BOISE, Idaho -- In a season full of firsts, the Sacramento State women's basketball team continues to make history and add to its list of accomplishments in 2022-23.

Junior Isnelle Natabou finished off her second straight double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while senior guard Kahlaijah Dean added 17 more, as the No. 3-seeded Hornets punched their ticket to their first-ever Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game thanks to a defensive-minded 60-42 victory over No. 7-seeded Portland State in the semifinals on Tuesday afternoon at the Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho.

In winning its eighth consecutive game — the longest for the program since winning nine straight in 2013-14 — Sacramento State improved to 24-7 overall and booked a date with top-seeded Northern Arizona in the title tilt on Wednesday (March 8) at 2 p.m. PT. The game will be televised live on ESPNU and streamed on ESPN+.

It is the first-ever appearance in the conference tournament championship game for either the Hornet men's or women's programs as the women had made three previous trips to the semifinals only to come up empty until Tuesday afternoon. The 24 wins are also the most by either basketball program in school history.

Natabou scored 17 of her game-high 23 points in the second half, with 12 of those points coming in the third quarter alone, helping the Hornets break open a tight game. Along with her ninth game of 20-or-more points on the year, her 11 rebounds completed her 13th double-double of the season, hitting 9-of-14 from the field overall and 8-of-9 in the second half.

Dean collected her 22nd consecutive double-digit scoring performance of the season thanks to her 17 points, adding seven rebounds and a pair of assists. Sophomore Katie Peneueta added nine points, four rebounds, and three assists, while senior Jordan Olivares finished with seven points and six rebounds. Senior Kaylin Randhawa rounded out the scoring with four points.
 

While Sacramento State shot 47 percent as a team at one end of the court, it was the defense that proved bothersome for Portland State (15-16). After the Vikings led by two points at the end of the first quarter, the Hornets turned up the heat and limited PSU to just 3-of-13 from the floor and seven points in the second period, building a three-point, 25-22, advantage at the break.

The Hornets were energized out of the locker room and it was Natabou that provided the spark. The junior scored Sacramento State's first eight points and helped jumpstart a quarter-closing 12-0 run that ballooned a three-point advantage into a 15-point lead at the end of the three. Natabou hit all six of her field goal attempts in the quarter, while Dean and Peneueta combined for a trio of three-pointers to help the rally along.

Sacramento State's run continued into the fourth as a basket by Natabou and 1-of-2 from the line by the junior made it a 15-0 run, holding Portland State to without a field goal for more than eight minutes between the third and fourth periods. Esmeralda Morales drained a three-pointer at the 6:16 mark to finally end the Vikings' drought.

Alaya Fitzgerald followed with a three-point play for Portland State for a quick six-point burst, but the 12 points would be as close as the Vikings would get the rest of the way. Dean drained a three-pointer to spark a closing kick that saw the Hornets score nine of the final 12 points of the game, holding Portland State to without a field goal for the final 5:49 of the contest.

Fitzgerald was the only Viking to finish in double figures, collecting 11 points on 3-of-7 from the field, while leading scorer Morales was limited to just five points — more than 11 points below her season average of 16.2 points per game entering the semifinal round.

IN THE BONUS: The 18-point margin of victory is the largest by a Sacramento State squad in the conference tournament, surpassing the 16-point victory over Montana State in the 2015 quarterfinals… A day after setting a school tournament single-game record by shooting .468 against Idaho, the Hornets bested that mark by shooting .469 against Portland State… The 25 rebounds allowed to the Vikings marked the 22nd time in 31 games that Sacramento State has held an opponent to fewer than 30 rebounds in a game… The Hornets led at the half for the 27th time this season, improving to 23-4 in those games… Tuesday was the 15th double-digit win in 24 victories overall… Sacramento State finished with 10 makes from the floor in the third quarter — the eighth time this year that the Hornets have finished with double-digit makes from the field in a single period.