half and is tied for the sixth-highest single-half scoring total of the year. The Hornets also added a 41-point second half against Northern Arizona two nights earlier, which ranks eighth on that list.
THANKS, I'LL PASS: Seven different Hornets collected an assist in the team's win over Northern Colorado, collectively finishing with 25 helpers on 29 makes from the field. The 25 assists were the most since Sacramento State finished with 25 on 36 makes against Antelope Valley on Dec. 6, 2017, and the most against a Division I opponent since dishing out 26 on 37 makes at Southern Utah on Feb. 25, 2017.
NOT IN THE GIVING MOOD: While they were busy getting the ball to their teammates all over the court, the Hornets' did well not to hand it over to the other team as the eight turnovers against Northern Colorado tied Sacramento State's season low set at Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 21.
HOW SWEEP IT IS: With its win over Northern Colorado, Sacramento State completed the regular season sweep of the Bears for the second straight season and its second of the year after taking both from Idaho. The Hornets have three more opportunities for season sweeps this year, looking for similar results against Weber State (last time in 2019-20), Idaho State (last time in 2015-16), and a second-straight sweep of Portland State in the regular season finale.
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 (.461) and three-point (.372) percentage, while ranking fourth in free throw (.763) percentage. The Hornets lead second-place Eastern Washington by 37 points in the field goal category, has a 19-point lead in three-point shooting over Portland State, and stands behind Montana State (.789), Northern Colorado (.782), and Montana (.772) at the line.
NOTHING BUT NET: In addition to the above rankings, the Hornets also stand among the top 40 in the NCAA in all three shooting categories, ranking 15th in three-point goal, 21st in field goal, and 37th in free throw percentage as of Feb. 13.
SAFE AT HOME: The Hornets have made winning at home a habit this season. Sacramento State improved to 8-2 at The Nest with its win over Northern Colorado on Feb. 11 -- the most since the 2014-15 squad ended the year with an 11-3 record within the friendly confines.
ROAD WARRIORS: The win at Idaho on Feb. 4 -- only the program's second all-time in Moscow to snap a seven-game losing streak on the road against the Vandals -- was the Hornets' seventh win in true road contests this season, matching last year's total (7-7) which were the most since the 2015-16 team also won seven games away from The Nest. A win in one of their two remaining regular season road contests would give the Hornets their highest road victory total since the 2009-10 Sacramento State squad finished 8-7 away from The Nest.
IF A THREE FALLS IN THE ARENA...: Does it make a sound? The Hornets have been making noise from beyond the arc as of late, draining double digits from three-point range in six of their last 10 contests following their 12 three-pointer outburst against Northern Colorado last weekend. Sacramento State is shooting .403 (98-for-243) from distance in that stretch, including a season high-tying 13 at Montana on Jan. 26.
NATABOU MOVES UP: Chalk up 21 more rebounds last week for junior Isnelle Natabou, who continues to etch her name into the Sacramento State record book. Entering the week with 567 career boards, Natabou took over sole possesion of seventh on the school's Division I era career list, standing six back of Shelby Boudreaux (1992-96) for sixth, while moving to within three boards of the school's all-time top 10, chasing Linda Simmons (1977-81) and her 570 rebounds.
IZZY DOES IT ON THE GLASS: With the fourth-highest single-season rebound total in program history already under her belt, Natabou looks to add her name to the list a second time in 2022-23, as her 239 boards put her 14 shy of Celine Kabwasa and her 253 rebounds in 1988-89 for 10th on the list. If she accomplishes the feat, she would join Kylie Kuhns (2009-13) as the only two Hornets with multiple listings on the single-season top 10 list. Kuhns holds the record with 360 rebounds in 2011-12, stands third with 342 rebounds in 2012-13, and is sixth with 321 rebounds in 2010-11.
BUILDING BLOCKS: Thanks to her two blocks last week, Natabou is holding on to eighth place on the school's all-time blocks list with 64, swatting 36 last season and adding 28 more this year. Her total trails Sephora Scoubes (1999-01) by three for seventh. Natabou isn't the only one climbing the list as sophomore Katie Peneueta and her 53 career blocks -- 32 of those this season -- are just three shy of Atty Boyer (2005-09) and her 56 blocks for 10th.
