SACRAMENTO -- The race for Big Sky Conference Tournament seeding is in the stretch run and the Sacramento State women's basketball team will have the distinct advantage of playing its final three games of the regular season at home, beginning this week with a visit from league-leading Montana State on Thursday (Feb. 23) and Montana on Saturday (Feb. 25). Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, at The Nest.

GAME #27
WHAT: Montana State (19-8, 12-3) at Sacramento State (19-7, 10-5)
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023
TIME: 7 p.m. PT
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
VENUE: The Nest
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com
BUY TICKETS: HornetSports.com

GAME #28
WHAT: Montana (13-13, 9-6) at Sacramento State (19-7, 10-5)
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023
TIME: 1 p.m. PT
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
VENUE: The Nest
WATCH: ESPN+ 
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com
BUY TICKETS: HornetSports.com

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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 sixth consecutive week (https://collegeinsider.com/womens-mid-major-top-25), picking up four votes according to the Feb. 21 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.

HIGH FIVE FOR KAHLAIJAH DEAN: For the fifth time this season, senior guard Kahlaijah Dean has been named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week, sharing the league's Feb. 21 honor with Montana State's Kola Bad Bear. Dean averaged 24.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 6.0 apg, while shooting 49 percent from the field in wins over Weber State and Idaho State, improving the Hornets to 19-7 overall and 10-5 in the Big Sky. 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 Dean's award on Feb. 21, a Hornet has now been named Big Sky Player of the Week eight times in the season's 15 weeks (Natabou also took home honors on Nov. 29, Dec. 13, and Feb. 14, while Dean has won four times on Nov. 22, Dec. 27, Jan. 10, and Jan. 24) -- the most of any school in the league. The eight awards as a team this year are, by far, a school record, surpassing the 2012-13 squad, which won the award five times, for the most in a season since joining the Big Sky in 1996-97.

AND THE AWARD GOES TO...: Dean became the first Hornet to win Big Sky weekly honors more than twice in the same season, while her five career awards makes her one of only 10 Sacramento State players in the program's Division I history to win multiple awards in her career. Dean's five career wins matches current teammate Isnelle Natabou for the most in school history -- a record Natabou held by herself for exactly one week after claiming her fifth career award on Feb. 14.

BIG (SKY) TIME: With one week remaining in the regular season, Dean's five awards are the most by any one player in the conference this year -- breaking a tie with Idaho's Beyonce Bea -- and the most by any Big Sky student-athlete during a single campaign since Montana's Mandy Morales (2006-07) and Idaho State's Natalie Doma (2007-08) claimed the honor a league-record six times in their respective years.

ABOUT THE BOBCATS: Montana State enters the week atop the Big Sky mountain with a 19-8 overall record and a 12-3 mark in league play, having won four straight since a 79-50 loss at Northern Arizona on Feb. 2... The Bobcats are 7-4 away from home this year, having won five of their last six... Senior guard Darian White (13.4 ppg) and senior forward Kola Bad Bear (10.1 ppg) are both averaging double figures for MSU, while White paces the team on the boards (5.6 rpg) and Bad Bear is shooting a robust .492 from the floor.

SERIES NOTES: The Bobcats lead the all-time series with the Hornets by a 44-12 count and have won the last 10 consecutive meetings in the series... Sacramento State's last win in the series came on Feb. 8, 2018, at home, downing Montana State, 88-77... Seven of the Hornets' 12 wins in the series have come at The Nest, but the Bobcats have won the last five meetings in Northern California.

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES: Montana enters the week with a 13-13 overall record and a 9-6 mark in Big Sky play, standing just one game behind the Hornets in the league standings... The Grizzlies are 5-6 away from home this year, but have won four of their last five outside of Missoula... Montana will face Portland State on Thrusday before heading to Northern California to meet Sacramento State... Senior forward Carmen Gfeller leads a quartet of Grizzlies in double figures at 13.2 ppg, while sophomore forward Dani Bartsch paces Montana on the glass at 7.1 rpg.

SERIES NOTES: The Grizzlies lead the all-time series with the Hornets by a 47-8 count, including posting wins in each of the last three meetings between the two programs... Sacramento State's last win came on March 8, 2021, at the Big Sky Tournament, upending Montana by a 65-58 score... Six of the Hornets' eight wins in the series have come in Sacramento, but the Grizzlies have won the last three trips to Northern California dating back to a 79-64 Sacramento State win on Feb. 10, 2018.

