SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State women's basketball team competes in the second-annual Big Sky-Summit Challenge this week, opening the two-game event with the first leg at home on Wednesday (Dec. 4) at 6:30 p.m. against Kansas City at The Nest.
GAME #9
WHAT: Kansas City (3-5, 0-0 Summit League) at Sacramento State (5-3, 0-0 Big Sky)
WHEN: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024
TIME: 6:30 PM
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
ARENA: The Nest
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com
TICKETS: HornetSports.com
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Kansas City | Big Sky | Summit League
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
• Members of the Big Sky Conference and Summit League on both the men's and women's sides face one another on the court over the course of the next week in the second-annual Big Sky-Summit Challenge
• The two conferences will play a total of 36 games with each school getting a home game but, due to an uneven number of members between the two conference, four Big Sky programs will only participate in one game
• Victories in the challenge will be weighted differently, with the winners earning one point for their respective conference for a home win and 1.5 points for a victory on the road
• The conference with the most total points between the combined games will be declared the winner
• Should their be a tie, the conference with the highest total margin of victory will earn the win
• Last season, the Summit League claimed the inaugural trophy via tiebreaker (2,654 total points for the Summit to 2,552 total points for the Big Sky) after the two conferences tied with 21.5 points each
• The Summit League won the women's competition, 13.5 - 8.5, while the Big Sky won the men's, 13-8
ABOUT THE ROOS
• Kansas City enters the week with a 3-5 overall record, posting a win over UT Dallas on Nov. 30 to snap a four-game losing streak
• The Roos are 1-4 away from home, losing four straight following an 80-77 win over Utah State on Nov. 4 to tip-off the regular season
• Following Wednesday's game, Kansas City hosts Idaho State for the second leg of the Challenge on Dec. 7
• Sophomore guard Emani Bennett and junior guard Alayna Contreras are both in double figures, averaging 12.5 ppg and 11.5 ppg, respectively, while Bennett is second on the team at 6.0 rpg
• Senior forward Tamia Ugass leads the Roos on the glass at 6.3 rpg, shooting .500 from the floor to go with 7.4 ppg
SERIES NOTABLES
• Wednesday marks the sixth all-time meeting between Sacramento State and Kansas City, with the Roos holding a 3-2 lead in the series
• The two women's basketball programs have not met since the 1994-95 season, when both participated at the Green Wave Classic hosted by Tulane in a game won by the Hornets, 79-49
• Prior to that 30-point Sacramento State victory in the last meeting, all four previous games between the two programs had been decided by eight points or fewer
• The 79 points in that game are also the most scored by either team in the history of the series
• The two schools have split a pair of games in Sacramento, with the Roos posting a 77-69 win in 1987 and the Hornets winning, 70-62, in 1993
CONFERENCE CALL
• Sacramento State is a combined 9-14 against the current Summit League alignment, having faced seven of the league's nine current members
• The Hornets have previously faced Denver (0-3), Kansas City (2-3), North Dakota (6-4), North Dakota State (0-1), Oral Roberts (0-2), St. Thomas (0-1), South Dakota State (1-0)
• However, all 10 meetings with North Dakota came between 2013-18 when both the Hornets and Fighting Hawks were members of the Big Sky Conference
• Of Sacramento State's 23 all-time games against Summit League opponents, only two have come while they were members of the Summit League -- Oral Roberts and St. Thomas during last year's Challenge
• The Hornets' last win over a current Summit League opponent came in a 72-66 road win at North Dakota in 2018, snapping a three-game skid against the Fighting Hawks after the Hornets had won five of the first six meetings between the two
THE HORNETS AND THE "SHOW-ME" STATE
• Sacramento State has only faced two schools from the state of Missouri: Missouri State and Kansas City
• The Hornets fell to the Bears, 108-55, on a neutral court at a tournament hosted by Stanford in 1993 in addition to the five meetings with the Roos
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 to start the year
• The Spaniard has opened the year a perfect 20-for-20 -- the most in the Big Sky entering the week -- from the charity stripe following her 2-for-2 performance against Wagner on Dec. 1
• Alonso is one of only five players in the NCAA that are still perfect from the line (as of Dec. 1), ranking third on the list behind Saint Louis' Peyton Kennedy (36-for-36), Indiana's Yarden Garzon (22-for-22)
• Lamar's Sabria Dean (19-for-19) and Fairleigh Dickinson's Abaigeal Babore (18-for-18) are also perfect
• Alonso's streak 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
BENCH MARKS
• Sacramento State is getting production up and down its roster in 2024-25, ranking No. 42 in the NCAA with 28.5 bench points per game
• The Hornet bench has accounted for 30-or-more points in a game five times -- including a season-high 48 against Lincoln University -- and has outscored the opposing bench, 228-139, combined over eight games
• Sacramento State's reserves have outscored their counterparts in seven of the eight contests this year
JUST WIN, BABY
• The Hornets haven't just been winning to start 2024-25, they've been winning BIG
• All five of Sacramento State's victories this season have been by double figures (four of those by 27 points or more) and the Hornets' last seven 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 Sunday (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
PUT A LID ON IT