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 119 makes from the line and sixth with an .838 free throw percentage, Dean moved into eighth on the all-time list and up two spots into sixth in the program's Division I era in made free throws. She stands just one behind Hannah Friend's 120 makes in 2018-19 on both lists, and five back of Adella Randle-El and her 124 makes during the 2015-16 campaign.
CHARITY CASE: Dean logged her second 8-for-8 showing at the line on Feb. 2 at Eastern Washington (joining her 8-for-8 performance at Cal State Fullerton), tying her -- again -- for the 10th-best single-game shooting night from the free throw line in the program's Division I history. The record is held by Boudreaux, who went 14-for-14 at the line against Shippensburg on Jan. 5, 1996.
RECORD-SETTING RANDHAWA: Senior Kaylin Randhawa finished the night against Northern Arizona by hitting 6-of-7 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the arc against the Lumberjacks -- the latter setting a program Division I era single-game record. She broke the previous mark of 4-for-4 that had been shared by eight players, including teammate Katie Peneueta, who was 4-for-4 at Northern Colorado on Feb. 4 last season.
KAN'T MISS KAYLIN: That three-point clinic against Northern Arizona is part of a longer streak for Randhawa, who has reached double figures in each of her last three games, averaging 15.3 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game in that stretch, while shooting .615 (16-of-26) from the field and a robust .714 (10-of-14) from beyond the arc. Her 18 points against NAU were a Sacramento State career high, while her six field goals and five assists against the Lumberjacks tied her career highs in the green and gold.
DEAN'S DELICIOUS DISH: Flirting with a triple-double for the second straight week, Dean was forced to settle for her third double-double of the year -- but her first with points and assists -- against Northern Colorado on Feb. 11, scoring 13 points and dishing out a Sacramento State career-high 10 assists against the Bears, while grabbing seven rebounds. Her 10 assists were the most since Lianna Tillman finished with the same number against Eastern Washington on Feb. 26, 2022 -- something Tillman accomplished three times a year ago.
THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE: Kahlaijah Dean is still out there doing Kahlaijah Dean things, notching her 15th straight double-digit scoring performance dating back to Dec. 10 thanks to her 13-point day against Northern Colorado. In that stretch, Dean has been a machine, averaging 22.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 4.6 apg, while shooting .455 (112-for-246) from the floor -- including a run shooting .491 (28-for-57) from beyond the arc in the last nine games after hitting just eight in the six games prior to that -- and .891 (82-for-92) from the line during that stretch.
TOP GUN: One of the nation's top scorers (ranking No. 13 in the NCAA as of Feb. 13), Dean's 504 points have her among the program's all-time single-season scoring leaders. Thanks to her 13 points against Northern Colorado, Dean moved into a tie for 10th with Terri Lugert (1990-91) on the all-time single-season list while leaping three spots into seventh on the program's Division I single-season chart, just 13 points behind of Adella Randle-El and her 517 points in 2015-16 on both lists.
BETTER IN THE BIG SKY: Although she fell out of the top spot in the race for the league's scoring title, there has been no bigger scorer in Big Sky play than Dean, who leads the conference at 22.9 ppg in 13 league contests -- more than a point better than Idaho's Beyonce Bea (21.6 ppg), who edges out Dean in the overall race by 0.9 ppg (21.9 ppg overall to Dean's 21.0 ppg). Should Dean catch Bea by the end of the season, she would join Charday Hunt (18.6 ppg in 2009-10) and Lianna Tillman (20.5 ppg in 2021-22) as Hornets who have led the Big Sky in scoring.
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 24 games in the green and gold, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has brought her total up to 1,929 career points, ranking No. 22 among active scorers across the country as of Feb. 13 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.
SHE KEPT SCORING AND SCORING AND SCORING: Isnelle Natabou was the Hornets' Energizer Bunny against Northern Arizona on Feb. 9, finishing with a season-high 27 points while hitting a career-high 13 baskets from the field, breaking her previous mark for makes of 11 set against Southern Utah on Dec. 30 last season. The 13 makes were the most by a Hornet since Lianna Tillman, finished 16-of-32 at Idaho on Feb. 24 last season en route to a 35-point night.
