SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With final exams in the classroom nearly behind it, the Sacramento State women's basketball team focuses on basketball for the remainder of the calendar year, returning to the court to host San Jose State on Sunday (Dec. 15) at 2 p.m.
GAME #11
WHAT: San Jose State (6-5, 0-0 Mountain West) at Sacramento State (6-4, 0-0 Big Sky) WHEN: Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024
TIME: 2 PM PT
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
ARENA: The Nest
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com
TICKETS: HornetSports.com
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | San Jose State
CATCH US IF YOU CAN
• Sunday's game against the Spartans will be the last home game for the Hornets for more than a month as Sacramento State will not be seen at The Nest until a Big Sky clash with Northern Arizona on Jan. 16, 2025
• The 32 days between home games against the Spartans and Lumberjacks -- during which the Hornets will play five games away from The Nest -- is the seventh-largest gap in the nation this year: Columbia (47 days, 6 games away from home), UC Irvine (46 days, 7 games), Texas A&M-Commerce (45 days, 6 games), Stephen F. Austin (40 days, 8 games), William & Mary (35 days, 4 games), and Utah State (34 days, 8 games)
• The five straight road contests marks the longest stretch of games away from The Nest since the 2021-22 campaign when Sacramento State played seven straight -- one of those at the Golden 1 Center against UC Davis
ABOUT THE SPARTANS
• San Jose State enters the weekend with a 6-5 overall record after falling to Tulsa, 77-48, at home on Tuesday
• After winning two straight, the Spartans have now lost two straight preceding the loss to Tulsa with an 82-71 defeat at home against Loyola Marymount on Dec. 7
• The game against the Hornets will be only the third true road game for the Spartans this year, who are 1-1 on the road in 2024-25
• Having played their last three at home, Sunday marks the first true road contest for SJSU since falling at UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 17 by an 86-76 score
• Junior Finau Tonga returned to the line up against Tulsa after missing the previous six games and leads the team at 11.2 ppg and shooting .636 from the floor
• Forward Djessira Diawara is second on the team in scoring at 9.4 ppg and paces SJSU on the glass at 7.5 rpg while shooting .535 from the field
SERIES NOTABLES
• Sacramento State holds a slim, 19-18, lead in the all-time series with San Jose State
• Sunday marks the first meeting between the Hornets and Spartans since the 2021-22 season when Sacramento State posted a 75-65 win at home
• The last eight meetings between the two programs have been decided by 10 points or fewer dating back to the 2007-08 season
• The Hornets are 11-7 at home against San Jose State, winning the last two and three of the last four
CONFERENCE CALL
• Sacramento State is a combined 55-89 against the current Mountain West Conference alignment
• The 37 games against San Jose State are the second-most against any one league member, trailing only the 52 meetings with Nevada
• The Hornets have lost their last four games against Mountain West opponents dating back to a 62-61 win over Fresno State on Dec. 3, 2022
• Sunday marks the first meeting against a Mountain West opponent since falling on the road against the Bulldogs on Dec. 16 of last season
MARTIN NETS BIG SKY WEEKLY HONORS
• Senior Jaydia Martin was named the Big Sky Player of the Week on Dec. 10 after her performances against Kansas City and Omaha (more on that in a minute)
• It is her first award as a Hornet and the third of her career after she won twice during the 2022-23 season as a sophomore at Eastern Washington
• She is the first Sacramento State women's basketball player to win the award since Kahlaijah Dean shared the honor on Feb. 21, 2023
THIS IS PERFECT... PERFECT, PERFECT, PERFECT
• Every week feels like we're going to jinx this, but freshman Sofia Alonso can't miss from the line
• The Spaniard has opened the year a perfect 22-for-22 -- the most in the Big Sky entering the week -- from the charity stripe following her 2-for-2 performance against Kansas City on Dec. 4
• Alonso is one of only three players in the NCAA that are still perfect from the line (as of Dec. 7), ranking second on the list behind only Saint Louis' Peyton Kennedy (43-for-43) and Lamar's Sabria Dean (19-for-19)
• Alonso's streak is believed to be tied for the sixth-longest in the program's Division I history and is the longest by a Hornet player since Camariah King went 22-for-22 in between misses from Dec. 6, 2019 at Seattle U to Jan. 11, 2020 at Weber State
CONSECUTIVE FT MADE STREAKS (Division I Era)
Erika Edwards - 30, 2/28/09 to 1/24/10
Brianna Burgos - 25, 11/24/14 to 3/7/15
Brianna Burgos - 24, 12/29/15 to 2/13/16
Gretchen Harrigan - 23, 12/13/15 to 12/29/15
Jasmine Cannady - 23, 2/21/09 to 12/13/09
Sofia Alonso - 22, 11/4/24 to Present
Camariah King - 22, 12/6/19 to 1/11/20
Takara Burse - 22, 3/8/14 to 11/18/14
Kerri Dunn - 22, 11/26/99 to 12/7/99
Sarah Stapp - 22, 2/11/95 to 3/11/95
JUST WIN, BABY
• The Hornets haven't just been winning to start 2024-25, they've been winning BIG
• All six of Sacramento State's victories have been by double figures -- four of those by 27 points or more -- following its 17-point win over Kansas City
