SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento State women's basketball team returns home from its first Big Sky Conference road trip of the season for a pair of games, opening the week on Thursday (Jan. 18) against Northern Colorado at the Nest. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

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GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Northern Colorado | Big Sky Conference

GAME #16
WHAT: Northern Colorado (7-7, 2-1) at Sacramento State (1-14, 0-4 Big Sky)
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024
TIME: 6:30 p.m. PT
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
ARENA: The Nest
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com
TICKETS: HornetSports.com

MARK YOUR CALENDARS
• Tip-off for the Hornets' conference game against Northern Arizona on Jan. 20 at The Nest has been moved up to 11 a.m. due to a change in travel plans for the Lumberjacks

RUNNING A GAUNTLET
• Seven of Sacramento State's 15 opponents thus far have posted double-digit wins at this point of the regular season: Santa Clara (13-5), Eastern Washington (13-3), Oral Roberts (12-5), Washington (11-4), San Diego State (11-7), and St. Thomas (11-7)
• Of the 15 opponents, 10 have records of .500 or better
• Entering Thursday, the Hornets' non-conference opponents are a combined 100-83 (.546)

THE COACHES
• Sacramento State's Aaron Kallhoff is in his first season at the helm of the Hornets. He has served five previous seasons as a head coach at the junior college level and spent 10 years as an assistant at five Division I programs: Arkansas State, TCU, LSU, Penn State, and BYU. He earned his first career Division I victory as a head coach on Dec. 2 against CSUN
• Northern Colorado head coach Kristen Mattio is in her third season at the helm of the Bears' program, posting a 35-31 record in her two-plus seasons. Prior to her coming to Greeley, she won 154 games in six years as head coach at West Texas A&M.

ABOUT THE BEARS
• Northern Colorado enters the week with a 7-7 overall record and a 2-1 record in Big Sky play
• The Bears have won three straight entering Thursday's clash with Sacramento State, posting wins over Denver (59-56), Montana (67-57), and Montana State (58-53) -- all at home
• Thursday marks Northern Colorado's first road in two weeks, last facing Oral Roberts on Jan. 3
• UNC is just 2-5 away from home compared to its solid 5-2 mark on its home floor and has lost its last three straight on the road dating back to a Dec. 16 win at Utah State
• The duo of Delaynie Byrne and Hannah Simental are both in double figures, averaging 15.6 and 15.1 ppg, respectively, while Byrne paces the Bears on the glass (8.6 rpg)
• Northern Colorado is the league's top three-point shooting team (.385) and is the third-best in three-point defense (.290)
• The Bears also rank second in the conference on the glass (38.5 rpg), while holding opponents to the second-fewest rebounds per game (32.43 rpg), and are fouth in the league in scoring (68.71 ppg)
SERIES NOTABLES
• Northern Colorado leads the all-time series with Sacramento State by a 21-13 count
• The Hornets, however, have won the last four meetings with the Bears, sweeping the regular season series with UNC in each of the last two seasons
• The four straight wins are tied for the longest winning streak in the series for Sacramento State and ended a 10-game skid against Northern Colorado from 2016-21
• The Hornets are 9-7 in the series at home, winning the last two in 2022 (69-62) and 2023 (79-48)
• Sacramento State had won six of the first eight in the series, which began in 2007, before Northern Colorado won 19 of the next 22

SEEING DOUBLE-DOUBLE
• Hanson had herself quite a weeked on the road last week, posting consecutive double-doubles for the third time this season at Weber State and Idaho State
• Following Saturday's performance at Idaho State, Hanson's seven double-doubles are now the most in the Big Sky entering the week and are tied for 30th in the NCAA
• Hanson is one of only three freshmen (Iowa State's Addy Brown and Syracuse's Alyssa Latham the others) -- and one of 15 underclassmen overall -- in the nation with at least six double-doubles as of Jan. 13
• She is one of only 28 non-Power 5 student-athletes (out of 61) to post at least six double-doubles
• Hanson is one of 21 players in the Big Sky to post a double-double in a game this year and one of only 10 to have multiple double-doubles
• Of Hanson's seven double-doubles, three have included 20-point performances which are also the most in the league
• Her seven double-doubles this season are tied for 11th on the program's Division I single-season list and already tied for 15th on the school's career list in that same span