AND I'M REEEEEE.... RE-BOUNDING: With 12 rebounds against Northern Arizona, and nine more against Northern Colorado two nights later, Natabou posted her 12th double-digit rebounding performance of the season and her first since snagging 10 at Montana on Jan. 26. Of her 21 rebounds last week against the Lumberjacks and Bears, 17 of those came on the offensive glass -- the ninth and 10th times this year that she has had as many, if not more, offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds. That included nine offensive boards against NAU -- 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 -- and eight more against UNC.
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 11th of the season overall -- ranking No. 27 in the NCAA in that category as of Feb. 13. In her 11 double-double performances this year, the native of the Czech Republic is averaging 17.7 ppg, 13.5 rpg, and shooting 83-for-124 (.669) from the floor.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DARLING: Natabou is one of 23 players in the NCAA averaging a double-double (as of Feb. 13), but one of only nine to average at least 15.7 ppg and 10.0 rpg along with DePaul's Aneesah Morrow, LSU's Angel Reese, UNLV's Desi-Rae Young, Virginia Tech's Elizabeth Kitley, UMass' Sam Breen, Youngstown State's Lilly Ritz, South Florida's Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, and BYU's Lauren Gustin.
ALMOST AUTOMATIC: One of the steadiest shot-makers in the nation continues to rank among the top 10 in an ever-changing national ranking for field goal percentage as Natabou enters the week No. 6 in the NCAA. Natabou's .646 from the field trails only Liberty's Mya Berkman (.711), Indiana's Mackenzie Holmes (.690), Iowa's Monika Czinano (.667), Kansas' Taiyanna Jackson (.667), and Ohio State's Taylor Thierry (.649).
OLIVARES ON THE BOARDS: Entering the Hornets' recent four-game road trip, senior Jordan Olivares hadn't grabbed more than five rebounds in a game this season. She changed that with her season-best eight-rebound effort at Montana on Jan. 26 and added another eight boards -- in addition to a season-high nine points -- against Northern Arizona on Feb. 9. Over her last six games, Olivares is averaging 4.8 rpg in that stretch -- nearly doubling her season average of 1.7 rpg entering the trip -- while averaging 4.7 points, dishing out eight assists and swiping eight steals.
"KP" DUTY: Easing back into the swing of things after missing four games, sophomore Katie Peneueta has asserted herself on the glass over her last four, averaging 6.5 rpg to go with 7.8 ppg in that stretch -- including 12 points in the win over Northern Colorado on Feb. 11 for her first double-digit scoring performance since scoring 12 against the Bears on the road on Jan. 12. Peneueta, who ranks among the top 15 in the league in rebounding (No. 11 entering the week at 6.1 rpg), has grabbed at least six rebounds in a game 12 times this year, including a career-high 11 against Idaho in the first meeting between the two back on Jan. 5.
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 237 points this season with the Hornets.
NO SLEEP TILL...: Foot on the pedal for the Hornets as Katie Peneueta and Kahliajah Dean became the latest players to go all 40 minutes (or more) in a game this season in an overtime battle against Northern Arizona on Feb. 9. For Peneueta, it was her fifth game of 40-or-more minutes this season, matching Isnelle Natabou for the most on the team, joining Dean's third and Benthe Versteeg's full game 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 (35.8 mpg), Peneueta (35.7 mpg), and Dean (35.7 mpg). The trio ranks second, fourth, and fifth in the league in minutes and entered the week ranked among the top 50 in the nation at 39th, 44th, and 46th, respectively.
THREE IS MORE THAN TWO: Trust us... Katie Peneueta has certainly done the math. In 42 career games with the Hornets, the Vancouver, Wash., native has made a living from long distance, sinking 106 of her 116 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.
THE PENEUETA IS MIGHTIER: One of four players in double figures against Idaho back on Jan. 5, 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.
BLOCKING IT OUT: Boasting the Big Sky's second-best scoring defense at 60.4 ppg allowed, the Hornets have also done work on the glass, holding opponents to a league-best 29.0 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. Sacramento State has held opponents to fewer than 30 rebounds in a game 17 times in 24 games this season.
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 25th-highest in the NCAA for a single-game -- and the most of any Big Sky player -- as of Feb. 13.
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.
