SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento State women's basketball team closes out the month of January on the road this week, heading to the "Treasure State" for a pair of contests beginning Thursday (Jan. 25) against Montana State at 6 p.m. in Bozeman, Mont.
NEXT UP...
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Montana State | Big Sky Conference
GAME #18
WHAT: Sacramento State (1-16, 0-6) at Montana State (9-10, 3-3)
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024
TIME: 6 p.m. PT
WHERE: Bozeman, Mont.
ARENA: Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com
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
• Montana State head coach Tricia Binford is in her 19th season at the helm of the Bobcats' program, posting 321 wins in her tenure while winning 200 conference games.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS
• Montana State enters Thursday with a 9-10 overall record and a 3-3 mark in Big Sky play
• The Bobcats snapped a three-game skid with a 64-55 win over Montana on Jan. 20, but opened their week with a 62-53 loss at Idaho State on Monday (Jan. 23)
• MSU is nearly unbeatable on its home floor this year, posting a 7-1 mark at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, while going just 1-8 in true road games
• The Bobcats have won their last seven in a row at home since a 68-60 loss to BYU in the regular season opener
• Senior guard Katelynn Limardo leads the team in scoring at 12.7 ppg and is joined in double figures by fifth-year guard Madison Hall, who is averaging 10.2 ppg
• Limardo is also the team leader in the glass (7.2 rpg) and in steals (29), while making a team-high 30 shots from beyond the arc
• Montana State is averaging 61.0 ppg and shooting .383 from the field as a team, while opponents average 59.7 ppg and shooting .380 from the floor
SERIES NOTABLES
• Montana State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State by a 44-13 count
• The two teams split last year's regular season series with each school winning on its home floor: the Bobcats eking out a 61-60 win in Bozeman with the Hornets claiming an 82-73 win at home
• Sacramento State's win snapped a series-long 10-game losing streak against Montana State dating back to an 88-77 win at home on Feb. 8, 2018
• The Hornets are just 4-24 against the Bobcats in Bozeman, having lost the last nine trips to Montana State dating back to a 69-65 win on Dec. 20, 2012
• Sacramento State's longest winning streak in the series is four games from the second meeting of the 2011-12 season to the first meeting of the 2013-14 campaign
• That stretch marks the only time in the 58-game history of the series that the Hornets have won back-to-back games against the Bobcats
ALREADY MAKING A NAME FOR HERSELF
• Following her 19-point outburst against Northern Arizona to close out last week, freshman Summah Hanson moved up the top 10 list in points by a freshman in the program's Division I history with 240 -- the most since Maranne Johnson finished with 268 in 2014-15
• Entering Thursday's contest, Hanson's point total moved her past Sarah Stapp (226 in 1992-93) and Sami Field-Polisso (230 in 2007-08) for seventh place
• Hanson is now just 28 points shy of Johnson's total for sixth and 34 back of both Fantasia Hilliard (274 in 2011-12) and Julie Wastell (274 in 1995-96) for a spot in the top five
• Hanson is only the 11th Hornet freshman to score at least 200 points in her debut season
• If the season ended after 17 games, Hanson's 14.1 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 8.5 rpg, passing Margaret Huntington's 7.5 rpg
• Hanson also stands 40 makes behind Craig's record of 127 field goals and is 79 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. Summah Hanson 240 2023-24
8. Sami Field-Polisso 230 2007-08
9. Sarah Stapp 226 1992-93
10. 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 7.38 ppg
• Hanson also ranks No. 20 in the NCAA in scoring (14.1 ppg) among qualifying freshmen entering the weekend
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
• Thanks to some digging through the box scores from past seasons, Hanson's career-high 28 points at Weber State on Jan. 11 were the most by a Hornet freshman in the program's Division I history
• It marked her third 20-point game of the season, surpassing her previous career-best of 22 at Nevada on Nov. 9
• They were also the most since Kahlaijah Dean finished with 35 points against Montana State on Feb. 23 of last 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
QUEEN OF THE BOARD ROOM
• Hanson enters the weekend ranked second in the Big Sky in both rebounding (8.53 rpg) and total rebounds (145)
• Among qualifying freshman across the country, Hanson is a solid third among freshmen in rebounding behind Northern Kentucky's Carter McCray (9.9 rpg), and Iowa State's Addy Brown (9.2 rpg)