WIN-ACCLE OF SUCCESS: Two years removed from winning just three games, this year's Hornet squad will go down in the record books as one of -- if not THE -- winningest teams in school history. Sacramento State's win over Idaho State was its 19th of the season, tying them with the 1990-91 (19-7) and 2012-13 (19-12) squads for the most wins in school history. One more victory in its final three games or the postseason will give the program its first 20-win season in school history.

EVERYTHING IS BIGGER IN BIG SKY PLAY: In addition to its overall win total, Saturday's victory over the Bengals also gave the Hornets their 10th Big Sky Conference triumph of the season and improved them to 10-5 in league play in 2022-23. The 10 wins matches last year's conference win total when Sacramento State finished 10-10 in the Big Sky and gave the program double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since doing so in four straight years from 2012-16.

MILESTONE APPROACHING: Sacramento State needs only three more victories to reach 300 in the program's Division I history.

SHOPPING AT THE GAP: The Hornets' 13-point win at Idaho State to close out the road portion of their regular season schedule marked the 12th time they have won by 10-or-more points this year.

MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH: On the flip side, just imagine what a couple points here and there or a timely defensive stop would have done to the Hornets' record. 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.

HOW SWEEP IT IS!: After winning in Pocatello for only the third time in the history of the series with Idaho State, the Hornets completed a regular season series sweep of the Bengals for the first time since 2015-16 just two days after completing the sweep of Weber State for the first time since 2019-20. Sacramento State has one more chance at a sweep of a Big Sky opponent this year, looking for a second-straight sweep of Portland State in the regular season finale at home on Feb. 27.

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 at The Nest.

ROAD WARRIORS: Thanks to wins at Weber State and Idaho State last week, the Hornets posted their eighth and ninth road wins of the year, surpassing the 2009-10 Sacramento State squad (8-7) for the second-most victories away from home and trailing only the 1982-83 Hornet team that finished 10-2 on the road.

RIDING THE HOT HAND: The league leaders in field goal percentage were up to their old tricks at Idaho State, shooting 54 percent from the field for game. including hitting 10-of-12 from the floor in the opening quarter -- the sixth time that the Hornets have hit 10 baskets in a single quarter and posting the highest single-quarter field goal percentage (.833) of the season. Saturday's performance marked the eighth time overall -- and the third time in the last four outings -- that Sacramento State has shot 50 percent or better from the field, and the fifth consecutive contest hitting better than 47 percent from the floor, shooting .502 (142-for-283) in that stretch.

LET'S GO HALVSIES: In jumping out to an early lead against Idaho State, Sacramento State's 42-point first half against the Bengals marked the 11th 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.

IF A THREE FALLS IN THE ARENA...: Does it make a sound? The Hornets have been making a lot of noise from beyond the arc, draining double digits from three-point range in seven of their last 12 contests following their season high-tying 13 three-pointers at Idaho State. Sacramento State is shooting .402 (117-for-291) from distance in that stretch, having also hit 13 against UC Santa Barbara (Nov. 19) and at Montana (Jan. 26).

SHOOTER!: Someone get a hand in the face of the Hornets. Sacramento State enters the final three games of the regular season as one of the most efficient shooting teams in the Big Sky, leading the league in both field goal (.465) and three-point (.374) percentage, while ranking fifth in free throw (.744) percentage. The Hornets lead second-place Montana by 42 points in the field goal category and has a 21-point lead in three-point shooting over Portland State.

NOTHING BUT NET: In addition to the above rankings, the Hornets also stand among the top 20 in the NCAA in both three-point percentage (No. 13) and field goal percentage (No. 16), while ranking No. 16 in three-pointers made per game (8.6) as of Feb. 20.

WE'RE GOING STREAKING!: Riding a three-game winning streak entering the final homestand of the season, the Hornets are averaging 73.3 ppg while shooting .510 (80-for-157) from the field overall and .437 (31-for-71) from beyond the arc during their recent run. Meanwhile, the defense has limited opponents to just 54.0 ppg, a .362 (54-for-149) field goal percentage and .316 (12-for-38) from three-point range.

THEME FROM SWAT: Sacramento State's 95 blocks this year rank eighth on the program's single-season list, standing three back of the 2001-02 team (98) for seventh and four behind the 2002-03 squad for sixth. Five more blocks this year and the 2022-23 team would become only the sixth in school history to reach 100 blocks in a season and the first since the 2018-19 team had 144 for the year.