• The Hornets' last eight triumphs dating back to last season have all been by double digits -- a run that includes a 16-point win at Northern Arizona (Feb. 15) and an 18-point win over Idaho State (March 9) in 2023-24
• Sacramento State's 39-point triumph over Wagner on Dec. 1 was the largest since a 59-point win over Pacific Union on Dec. 19, 2019, and the largest against a Division I opponent since a 48-point triumph over Portland State on Jan. 23, 2016
• The 78 points in the win over Jessup were the most in a season-opener for Sacramento State since an 88-85 win over Cal Poly to tip-off the 2018-19 campaign
• Meanwhile, the 88 points in the win over Lincoln University were the most by the Hornets since a 96-88 loss against Idaho on Feb. 22, 2020
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
• If there were a Big Sky-Summit Challenge all-tournament team, senior Jaydia Martin should have a spot
• After opening with a Sac State career-high 31 points in a win over Kansas City, Martin poured in 22 more at Omaha three days later, hitting 8-of-14 from the field
• For the weekend, Martin averaged 26.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, and 2.5 spg, while shooting 61 percent (19-for-31) from the field and 80 percent (12-of-15) from the line while averaging 37.0 mpg
20-20 VISION
• Martin's back-to-back scoring explosions against Kansas City and Omaha last week marked the first back-to-back games with 20-or-more points by a Hornet since Isnelle Natabou did so in four straight in 2022-23
• In that stretch, Natabou went for 20 against Montana (Feb. 25), 23 vs. Portland State (Feb. 27), 22 vs. Idaho (March 6), and 23 vs. the Vikings (March 7)
• The last Hornet to do so with at least 30 points in one of the games was Kahlaijah Dean earlier that same year, scoring 29 at Idaho State on Feb. 18 and 35 more against Montana State on Feb. 23
JAYDIA'S JUMPIN'
• With her two performances last week, Martin has now scored in double figures in each of her last four games, five of her last six, and six times in the team's 10 games
• During her recent four-game streak, Martin is averaging 19.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, and 3.0 apg, while shooting .571 (28-for-49) overall from the field
• As a result, she has raised her season scoring average nearly four full points from 9.3 ppg on Nov. 20 to 13.2 ppg entering this week's game
• Over her last six (dating back to Nov. 17 vs. Long Beach State), she is averaging 15.3 ppg while shooting .444 from the floor
• More than two-thirds (92) of her 132 total points have come in her last six contests
THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIRTY
• Martin's 31 points against Kansas City were just two shy of her collegiate high of 33 points set against Montana on Jan. 16, 2023, as a sophomore at Eastern Washington
• She became the first Sacramento State player to go for at least 30 points in a game since Kahlaijah Dean had 35 against Montana State on Feb. 23, 2023
• Her 31 points are also tied for the most in the Big Sky this year (as of Dec. 8) along with Northern Arizona's Taylor Feldman (at South Dakota on Dec. 7)
• Martin, who played all 40 minutes against the Roos, scored 12 points in the third and 10 more in the fourth, marking only the third and fourth double-digit scoring quarters by a Hornet this season
• Her 12 points in the third are the most by a Hornet in a quarter this year
FALK THIS WAY
• Sophomore Lina Falk has picked up right where she left off last year in the scoring department, finishing in double figures in eight of the team's first 10 games
• The German has scored double digits in each of her last four contests, averaging 12.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg, while shooting .455 (20-for-44) from the field in that stretch
• That streak includes the sophomore's first career double-double as Falk posted 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds at Omaha on Dec. 7
• The 11 rebounds are tied for the most by a Hornet this year, joining Benthe Versteeg's 11 boards against Long Beach State on Nov. 17
• Falk became the first Hornet to hit the 20-point plateau this season, finishing with a career-high 20 points on the nose against Long Beach State
• She either tied or set a new career high in scoring three times in the first five games this season and has shot better than 40 percent from the field seven times - including each of the last three
• Falk's 8-of-10 performance from the field against Lincoln marked the most makes in a game by a Hornet since Benthe Versteeg finished 8-of-14 in a win at Northern Arizona on Feb. 15, 2024
SHOOTING THAT SHOT LIKE 2K
• Sacramento State's offense has been red-hot as of late, shooting a collective 51 percent (81-for-160) from the field over its last three games, including a season-high .566 from the field against Kansas City on Dec. 4
• That performance against the Roos was the highest for the Hornets since they shot .568 against Santa Clara on Nov. 29 of last season
• It was the second time this year that Sacramento State has made at least half its shots in a game, joining the .545 against Lincoln on Nov. 10
• The Hornets have only shot under 40 percent in a game three times this season
• In the 12 quarters during that streak, Sacramento State has shot better than 40 percent in nine of those and better than 50 percent five times
WHO'S HUNGARY?