• Hanson also ranks fifth in total rebounds (145) among the nation's freshmen, trailing McCray's 169 boards
• She ranks tied for No. 77 in the nation overall in rebounds per game
• Hanson has led or shared the team lead in rebounding in 14 of the team's 17 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) and Northern Colorado's Aniah Hall (vs. Portland State on Jan. 20)
SEEING DOUBLE-DOUBLE
• Following back-to-back double-doubles at Weber State and Idaho State, Hanson's seven double-doubles remain the most in the Big Sky entering the weekend and are tied for 38th in the NCAA
• Hanson is one of only three freshmen (Iowa State's Addy Brown and Northern Kentucky's Carter McCray the other) -- and one of 14 underclassmen overall -- in the nation with at least seven double-doubles as of Jan. 21
• Hanson is one of 23 players in the Big Sky to post a double-double in a game this year, but one of only 12 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
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 (5th and 2nd, respectively) categories, joining Northern Colorado's Delaynie Byrne (2nd & 4th), Montana State's Katelynn Limardo (8th and 5th), and Northern Arizona's Sophie Glancey (7th and 8th)
• Among that group, Hanson is the only freshman as the others are, at least, sophomores
• Overall, she ranks in the top five in the league in nine categories (see chart on page 4 of PDF release linked above)
NO DUCKING THIS DUTCHWOMAN
• Already among the league's best in assists (more on that later), sophomore Benthe Versteeg put her scoring prowess on full display against Northern Arizona last week
• Versteeg finished with a career-high 26 points on a career-best 10 makes from the field against the Lumberjacks, also finishing a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line
• The scoring performance marked her first career 20-point performance and blew her previous career high of 17 points against Idaho (Dec. 28) out of the water
• She has now reached double-digit points eight times this year, with six of those coming in her last nine games and three of her last four
• Over her last four, Versteeg is averaging 15.8 points per game -- better than five points above her overall season average -- while also averaging 6.50 assists per game in that same span
BENTHE BETTER IN THE BIG SKY
• Since the calendar turned to conference play, Versteeg has been red hot against the Hornets' Big Sky Conference rivals
• Through six league games, Versteeg is the Hornets' leading scorer, averaging a solid 15.3 points (nearly five points better than her overall season average), 5.0 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game, while leading the team with 35 field goals made
• In those six league contests, Versteeg has scored in double figures in five of them save for only an eight-point night at Idaho State (Jan. 13)
SHE'S A GIVER
• Versteeg had a run of five straight games with six-or-more assists snapped following her 26-point outburst against Northern Arizona, but continues to rank second in the Big Sky in both assists per game (5.65) and total assists (96) entering the weekend
• She is one of only two players in the Big Sky to average better than 5.0 apg, joining Eastern Washington's Jamie Loera (5.82)
• She also ranks fourth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.32) and is among the NCAA's top 100 in assists (34th) and assists per game (24th)
• Versteeg owns five of the top 10 single-game assist totals in the Big Sky
• She has 10 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 10 games are just one 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)
PUTTING THE "O" IN ORIO
• Following her 11-point performance against Northern Arizona, sophomore Irune Orio posted her fourth double-digit scoring performance in her last five games
• Ranking third on the team in scoring at 7.3 ppg, Orio is averaging 10.6 ppg during her most recent run, which included 14 points against Oral Roberts on Jan. 6 and 12 more points at Idaho State on Jan. 13
• The game against the Lumberjacks marked her fifth double-digit scoring performance of the year overall, adding on a career-best 16-point performance against CSUN on Dec. 2
IN GOOD HANDS
• Sacramento State committed a season-low 12 turnovers against Northern Arizona last week, edging out its previous low of 13 set twice against CSUN and Idaho earlier this year
HORNETS IN THE PAINT
• Sacramento State finished with a season-high 42 points in the paint on Saturday against Northern Arizona
• The total surpassed its previous best of 34 against CSUN and marked the eighth time this year that the Hornets have either led or been even in that category
LET'S GO HALVSIES
• The Hornets finished with 34 first-half points against Northern Arizona last week, setting a new season high for the half and tying for the second-most points in ANY half this year, trailing only the 36-point second half against Santa Clara
