SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Four players finished in double figures and the defense swarmed to hold host Cal State Fullerton to just 28 percent shooting on the night as the Sacramento State women's basketball team remained undefeated on the year with a 67-40 road victory at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday night.
The Hornets improved to 4-0 for the first time in the program's recorded history, posting their fourth consecutive double-digit victory to start the year and their third of 25-or-more points. According to available records, the 1972-73 squad had three straight wins in mid-to-late February and another in early March, but the official game-by-game records for that season are incomplete.
The Titans remained winless on the season, falling to 0-4 overall.
Sacramento State's 40 points allowed are the fewest since Pacific Union managed only 35 in a 94-35 Hornet victory on Dec. 19, 2019, and were the fewest allowed to a Division I opponent since a 78-35 win at Montana on Jan. 8, 2011.
Fullerton managed to shoot just .279 from the field for the game against a smothering Hornet defense, which was the lowest by a Sacramento State opponent since UC Davis shot .278 on Nov. 22, 2022, in a 67-45 Hornet victory at the Golden 1 Center.
Meanwhile, at the other end, Sacramento State shot .453 from the field, including a blistering .583 (14-for-24) clip in the second half and 64 percent in the third quarter alone that enabled the Hornets to turn an eight-point halftime advantage into a 53-36 lead at the end of three quarters. Overall, it marked the third time in four games that Sacramento State has shot 45 percent or better from the field.
Sophomore Lina Falk and redshirt freshman Sofia Alonso each scored a game-high 13 points, with the former hitting 5-of-9 from the field and the latter finishing with five rebounds and five steals on the night. Junior Benthe Versteeg added 11 points, five rebounds, and six assists, while junior Fatoumata Jaiteh scored in double figures for the first time as a Hornet, finishing with 10 points and four rebounds.
The Hornets trailed only twice on the night, down 2-0 and 5-4 before a three-point play by Falk gave her team the lead for good. Sacramento State scored 10 of the final 16 in the opening period and held the Titans to without a field goal for the final four minutes en route to a 17-13 lead after one.
Eight of the first 10 points in the second quarter went the Hornets' way as they built a 10-point advantage and held Cal State Fullerton to without a basket for the first 6:46 of the second quarter. The two teams traded baskets the rest of the way and Sacramento State led by eight at the break before opening the floodgates in the third quarter.
A back-and-forth start to the third eventually tipped the Hornets' way as a three-pointer by Falk midway through the period led to a 12-6 finish by Sacramento State, which built its lead to as many as 17 in the quarter, keeping Fullerton at arms length.
The Hornets finished the game on a 10-0 run, holding the Titans to without a field goal for the final 7:44 and outscoring their hosts by a 14-4 count in the period en route to the victory.
Fullerton's four points in the final quarter were the fewest allowed by a Sacramento State defense since the Hornets held Northern Arizona to a four-point second quarter in the Big Sky Tournament championship game on March 8, 2023.
Sacramento State finished the night with a 37-25 advantage on the glass, including a 10-4 lead in offensive rebounds, and scored 12 points off 17 Fullerton miscues. The Hornets also dominated the paint to the tune of a 30-12 scoring advantage.
With its first road victory under its collective belt, Sacramento State returns home on Sunday (Nov. 17) for a 2 p.m. battle against another Big West Conference foe, welcoming Long Beach State to The Nest.