ALREADY MAKING A NAME FOR HERSELF
• With a pair of solid performances on the road last week, freshman Summah Hanson moved into the top 10 in points by a freshman in the program's Division I history with 221 -- the most since Tiara Scott finished with the same amount in 2016-17
• Entering Thursday's contest, Hanson's point total moved her past Kylie Kuhns (219 in 2009-10) and into a tie with Scott for ninth on the list
• Hanson is now just five points shy of Sarah Stapp (226 in 1992-93) for eighth and nine back of Sami Field-Polisso (230 in 2007-08) for seventh
• Hanson is only the 11th Hornet freshman to score at least 200 points in her debut season
• If the season ended after 15 games, Hanson's 14.7 ppg would be the best by a freshman in the school's Division I history, passing Sarah Craig's 12.2 ppg in 2002-03, as would her 8.9 rpg, passing Margaret Huntington's 7.5 rpg
• Hanson also stands 48 makes behind Craig's record of 127 field goals and is 91 rebounds back of Huntington's record-setting total (224)

MOST SINGLE-SEASON POINTS AS A FRESHMAN (Division I only)
1. Gigi Hascheff 344 2013-14
2. Hallie Gennett 336 2013-14
3. Sarah Craig 305 2002-03
t4. Fantasia Hilliard 274 2011-12
t4. Julie Wastell 274 1995-96
6. Maranne Johnson 268 2014-15
7. Sami Field-Polisso 230 2007-08
8. Sarah Stapp 226 1992-93
t9. Summah Hanson 221 2023-24
t9. Tiara Scott 221 2016-17
11. Kylie Kuhns 219 2009-10
12. Tola Tallman 192 2000-01
13. Katie Peneueta 191 2021-22
14. Emily Christensen 182 2007-08
15. Shanti Smith 169 2010-11
16. Margaret Huntington 154 2013-14

NOT BAD... FOR A FRESHMAN
• Hanson is the highest scoring freshman in the Big Sky entering the weekend, with the next closest first-year scorer being Northern Colorado's Tatum West at 7.43 ppg
• Hanson also ranks No. 16 in the NCAA in scoring (14.7 ppg) among qualifying freshmen entering the weekend, and 21st in total points (221)

QUEEN OF THE BOARD ROOM
• Despite her pair of double-doubles, Hanson enters the week ranked second in the Big Sky in both rebounding average (8.87 rpg) and total rebounds (133), trailing only Montana's Dani Bartsch (9.07 rpg and 136, respectively)
• Among qualifying freshman across the country, Hanson is a solid third among freshmen in rebounding behind Northern Kentucky's Carter McCray (9.7 rpg), and Iowa State's Addy Brown (9.3 rpg)
• Hanson also ranks fourth in total rebounds (133) among the nation's freshmen, trailing Brown's 148 boards
• She ranks No. 59 in the nation overall in rebounds per game and is just outside the top 30 in the NCAA in defensive rebounds (6.8 rpg)
• Hanson has led or shared the team lead in rebounding in 13 of the team's 15 games
• Her 16 rebounds at Fresno State (Dec. 16) were the most since Isnelle Natabou grabbed 18 against Weber State on Jan. 21 last season
• They are also tied for the most in a game by a Big Sky player along with Idaho's Hope Butera (vs. Texas A&M-Commerce on Dec. 1)

HANSON GOES WILD AT WEBER
• Hanson had herself a career night in Ogden on Jan. 11, finishing with a career-high 28 points (on a career-best 10-for-17 from the field) to go with 10 rebounds and three blocks against the Wildcats
• Thursday's performance also marked her third 20-point game of the season, surpassing her previous career-best of 22 at Nevada on Nov. 9
• Hanson's 28 points were the most since Kahlaijah Dean finished with 35 points against Montana State on Feb. 23 of last season and the most by a Hornet freshman since at least the 2004-05 season
• The 28 points are also the second-most by a player in the league this season, trailing only the 30 points scored by Weber State's Jadyn Matthews in that same contest

OH, YES, THEY CALL IT A STREAK
• Over her last four contests, Hanson is averaging 17.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg, while shooting 52 percent (26-for-50) from the field and 10-for-12 from the line
• Hanson has reached double-digit points in each of her last four games -- and 11 of 15 games overall -- matching her longest such streak of the year and the longest by a Hornet in 2023-24

