OGDEN, Utah — Freshman Summah Hanson finished with a career-high 28 points to go with 10 rebounds to wrap-up her sixth double-double of the season, while sophomore Benthe Versteeg and Solape Amusan also finished in double figures, but a strong second half performance by host Weber State allowed the Wildcats to pull away for an 81-61 win over the Hornets on Thursday night.
Hanson hit a career-best 10-of-17 from the field en route to her third career 20-point performance, surpassing her previous career high of 22 set at Nevada in the second game of the season. It was the most points by a Hornet since Kahlaijah Dean finished with 35 against Montana State on Feb. 23 of last season.
The freshman also added three blocks to her stat line to help maintain her lead in that category in the Big Sky, collecting her sixth game this season with multiple swats and her third with three or more, falling just one shy of her career best of four against Eastern Washington on Dec. 30.
Versteeg, meanwhile, scoring 10 of her 15 points in the second half en route to her fourth double-digit scoring performance in her last six, collecting her highest point total since she set her career high with 17 against Idaho on Dec. 28. She also added her second-straight nine assist game after putting up the same number against Oral Roberts on Jan. 6, and posted her eighth game with at least six assists this year.
Amusan also finished in double figures for the fourth time this season, adding 11 points on 4-of-6 from the floor, including a trio of three-pointers.
Sacramento State (1-13, 0-3) led by two after one period, then shot a robust 60 percent (9-of-15) from the field in the second quarter to lead by as many as seven points midway through the quarter. The Wildcats (4-12, 1-2), who shot 63 percent themselves in the period, then scored 11 of the next 13 points to take their first lead since late in the first quarter.
The two teams traded baskets before freshman Lina Falk drained a three-pointer from the top of the key to briefly regain the lead as Weber State's Taylor Smith scored right before the end of the half for a 34-33 lead at the break.
Two free throws by Hanson to open the second half gave the Hornets the lead back, but the advantage was short-lived as Weber State followed that with a 13-2 run over the next three-plus minutes to wrest control of the game away from Sacramento State with 5:56 remaining.
The Hornets answered with a run of their own, scoring nine of the next 11 to make it a three-point contest two minutes later, but the Wildcats closed on a 10-2 burst, holding Sacramento State to without a field goal the rest of the period and lead 59-48 heading to the fourth.
Versteeg opened the fourth with an "and one" to extend a personal run of eight consecutive points and make it an eight-point game with just six seconds gone, but that's as close as the Hornets would get the rest of the way. Another run — this one a 10-2 spurt — by Weber State extended the home team's lead to 16 midway through the final quarter and the Wildcats never looked back.
Weber State shot 51 percent from the field for the game, including just under 60 percent in the second half alone, as Jayda Matthews finished with a game-high 30 points and 11 rebounds to lead five Wildcat starters in double figures.
Sacramento State closes out its roadtrip on Saturday (Jan. 13) at 1 p.m. PT, taking on Idaho State in Pocatello, Idaho.