PUT A LID ON IT: If the numbers hold for the rest of the year, this season's Hornet defense will go down as one of the stingiest in school history. Allowing just 60.1 ppg thus far this season, that average would be the best in the program's Division I era and rank second in school history behind only the 1984-85 squad which allowed a record-low 56.8 ppg.

HOW'S THIS QUARTET SOUND?: This group of Hornets made the strings sing in the win over Idaho State as Dean, Natabou, Solape Amusan, and Katie Peneueta all finished in double figures against the Bengals. It is the seventh time this year that Sacramento State has had four players finish with 10-or-more points, winning all seven -- and nine of its last 10 such performances.

NATABOU MOVES UP: Chalk up 14 more rebounds last week for junior Isnelle Natabou, who continues to etch her name into the Sacramento State record book. Entering the week with 581 career boards, Natabou moved into ninth place on the school's all-time list, passing Linda Simmons (1977-81) and Shelby Boudreaux (1992-96), while ranking sixth on the program's Division I career list after passing Boudreaux.

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 253 boards put her five shy of Celine Kabwasa and her 258 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 66, swatting 36 last season and adding 30 more this year. Her total trails Sephora Scoubes (1999-01) by one for seventh and six back of Natasha Torgerson (2009-13) for sixth. Natabou isn't the only one climbing the list as sophomore Katie Peneueta and her 56 career blocks are tied with Atty Boyer (2005-09) for 10th.

RIM PROTECTOR: Peneueta's three blocks at Weber State gave her a career single-seaon and Big Sky-high 35 for the year, which are the most by a Hornet since Kennedy Nicholas finished with 44 swats in 2019-20.

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 128 makes from the line and eighth with an .826 free throw percentage, Dean moved into a tie for fourth on the school's all-time single-season list alongside Sue Digitale (1976-77) and Terri Lugert (1990-91). She is now chasing Kristy Ryan and her 157 makes in 1992-93.

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.

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 26 games in the green and gold, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has brought her total up to 1,977 career points, ranking No. 20 among active scorers across the country as of Feb. 20 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.

TOP GUN: One of the nation's top scorers (ranking No. 10 in points per game and No. 13 in total points as of Feb. 20), Dean's 552 points have her among the program's all-time single-season scoring leaders. Thanks to her 48 points last week, Dean moved into sixth on the all-time single season list, breaking a tie with Terri Lugert (504 in 1990-91) while passing Adella Randle-El (517 in 2015-16), Heidi Carroll (518 in 1983-84 and 544 in 1985-86), and Hannah Friend (525 in 2017-18).

ALL-TIME SINGLE-SEASON SCORERS
1. Kristy Ryan, 1993-94 727
2. Lianna Tillman, 2021-22 591
3. Sue Digitale, 1976-77 572
4. Charday Hunt, 2009-10 559
5. Hannah Friend, 2018-19 554
6. Kahlaijah Dean, 2022-23 552

THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE: Kahlaijah Dean is still out there doing Kahlaijah Dean things, notching her 17th straight double-digit scoring performance at Weber State and Idaho State last week. In that stretch, Dean has been a machine, averaging 24.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, and 5.1 apg, while shooting .459 (129-for-281) from the floor -- including a run shooting .465 (33-for-71) from beyond the arc in the last 11 games after hitting just eight in the six games prior to that -- and .867 (91-for-105) from the line.

SHE CAN SCORE TOO: In addition to Dean's scoring exploits, Natabou is closing in on a milestone of her own, entering the week with 845 career points in the green and gold -- just 155 shy of becoming the 19th player in school history to score 1,000 career points in a Hornet uniform.

DEAN'S DELICIOUS DISH: For the second time in the last three games, Dean finished with a points-assists double-double, scoring 29 and adding 10 helpers in the Hornets' win at Idaho State. The 10 assists tied her career high in the green and gold set against Northern Colorado on Feb. 11 and helped her tally her fourth double-double of the season. Her 10 assists were the most since Lianna Tillman (who did it three times) finished with the same number against Eastern Washington on Feb. 26, 2022.

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 23.1 ppg in 15 league contests -- more than a point better than Idaho's Beyonce Bea (21.9 ppg), who edges out Dean in the overall race by 0.8 ppg (22.0 ppg overall to Dean's 21.2 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.