SHE'S KIND OF A BIG (SKY) DEAL
• Hanson is one of only four players from around the league to rank in the top 10 in both scoring and rebounding (fifth and second, respectively) categories, joining Northern Colorado's Delaynie Byrne (3rd & 3rd), Montana State's Katelynn Limardo (7th and 6th), and Northern Arizona's Sophie Glancey (9th and 9th)• Among that group, Hanson is the only freshman as the others are in, at least, their sophomore seasons
• She also ranks in the top five in the league in 12 other categories (see chart on page 4 of the above PDF release)

OTHER BIG SKY BESTS
• Solape Amusan's six three-pointers against Santa Clara on Nov. 29 are tied for the second most in a game this year behind Northern Arizona's Emily Rodabaugh and her seven makes 
• Versteeg's five steals against Cal Poly on Dec. 21 are tied for the second-most in the league behind EWU's Jamie Loera and her seven swipes against Portland State on Dec. 28
• Hanson's four blocks against Eastern Washington on Dec. 30 are tied for the most in a game in the league along with Montana's Carmen Gfeller (vs. South Dakota), Northern Arizona's Saniyah Neverson (vs. UNLV), and Portland State's Lana Wenger (vs. St. Thomas)
• Hanson's three 20-point games are tied for fifth in the league, while her seven double-digit rebounding performances are tied with Montana's Dani Bartsch for the most in the Big Sky
• Sacramento State's 12-for-16 (.750) performance from beyond the arc against Santa Clara on Nov. 19 is the highest single-game percentage from three thus far this season

SHE'S A GIVER
• After a nine assist game against Weber State and seven more against Idaho State, sophomore Benthe Versteeg has moved into a tie for the top spot in the Big Sky in both assists per game (5.73) and total assists (86) entering the week
• She is one of only two players in the Big Sky to average better than 5.0 apg, joining Eastern Washington's Jamie Loera (5.73)
• She also ranks fourth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3) and is among the NCAA's top 100 in assists (31st) and assists per game (23rd)
• Versteeg owns five of the top 10 single-game assist totals in the Big Sky entering this weekend's contests
• She has nine games with at least six assists, including nine helpers for a third time this year at Weber State, joining her performances against CSUN on Dec. 2 and Oral Roberts on Jan. 6
• Those nine games are just two shy of Kahlaijah Dean's total from all of last season after Dean posted the fifth-highest single-season total in school history (168) in 2022-23
• Versteeg's career-high 10 assists against Santa Clara (Nov. 29) is one of three double-digit assist totals in the Big Sky thus far: Loera had 12 at Utah State on Nov. 10, and Montana's Gina Marxen had 10 against South Dakota on Jan. 3
• Her 16-point, 10-assist game against the Broncos is one of only two point-assist double-doubles in the league this year (Montana's Gina Marxen had 10 points and 10 assists against South Dakota on Jan. 3)
• The 10 helpers against the Broncos were just one shy of the school's single-game top 10 (seven players are tied for ninth with 11 assists, the last being Fantasia Hilliard at Montana in 2015)

SWIPER, NO SWIPING
• Sophomore Benthe Versteeg's team-high four steals against Idaho State marked the fifth time this year -- and the 15th time in her career -- that she has led or co-led the team in that category
• The total gave Versteeg 24 steals on the year, which ranks tied for ninth in the Big Sky, while her 1.60 spg ranks tied for seventh in the league
• Versteeg's four steals were just one shy of her career high set against Cal Poly on Dec. 21
• The sophomore has been a pest as of late, averaging 3.0 spg over her last three contests, with her nine steals in that span accounting for more than a third of her season total
• Versteeg has a steal in all but four games and multiple steals seven times

THREE FOR 10
• Along with Hanson's career night at Weber State, Benthe Versteeg (15) and Solape Amusan (11) also finished in double figures, giving the Hornets three with 10-or-more points in the same game for the third time this season
• Versteeg's 15 points marked her sixth double-digit scoring performance of the year and her fourth in the last seven games
• The 15 points were the most since she scored a career-high 17 against Idaho on Dec. 28
• During her recent scoring binge, Versteeg is averaging 11.6 ppg (better than two points per game above her current season average) to go along with 5.86 apg
• Meanwhile, Amusan's 11 points marked her fourth double-digit game of the year and her first since she scored 11 at Fresno State on Dec. 16
• Two days later, Irune Orio finished with a team-high 12 at Idaho State, her second double-digit performance in her last three and her third overall