• Freshman Noemi Arvai provided the Hornets with a spark of the bench at Omaha on Dec. 7, finishing the trip to Nebraska with seven points and seven rebounds in 12 minutes of action against the Mavericks
• Her seven points were the most since she set a career high with 10 points in the regular season opener against Jessup on Nov. 4, while the seven rebounds matched her career high set in that same game against the Warriors
• The seven points were one more than she had in her previous six games combined
DOING THE DISHES
• Versteeg's 43 assists again have her among the top five in both assists (third) and assists per game (third) in the Big Sky and also have her moving up the all-time list
• Following Saturday's five-assist performance, Versteeg's 281 career assists moved her past both Alle Moreno (278 from 2010-14) and Tiara Scott (280 from 2016-19) for the No. 7 spot on the career chart
• It marked her sixth game with at least five assists this year and the 34th of her career
• She needs 16 more to match Kylie Kuhns (297 from 2009-13) for sixth and 19 more to become only the sixth Hornet to reach 300 in a career
• Versteeg's career total ranks as the second-most among active players in the Big Sky, trailing only Montana State's Esmeralda Morales (321)
LOOK FOR THE HELPERS
• As a team, Sacramento State ranks second in the Big Sky in assists (151), trailing only Northern Arizona (177), while ranking fifth at 15.1 apg as a team
• Both Versteeg and teammate Sofia Alonso, who is seventh at 3.6 apg and tied for fifth with 36 total assists, rank among the top 10 in the category
PUT A LID ON IT
• Sacramento State limited Omaha to just .387 from the field on Dec. 7 -- the third straight opponent that has shot under 40 percent from the field against the Hornets' defense along with Wagner (.245) and Kansas City (.299)
• The Hornets have held three opponents to under 30 percent from the floor this season after Cal State Fullerton shot just .279 back on Nov. 14
• Sacramento State's 34 points allowed to Wagner on Dec. 1 were the fewest in the program's Division I history and the fewest by a Sacramento State opponent since a 78-29 win over Concordia College on Nov. 22, 1990
• Of those 34 points scored by the Seahawks, only 15 of those came in the first half -- the lowest-scoring first half by a Hornet opponent since Northern Colorado trailed, 24-15, at the break on Jan. 6, 2007
• Overall from the field, Wagner shot just .245 (12-for-49) for the game, which stands as the lowest by a Hornet opponent since Pacific Union shot the same percentage in the aforementioned 2019 meeting and the lowest by a Division I opponent in the program's Division I history
• Prior to making the jump to the Division I level, one would have to go all the way back to Feb. 12, 1991, to find a lower percentage by a Sacramento State opponent as the Hornets held Cal State East Bay to just .239 (16-for-68) shooting in an 81-38 win
DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP)... DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP)
• Sacramento State enters the weekend ranked third in the Big Sky in scoring defense at 58.4 ppg and is outscoring opponents by 9.6 ppg (fourth in the league)
• Opponents are shooting just .355 overall against the Hornets, which is second in the Big Sky, while the .301 against from three-point range ranks fifth in the league
• Nationally, Sacramento State's field goal defense ranks No. 34 in the NCAA
• The Hornets have also surrendered the second-fewest rebounds in the Big Sky entering the week (32.50 rpg)
ONE IS THE LONLIEST NUMBER
• Sacramento State's defense limited Omaha to just 1-of-12 from beyond the arc on Dec. 7 -- the fewest three-pointers by a Hornet opponent since Montana State was just 1-of-14 from distance on Jan. 25, 2024
• It was the ninth time that a Sacramento State opponent has hit just one from long range since 2019-20 dating back to an 0-for-7 performance by Nevada in that year's regular season opener
SWIPER, NO SWIPING!
• After leading the team with 58 steals last season, Versteeg's two against Omaha marked the sixth time she has posted multiple steals in a game this year
• Meanwhile, Martin has done so five times while Alonso and Falk have posted four such contests each
• The Hornets' defense has accounted for 99 steals through the first 10 contests this season, ranking third in the Big Sky with 9.9 spg and trailing league-leading Montana State (13.44 spg in nine games)
• Sacramento State's 10-game total is well ahead of last year's pace when it took them 16 games to reach 104 steals on the season -- and that included a 16-steal performance at Fresno State to bolster those numbers
• Three Hornets rank among the top 10 in steals in the Big Sky entering the weekend: Versteeg is sixth (1.89 spg) while Alonso and Martin are tied for eighth (1.70)
ROOM TO BOARD
• Every night it seems like there has been a different hero on the boards for the Hornets as seven different players have combined to lead or share the team lead on the glass in Sacramento State's first 10 games
• Versteeg, Martin, and Falk have all accomplished the feat three times each, while Jaiteh and Martin have both done it twice. Taylor, Alonso, and Katie Peneueta have also been at the top of list, with one each
