SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A run of five straight away from home begins this week in Albuquerque, N.M., as the Sacramento State women's basketball team makes a trip to the "Land of Enchantment" to participate in the Lobo Invitational on Thursday (Dec. 19) and Friday (Dec. 20) at "The Pit."

The Hornets open against host New Mexico on Thursday at 6 p.m. PT, before taking on a familiar face in Abilene Christian a day later at 1 p.m. PT. Both contests will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network.

The two games close out the non-conference schedule for Sacramento State, which opens Big Sky Conference play on Jan. 4 against travel partner Portland State in the "Rose City."

GAME #12
WHAT: Sacramento State (7-4, 0-0 Big Sky) at New Mexico (6-5, 0-0 Mountain West)
WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024
TIME: 6 PM PT
WHERE: Albuquerque, N.M.
ARENA: The Pit
WATCH: Mountain West Network
LIVE STATS: GoLobos.com

GAME #13
WHAT: Sacramento State (7-4, 0-0 Big Sky) vs. Abilene Christian (8-4, 0-0 WAC)
WHEN: Friday, Dec. 20, 2024
TIME: 1 PM PT
WHERE: Albuquerque, N.M.
ARENA: The Pit
WATCH: Mountain West Network
LIVE STATS: GoLobos.com

GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | New Mexico | Abilene Christian

CATCH US IF YOU CAN
• Last Sunday's game against the Spartans was 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 beginning this week in New Mexico 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 LOBOS
• New Mexico enters the week with a 6-5 overall record following an 82-59 victory over Pepperdine on Sunday
• The Lobos have played nine of their 11 games at "The Pit" this season, posting a 6-3 record and winning three of their last four
• UNM was picked to finish sixth in the Mountain West Conference preseason poll for the second straight season after finishing second in the league standings in 2023-24 and finishing 21-11 overall
• Sophomore guard Destinee Hooks leads the team at 18.1 ppg and 5.2 rpg, while shooting .527 from the field
• Senior guard Viane Cumber, a preseason all-conference selection, is also in double figures at 14.9 ppg and is second on the team at 6.4 rpg, while shooting .431 from the floor

SERIES NOTABLES
• Thursday marks only the third meeting between Sacramento State and New Mexico in women's basketball
• It will be the first meeting between the two since an 85-53 Lobo victory in Albuquerque on Dec. 19, 2018
• The only other meeting came during the 2015-16 season -- an 84-71 UNM win on Nov. 21

ABOUT THE WILDCATS
• Abilene Christian enters the tournament with an 8-4 overall record and has won six straight games following a 108-35 win over Howard Payne -- an NCAA Division III member from Brownwood, Texas -- on Tuesday (Dec. 17)
• ACU will also face host New Mexico on Saturday (Dec. 21) to round out the tournament • Abilene Christian is a combined 5-1 away from home this season, going 4-1 in true road games and 1-0 on a neutral floor
• Sophomore guard Payton Hull leads the team in scoring at 18.3 ppg, shooting .462 from the floor and draining a team-high 25 three-pointers
• Senior guard Bella Earle is also in double figures, averaging 14.8 ppg and 6.6 rpg while shooting .507 from the field

SERIES NOTABLES
• Friday marks the second meeting this season between Sacramento State and Abilene Christian after the Hornets and Wildcats played for the first time in the history of the two programs at the FIU Thanksgiving Classic
• ACU won that meeting in Miami, 75-53
• Prior to their first meeting earlier in the year, Abilene Christian was one of six first-time opponents for Sacramento State this year: Jessup, UC San Diego, Lincoln University, Wagner, and Omaha

CONFERENCE CALL
• Sacramento State is a combined 56-89 against the current Mountain West Conference alignment following its win over San Jose State on Sunday
• The 38 games against San Jose State are the second-most against any one league member, trailing only the 52 meetings with Nevada
• Sunday's win over the Spartans snapped a four-game losing streak against Mountain West opponents dating back to a 62-61 win over Fresno State on Dec. 3, 2022
• Sacramento State is a combined 27-20 against the current WAC alignment, with nearly all those games (38) coming against Southern Utah and most of those coming as Big Sky rivals from 2012-22

THE "LAND OF ENCHANTMENT"
• This week marks Sacramento State's first trip to the state of New Mexico since the 2018-19 season when the Hornets faced New Mexico
• Sacramento State is 0-4 against the Lobos and New Mexico State on the opposition's home floor
• The Hornets are 2-6 all-time against those two programs with the only wins coming against the Aggies in California during the 2004-05 and 2014-15 seasons

SO... WE MEET AGAIN
• When the Hornets and Wildcats lock horns for the second time this year on Friday, it will mark the first time that Sacramento State will play the same team twice in non-conference play since the Hornets faced Causeway rival UC Davis in a home-and-home on Nov. 27, 2004 and Jan. 26, 2005
• Sacramento State did face Nevada in a non-conference back-to-back on Dec. 12-13 during the pandemic-affected 2020-21 season when travel was limited
• The Hornets played only three non-conference games that year: twice against the Wolf Pack and once against San Francisco (Dec. 22) at home

JUST WIN, BABY
• The Hornets haven't just been winning to start 2024-25, they've been winning BIG • All seven of Sacramento State's victories have been by double figures -- five of those by 27 points or more -- following its 27-point win over San Jose State
• The Hornets' last nine 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

YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN
• Sunday's win over San Jose State improved the Hornets to 5-1 within the friendly confines of The Nest this season, winning for the eighth time in their last 11 contests at home dating back to last season
• The five wins in six games at home to start the year is the program's best start at The Nest since the 2022-23 squad opened 7-1 through its first eight games
• This year's start also surpassed last year's home win total and marked the seventh time in the school's Division I history that Sacramento State has opened with at least five home wins in its first six games on its home floor

SHOOTING THAT SHOT LIKE 2K
• Sacramento State's offense has been red-hot as of late, shooting a collective 49 percent (102-for-208) from the field over its last four games, including a season-high 57 percent 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 16 quarters during its streak, Sacramento State has shot better than 40 percent in 12 of those and better than 50 percent six times

PUT A LID ON IT
• Stingy doesn't quite do the job of describing Sacramento State's defense during its recent run after the Hornets limited San Jose State to just 33 percent overall -- and 11 percent (2-of-19) from distance -- in their win on Sunday
• The Spartans were the fourth straight opponent that has shot under 40 percent from the field against the Sacramento State defense along with Wagner (.245), Kansas City (.299), and Omaha (.387)
• The 39 points allowed against San Jose State were the second-fewest by an opponent this year, trailing only the 34 allowed to Wagner on Dec. 1 -- the latter 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

DISTANCE DENIED
• Opposing teams have not fared well against the Hornets from beyond the arc over the last four games as Sacramento State has limited opponents to just .186 (11-for-59) from three-point range in that stretch
• San Jose State was held to just two makes from distance in Sunday's victory, which came a week after the Hornets held Omaha to just 1-of-12 (.083) from beyond the arc
• The one make by the Mavericks were the fewest three-pointers by a Hornet opponent since Montana State was just 1-of-14 from distance on Jan. 25, 2024

DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP)... DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP)
• Sacramento State enters the weekend ranked second in the Big Sky in scoring defense at 56.6 ppg and is outscoring opponents by 11.2 ppg (fourth in the league)
• Opponents are shooting just .353 overall against the Hornets, which is second in the Big Sky, while the .279 against from three-point range ranks fifth in the league
• Nationally, Sacramento State's field goal defense ranks No. 28 in the NCAA
• The Hornets have also surrendered the second-fewest rebounds in the Big Sky entering the week (32.45 rpg)

LOOK FOR THE HELPERS
• As a team, Sacramento State ranks second in the Big Sky in assists (167), trailing only Northern Arizona (189), while ranking third at 15.2 apg as a team
• Both junior Benthe Versteeg and freshman teammate Sofia Alonso rank among the top 10 individually in the category as Versteeg is third with 47 assists overall and second at 4.70 per game, while Alonso is tied for fifth with 40 assists and eighth at 3.64 per game

DOING THE DISHES
• Versteeg's 47 assists this season have her moving up the school's all-time list
• Following Sunday's four-assist performance, Versteeg's 285 career assists rank seventh in school history, needing 12 more to match Kylie Kuhns (297 from 2009-13) for sixth and 15 more to become only the sixth Hornet to reach 300 in a career
• She has six games with at least five assists this year and 34 in her 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)

YOU CAN'T STOP HER, YOU CAN ONLY HOPE TO CONTAIN HER
• Senior Jaydia Martin continues to steamroll her way past the opposition in the scoring column
• Martin has reached double figures in each of her last five outings, six of her last seven, and seven of her 11 games overall this year
• Following her game-high 17 points against San Jose State on Sunday, Martin is averaging 18.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 3.0 apg, while shooting .556 (35-for-63) overall
• As a result, she has raised her season scoring average nearly four full points from 9.3 ppg on Nov. 20 to a team-high 13.5 ppg entering this week's games
• Over her last seven (dating back to Nov. 17 vs. Long Beach State), she is averaging 15.6 ppg while shooting .449 (40-for-89) from the floor
• Nearly three-quarters (109) of her 149 points have come in her last seven contests

MADISON AVENUE
• Redshirt sophomore Madison Butcher provided an offensive spark for the Hornets off the bench in their win over San Jose State
• Butcher hit 3-of-5 from the field -- all from distance -- and finished 5-of-6 from the line en route to her 14 points, adding a pair of rebounds
• It was her third double-digit scoring performance of the season and her highest since pouring in a career-high 16 points against UC San Diego on Nov. 7

SWIPER, NO SWIPING!
• After leading the team with 58 steals last season, Versteeg's two against San Jose State marked the seventh time she has posted multiple steals in a game
• Meanwhile, Martin has six such games, Alonso with five more, and Lina Falk has posted four such contests
• The Hornets' defense has accounted for 111 steals -- including six games with double-digits in that category following the 12 swipes against San Jose State
• Last season, Sacramento State finished with 10-or-more steals in a game only five times
• The Hornets enter the week ranked third in the Big Sky in both overall steals and steals per game (10.1 spg)
• Three Hornets rank among the top 10 in steals in the Big Sky entering the week: Versteeg is tied for fifth (1.90 spg), Alonso is eighth (1.82), and Martin is ninth (1.73)

SHE SLICES, SHE DICES, SHE PASSES, SHE SCORES
• When she's not helping her teammates find the basket, Versteeg has been finding the bottom of the bucket on her own quite effectively
• Over her last three games, Versteeg is averaging 5.0 assists per game while averaging 12.7 points per game and shooting a robust .625 (15-for-24) from the floor

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 11 games
• The German had finished in double figures in four straight games until she was held to only two points in the win over San Jose State
• Prior to that, she had been averaging 12.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg, while shooting .455 (20-for-44) from the field in the previous four outings
• 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