HOLD UP, WAIT A MINUTE
• Versteeg enters the week ranked No. 3 in the NCAA in minutes per game (37.86), standing behind only Duquesne's Megan McConnell (38.45) and Lafayette's Abby Antognoli (37.97)
• The sophomore has played all 40 minutes four times this year: UC Davis (Nov. 21), CSUN (Dec. 2), Oral Roberts (Jan. 6), and Idaho State (Jan. 13)
• The 40 minutes against the Bengals marked the fifth time in her career that she has gone the distance
• Versteeg has played at least 38 minutes in six other games and has played 37-or-more minutes in all but three games this year
• Hanson, meanwhile, is third in the Big Sky at 34.16 mpg -- including a season-high 39:22 against Nevada
• After playing in only 20 minutes at Washington in the opener, Hanson has played 35-or-more minutes nine times

BLOCK YOU VERY MUCH
• Sacramento State enters the week ranked third in the Big Sky in both overall blocks (47) and blocks per game (3.13)
• The Hornets' five blocks against Oral Roberts on Jan. 6 are tied for the second-highest single-game total of the year, matching the five swats against Idaho on Dec. 28 and trailing only her six against EWU
• Sacramento State has had at least one block in all but one game (UC Davis) this year
• The Hornets' three blocks in the first quarter at Weber State on Jan. 11 tied a season high for a single quarter along with Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 12 and Oral Roberts on Jan. 6

STILL SUMMAH FROM THE BLOCK
• Hanson leads the Big Sky in both blocks (21) and blocks per game (1.40)
• The freshman has posted at least one swat in eight of her last 10 games and in all but four contests overall
• Hanson's 21 blocks are the most by a Hornet freshman since Katie Peneueta finished the 2021-22 season with 21
• Kristine Knowlton holds the school freshman record with 57 during the 2001-02 season

LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT COMBINATION
• Through the first 15 games this season, Sacramento State has put 10 different starting lineups on the floor thus far, with the latest coming on Jan. 6 against Oral Roberts
• The Hornets used the same lineup in back-to-back games for the first time this season against Fresno State, Cal Poly, and Idaho: Benthe Versteeg, Irune Orio, Lina Falk, Solape Amusan, and Summah Hanson
• Sacramento State has also used the lineup of Versteeg, Lee, Orio, Amusan, and Hanson three times against Eastern Washington (Dec. 30) and St. Thomas (Jan. 3) and, again at Weber State on Jan. 11
• All told, 11 of the 13 Hornets who have seen time on the court have earned a start, with Hanson and Versteeg the only two to start all 15 games

BREATH OF FRESH AIR
• Sacramento State has started at least one true freshman in all 15 games this season and has listed at least two true freshman in the starting five in nine of the first 15 games
• The Hornets have started three true freshmen twice at Washington in the season opener on Nov. 6 and, again, against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 12
• Sacramento State listed a starting five comprised completely of underclassmen in each of the first four games
• Junior Seilala Lautaimi became the first upperclassman to crack the starting lineup against UC Davis on Nov. 21 and earned the start against Santa Clara on Nov. 29, before senior Solape Amusan made her first start against CSUN on Dec. 2

WANNA BE STARTING SOMETHING
• The Hornets' starting five has produced at least half of the team's points in all but one game this season after the bench held a 33-32 advantage against Santa Clara on Nov. 29
• Twenty-four of the the team's 28 double-digit scoring performances have come from starters; Freshman Ayanna Jackson had 12 as a reserve against Cal State Fullerton, Solape Amusan was the spark off the bench twice with 11 against UC Davis and 18 more against Santa Clara, while J'yana Salton added 10 points against Idaho
• Hornet starters finished with a season-high 58 points against Weber State on Jan. 11, while the 45 points against Idaho State marked the eighth time overall -- and the third time in the last four games -- that the starting five has accounted for at least 40 points
• Overall, Hornet starters have accounted for nearly 76 percent of the team's points this year, scoring 572 of the 755 total points thus far