JUMPING JORDAN: A beast on the boards as of late, senior Jordan Olivares had herself quite a night on the glass at Weber State on Feb. 16, nabbing a career-high 10 rebounds to go with six points and four assists in the Hornet victory. The 10 boards broke her previous best of eight set against Montana on Jan. 26 and later matches against Northern Arizona on Feb. 9. After having not grabbed more than five rebounds in a game in her first 17 games of the season, Olivares is averaging 5.0 rpg over her last eight contests -- more than doubling her overall season average of 2.8 rpg -- while averaging 4.5 ppg, dishing out 12 assists and swiping 11 steals.

IZZY IN SYNC ONCE AGAIN: After being held to a season-low five points at Montana State on Jan. 28, Natabou has regained the form that saw her reach double-digit points in the first 15 games of the season. Natabou has scored in double figures in each of her last six games, averaging 17.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in that stretch while shooting a robust .671 (47-for-70) from the field.

ANOTHER FOR AMUSAN: Senior Solape Amusan and her 14 points against Idaho State marked her fourth double-digit scoring performance of the season and her highest point total since going for 18 points at Montana State back on Jan. 28. In doing so, Amusan was nearly perfect from the field, hitting 5-of-6 overall and 4-of-5 from three-point range against the Bengals -- falling just one shy of her season-high in field goals and two back of her high in makes from beyond the arc, both standing at six in back-to-back games against Montana (Jan. 26) and the Bobcats.

QUARTER MASTER: 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 12 points in the second quarter on Feb. 18 at Idaho State, her 17th double-digit quarter this season out of 23 by a Hornet this year (Natabou has done it four times -- including a 10-point first quarter at Idaho State -- while Kaylin Randhawa did so against Montana, and Amusan scored 12 in the first against the Bobcats). All told, Dean has accomplished the feat seven times in the third, four times in the first, three times in the fourth, and three in the second, while the 12 points last week against the Bengals were just shy of the team-high 14 she scored in the third at Santa Clara on Nov. 14.

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 moved up one spot to No. 5 in the NCAA entering this week. Natabou's .651 from the field trails only Liberty's Mya Berkman (.695), Indiana's Mackenzie Holmes (.692), Kansas' Taiyanna Jackson (.680), and Iowa's Monika Czinano (.673).

I DOUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLE DARE YOU: Keep on eye on your box scores. If Natabou has a double-double, you may be in trouble. Thanks to her 27-point, 12-rebound effort against Northern Arizona on Feb. 9, Natabou collected her 11th double-double of the season -- ranking No. 34 in the NCAA as of Feb. 20. In those 11 games, she is averaging 17.7 ppg, 13.5 rpg, and shooting 67 percent (83-for-124) from the floor.

AND I'M REEEEEE.... RE-BOUNDING: With 12 rebounds against Northern Arizona on Feb. 9, Natabou posted her 12th double-digit rebounding performance of the season and her first since snagging 10 at Montana on Jan. 26. A beast on the boards at both ends of the court, Natabou has posted 10 games this year where she has collected as many, if not more, offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds -- including nine offensive boards against NAU, which are 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.

RECORD-SETTING RANDHAWA: Senior Kaylin Randhawa finished the night against Northern Arizona on Feb. 9 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.

"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 six, averaging 5.8 rpg to go with 7.3 ppg in that stretch -- including 13 points in the win at Idaho State last week for her highest scoring output since going for 18 points at CSUN on Dec. 19. Peneueta, who ranks among the top 15 in the league in rebounding (No. 11 entering the week at 6.0 rpg), has grabbed at least six rebounds in a game 13 times this year, including a career-high 11 against Idaho in the first meeting between the two programs back on Jan. 5 in Sacramento.

THREE IS MORE THAN TWO: Trust us... Katie Peneueta has certainly done the math. In 44 career games with the Hornets, the Vancouver, Wash., native has made a living from long distance, sinking 110 of her 120 career field goals in the green and gold 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 career 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.

NO SLEEP TILL...: Foot on the pedal for the Hornets as Katie Peneueta (43:50) and Kahliajah Dean (42:51) 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' Dean (35.7 mpg), Natabou (35.5 mpg), and Peneueta (35.2 mpg). The trio ranks third, fifth, and sixth in the league in minutes, while entering the week ranked 42nd, 55th, and 62nd, in the nation, respectively.

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 251 points this season with the Hornets.

BLOCKING IT OUT: Boasting the Big Sky's second-best scoring defense at 60.1 ppg allowed, the Hornets have also done the work on the glass, holding opponents to a league-best 28.8 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 18 times in 26 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 30th-highest in the NCAA for a single-game -- and the most of any Big Sky player -- as of Feb. 30.

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.