BOISE, Idaho -- It all comes down to this. Two of the three teams that shared the Big Sky Conference regular season title will meet to decide the tournament crown on Wednesday (March 8) as No. 3-seeded Sacramento State takes on top-seeded Northern Arizona at the Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. MT and will be televised on ESPNU as well as streamed on the ESPN+ platform.
GAME #32
BIG SKY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP
WHAT: No. 3 Sacramento State (24-7) vs. No. 1 Northern Arizona (21-12)
WHEN: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
TIME: 2 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. MT
WHERE: Boise, Idaho
VENUE: Idaho Central Arena
WATCH: ESPNU & ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Big Sky Conference
BUY TICKETS: Ticketmaster.com
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Big Sky Conference
HORNET TIP-INS
• No. 3-seeded Sacramento State, which earned a share of the league's regular season title, advanced to the championship game of the Big Sky Conference Tournament following a 60-42 victory over No. 7-seeded Portland State on Tuesday to continue its postseason run.
• Today marks the first-ever championship game appearance at the Big Sky Tournament by EITHER the men's or women's basketball programs at Sacramento State.
• The Hornets improved to 24-7 overall with the win over the Vikings on Tuesday – the most wins by either the men's or women's basketball programs in a single season in school history (the men's record is 22 wins).
• RIGHT NOW, the seven losses are the fewest since the 1990-91 team finished 19-7.
• Sacramento State has now won three straight games in the Big Sky Conference Tournament after Tuesday's triumph over Portland State, improving to 7-15 in conference tournament play.
• The 18-point win over the Vikings is the program's largest in the Big Sky Tournament, topping the 16-point victory over Montana State in the 2015 quarterfinals.
• Tuesday's win also marked the 15th double-digit victory in 24 wins overall this year.
• NAU swept the regular season series from Sacramento State, winning 77-67 in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Jan. 14 and eking out an 84-82 win in overtime in Sacramento on Feb. 9.
• The loss to the Lumberjacks on Feb. 9 is the last time that the Hornets have lost, winning eight straight since that result. The loss to NAU in Flagstaff in January also ended a seven-game Sacramento State winning streak and was the Hornets' first Big Sky loss after a 4-0 start in league play.
• Sacramento State's eight consecutive victories is the program's longest since the Hornets won nine consecutive games in 2013-14.
• Sacramento State is averaging 72.3 ppg while holding opponents to just 55.6 ppg during its winning streak, including holding the last four opponents – and six overall during the run -- to fewer than 60 points.
• Just one day after breaking the school single-game tournament record with a .468 field goal percentage against Idaho, the Hornets bested that mark by shooting .469 against Portland State.
• Meanwhile, at the other end of the court, Sacramento State held Portland State to just .327 shooting from the floor – the fourth consecutive game that the Hornets have limited an opponent to under 40 percent from the floor and the 17th time overall this year.
• The .327 field goal percentage by the Vikings is the lowest by an opponent since Montana shot just .306 on Feb. 25.
• The .214 three-point percentage by Portland State is the lowest by an opponent since Weber State hit 1-of-9 (.111) from deep on Feb. 16 and the ninth time overall an opponent has shot lower than 30 percent from beyond the arc.
• Sacramento State led at the half against Portland State on Tuesday – the 28th time this season it has done so while improving to 24-4 in those contests.
• The 49 field goals attempted against Portland State on Wednesday were tied for the fewest attempts in a Big Sky Tournament game in program history along with the 49 against Northern Arizona in 2005.
• Junior post Isnelle Natabou collected her second straight double-double in tournament play, scoring a game-high 23 points – including 17 of those in the second half – to go with 11 rebounds against Portland State.
• It was Natabou's ninth game of 20-or-more points on the year and her 13th double-double of the season
• Sacramento State is 16-3 when a player records a double-double this year.
• Natabou's 23 points is tied for sixth on the program's tournament single-game list – the most by a Hornet in a Big Sky Tournament game since Maranne Johnson had 30 against Montana in 2018.
• Senior Kahlaijah Dean added 17 points and seven rebounds, collecting her 22nd consecutive double-digit scoring performance of the year and her 30th in 31 games this season.
• Sacramento State allowed only 25 rebounds by Portland State on Tuesday, marking the 22nd time in 31 games that the Hornets have held an opponent to fewer than 30 in a game this year.
• Sacramento State has only been held to fewer than 60 points in a game three times this season.
SINGLE-SEASON RECORD WATCH
• Kahlaijah Dean ranks second on the program's single-season scoring list with 658 points, just 69 points behind All-American Kristy Ryan's record of 727 in 1993-94.
• Dean's 220 field goals made rank fifth on the school's single-season list, just two back of Sue Digitale (1976-77) for fourth and four back of Heidi Carroll (1985-86) for third.
• Natabou's 210 field goals made rank seventh on the single-season list, two back of Carroll (1983-84) for sixth and 10 behind her teammate Dean for fifth.
• Dean's 76 three-pointers made are just one shy of a four-way tie for eighth on the single-season list with Alle Moreno (2012-13), Erika Edwards (2009-10), and Michelle St. Clair (2000-01), as well as two shy of Moreno (2011-12) for seventh, and three back of Maranne Johnson (2017-18 and 2015-16) for fifth.
• Dean's 142 free throws made are fourth on the all-time list, 15 behind Ryan (1992-93) for third.
• Natabou's 291 rebounds are eighth on the single-season list, 18 behind Tevani Scott (1987-88) for seventh.
• Dean's 160 assists are tied for fifth on the single-season list, 19 behind Lianna Tillman (2021-22) for fourth.
• Katie Peneueta's 39 blocks are four shy of Megan Kritscher (2011-12) for 10th.
• Dean's 1,123 minutes played this year are a single-season school record, surpassing Kylie Kuhns' 1,101 in 2012-13.
• Natabou's 1,076 minutes played this year rank fourth, just 14 minutes behind Kuhns (2011-12) for third.
CAREER RECORD WATCH
• Natabou's 938 career points are just 62 shy of making her the 19th player in school history to reach 1,000 as a Hornet.
• Peneueta's 124 career three-pointers made are 18 behind Sarah Stapp (1992-96) for 10th on the career list.
• Natabou's 619 career rebounds rank ninth on the all-time list, standing 90 board shy of Chalmers Bebber (1989-93) for eighth.
• Natabou's 69 career blocks are seventh on the all-time list, trailing Natasha Torgerson (2009-13) by three for sixth.
TEAM RECORDS
• The 2,140 points rank ninth on the single-season list, 21 points behind the 2017-18 team (2,161) for eighth and 82 back of the 2011-12 team (2,222) for seventh.
• The 767 made baskets are 10th on the single-season list, 20 behind the 2017-18 team for ninth.
• The .469 field goal percentage WOULD BE a school record, breaking the mark of .458 set in 1976-77.
• The 279 three-pointers made are fifth on the single-season list.
• The .388 three-point percentage WOULD BE a school record, breaking the mark of .351 set in 1995-96.
• The 403 assists are 10th on the school's single-season list.
• The 105 blocks are sixth on the single-season list, five behind the 2010-11 team for fifth.
