SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Newcomer Jaydia Martin finished with a team-high 20 points to pace a group of four Hornets in double figures and the Sacramento State women's basketball team won its exhibition opener, 71-58, over visiting Cal State East Bay on Monday night at The Nest.
The contest marked the lone tune-up for the 2024-25 season for the Hornets, who officially tip-off the campaign on Nov. 4 at 6:30 p.m. against local rival Jessup University. The Pioneers open their season in Washington at the CCAA-GNAC Crossover against Northwest Nazarene.
In her first game, albeit unofficially, in the green and gold, Martin added a pair of assists and three steals in 28 minutes. Fellow newcomer Fatoumata Jaiteh added 14 points and three rebounds, sophomore Lina Falk chipped in 11 more to go with four rebounds, while junior Benthe Versteeg finished with 10 points, five rebounds, nine assists, and five steals.
An 11-3 run late in the first quarter gave the Hornets the lead and Sacramento State led by a pair at the end of one. The push continued in the second as the Hornets began to inch away, turning a five-point lead into an 11-point advantage with less than two minutes to play thanks to a 6-0 run, and sophomore Madison Butcher put Sacramento State up 12 with a buzzer-beating jumper.
Cal State East Bay flipped the script in the third quarter, shooting 70 percent from the field and outscoring the Hornets by eight, briefly regaining a one-point advantage on a pair of free throws with 4:55 to play, but the home side responded. Martin scored inside and Sofia Alonso drained a three-pointer as Sacramento State scored seven of the next eight points to rebuild its lead back to five.
The Hornets then put it away in the fourth, giving up the first point of the period on a free throw before exploding for a 12-2 run over a six-minute span while limiting the Pioneers to just a pair of free throws. Cal State East Bay went without a field goal until freshman Ariyah Smith scored inside with 3:11 to play, but the hole was too big as Sacramento State got four free throws, a three-pointer by Lina Falk, and a basket by Jaiteh to close things out.
Smith led all scorers with 24 points for Cal State East Bay, finishing as the lone Pioneer in double figures.