• Saturday's half led to a season-high 66 points overall for Sacramento State, which surpassed the previous high of 65 against the Broncos
• The Hornets outscored the Lumberjacks, 32-31, in the second half -- the third time that Sacramento State has won a half this season along with the first half against CSUN and the second half against Cal Poly
HERE'S A QUARTER
• The 22 points scored in the first quarter against Northern Arizona were the most in ANY quarter for the Hornets this season
• Of Sacramento State's 15 points in the fourth against the Lumberjacks, 10 of those came via Versteeg, who collected the team's fourth double-digit scoring quarter of the year (the other three by Summah Hanson against Nevada, CSUN, and Weber State)
• Versteeg's five field goals in that fourth quarter tied Hanson's single-quarter mark for the year, finishing 5-of-7 from the field
LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT COMBINATION
• Through the first 17 games this season, Sacramento State has put 11 different starting lineups on the floor
• 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
• The Hornets have also rolled out the lineup of Versteeg, Edge, Orio, Amusan, and Hanson three times against Oral Roberts (Jan. 6), Idaho State (Jan. 13), and Northern Colorado (Jan. 18)
• 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 17 games
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
• Thirty of the the team's 34 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, and added 57 more against Northern Arizona on Jan. 20
• The game against the Lumberjacks marked the 10th time overall -- and the fifth time in the last six games -- that the starting five has accounted for at least 40 points in a game
• Overall, Hornet starters have accounted for nearly 77 percent of the team's points this year, scoring 674 of the 880 total points thus far
BREATH OF FRESH AIR
• Sacramento State has started at least one true freshman in all 17 games this season and has listed at least two true freshman in the starting five in 10 of those 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
SWIPER, NO SWIPING
• Sophomore Benthe Versteeg has led or co-led the team in steals seven times this season and 17 times overall in her career
• Her two steals against Northern Arizona on Saturday gave Versteeg 28 steals on the year and 1.65 spg -- both ranking tied for fifth in the league
• Versteeg set a career high with five steals against Cal Poly on Dec. 21
• The sophomore has been a pest as of late, averaging 2.60 spg over her last five contests, with her 13 steals in that span accounting for nearly half of her season total
• Versteeg has a steal in all but four games and multiple steals nine times
ALL GO, NO QUIT
• Versteeg played all 40 minutes against Northern Colorado on Thursday night, marking the fifth time this season that the sophomore has gone the distance in a game this year
• She played all but 57 seconds against Northern Arizona and has missed only 2:12 of game time in her last five contests
• All told, the sophomore has gone the distance against UC Davis (Nov. 21), CSUN (Dec. 2), Oral Roberts (Jan. 6), and Idaho State (Jan. 13), in addition to last week's game against Northern Colorado as well as a 40-minute performance at Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 21 last year
HOLD UP, WAIT A MINUTE
• Versteeg enters the week ranked No. 2 in the NCAA in minutes per game (38.06), standing behind only Duquesne's Megan McConnell (38.58)υ Versteeg has played at least 38 minutes in seven other games and has played 37-or-more minutes in all but three games this year
• Hanson, meanwhile, is fifth in the Big Sky at 33.50 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 weekend ranked fourth in the Big Sky in both overall blocks (54) and blocks per game (3.18)
• Sacramento State has had at least one block in all but one game (UC Davis) this year and multiple blocks 14 times
STILL SUMMAH FROM THE BLOCK
• Hanson leads the Big Sky in both blocks (21) and blocks per game (1.24)
• The freshman has posted at least one swat in eight of her last 12 games and in all but six 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 in 2001-02
SUMMAH TIME!
• With her career-high 22-point outburst at Nevada on Nov. 9, Hanson became the first Hornet freshman to score 20 points in a game since Katie Peneueta had 20 at Northern Arizona on Feb. 3, 2022
• The 22 points were the most by a Sacramento State freshman since Tiara Scott scored 25 against Montana State on Feb. 18, 2017. Scott was 9-of-14 from the floor, including seven three-pointers
• Hanson's double-double against the Wolf Pack was the first by a Hornet freshman since Margaret Huntington had 10 points and 13 rebounds against UC Irvine on Dec. 14, 2013