• The Hornets' 34 points allowed to Wagner 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 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 week ranked second in the Big Sky in scoring defense at 57.5 ppg and is outscoring opponents by 10.38 ppg (fourth in the league)
• Opponents are shooting just .360 overall against the Hornets, which is second in the Big Sky, while the .323 against from three-point range ranks sixth in the league
• Sacramento State has also surrendered the fewest rebounds (30.5 rpg)
DRAWN AND QUARTERED
• Sacramento State limited Wagner to only four points in both the first and third quarters on Sunday (Dec. 1), ending the day tied for the fewest points allowed in a single quarter by the Hornets this season along with the four-point fourth quarter at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 14
• The two quarters were also the fourth and fifth single-digit quarters posted by the Sacramento State defense this season
• Offensively, Peneueta scored 11 of her game-high 20 points against the Seahawks in the first quarter, matching teammate Lina Falk's 11 points in the first period against Jessup for the most in a single-quarter this year
THREEEEEE-CO-LA
• The Hornets finished 11-for-25 from long distance against Wagner, setting season highs for both makes and percentage (.440) and the best in both categories since they finished 13-for-24 (.542) against Idaho State in last year's Big Sky Tournament opener
GUESS WHO'S BACK... BACK AGAIN
• After missing the first six games of the regular season due to injury, senior Katie Peneueta put an exclamation point on her first appearances of the season last weekend
• The Vancouver, Wash., native finished with six points on a pair of three-pointers in her season debut against Abilene Christian, then lit up Wagner to the tune of a career-high tying 20 points in 29 minutes to go with nine rebounds two days later
• Peneueta finished 7-of-10 from the floor and 5-of-7 from three-point range against the Seahawks
• The senior's five makes from three-point range were the most by a Hornet since Solape Amusan hit five at Northern Arizona on Feb. 15 last season
• Her point total matched her career-best performance set at Northern Arizona on Feb. 3, 2022, and tied against Montana State just over a year later on Feb. 23, 2023
• Peneueta's nine rebounds were just two shy of her career high of 11 set against Idaho on Jan. 5, 2023
• After spending last year at NC State helping the Wolfpack to a trip to the "Final Four," Peneueta spent her first two seasons with the Hornets in 2021-22 and 2022-23, averaging 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting .462 from the field, .458 from three-point range, and .795 from the line
• She is currently one of only two Division I players in the NCAA according to a preseason poll of schools across the nation to return to their original university after spending a year elsewhere along with Middle Tennessee State's Courtney Blakely, who spent last season at Arizona
THREE IS MORE THAN TWO
• In 53 career games with the Hornets, Peneueta has made a living from long distance, sinking 134 of her 148 career field goals from beyond the three-point line
• As a freshman, only four of her 60 makes were from closer than 22 feet, 1 3/4 inches while, as a sophomore, she doubled that output, making eight two-pointers out of her 79 total baskets
THE "PEN"-EUETA IS MIGHTIER
• Peneueta stands eight three-point makes away from breaking into the school's all-time top 10, closing in on Sarah Stapp (1992-96)
• Her career .465 (134-for-288) three-point percentage would the best in school history if the season ended today
• Peneueta's 64 career blocks also rank ninth on the all-time list entering the week, needing three more swats to match Sephora Scoubes (1999-01) for eighth
• She also holds the top two single-season three-point marks in school history, shooting a school-record .463 (56-for-121) as a freshman in 2021-22 and a second-best mark of .455 (71-for-156) in her sophomore season
"BLOCK"-LYN TAYLOR
• Freshman post Brooklyn Taylor made her presence known in the paint against Wagner on Sunday (Dec. 1), swatting a career-high four shots against the Seahawks and finishing with five on the weekend to give her a team-high eight on the year
• Taylor enters the week ranked tied for fifth in the Big Sky in total blocks and is among the top 10 in blocks per game (1.0)
• The four blocks were the most since Summah Hanson finished with four against Eastern Washington on Dec. 30, 2023
MARTIN RESPONDS IN MIAMI
• Coming off of a less-than-ideal shooting performance at UC Davis, senior Jaydia Martin bounced back in a big way last weekend in Miami
• Martin finished in double figures in both of the Hornets' two games at the FIU Thanksgiving Tournament, scoring a team-high 11 points against Abliene Christian and adding 12 more in the win over Wagner
• The Vancouver, Wash., native hit 9-of-18 from the field and 5-of-10 from beyond the arc in the two games combined, adding seven rebounds and seven assists in the process
DOING THE DISHES
• Versteeg's 32 assists over seven contests this year again have her among the top five in both assists and assists per game in the Big Sky and also have her moving up the program's all-time list
• Entering this weekend, Versteeg's 270 career assists rank ninth on the school's career list, passing Terri Lugert (254 from 1987-91) and Kris Karley (247 from 1994-97), while standing eight behind Alle Moreno (278 from 2010-14) for the No. 8 spot
• Versteeg's career total ranks as the second-most among active players in the Big Sky, trailing only Montana State's Esmeralda Morales (311)
STREAK ENDED
• Sitting out Sunday's game against Wagner, Benthe Versteeg's streak of consecutive appearances for the Hornets was ended at 41 since the team's Big Sky Tournament opener against Idaho on March 6, 2023
• Versteeg's 69 career games in the green and gold are the most among active Hornets, just ahead of Katie Peneueta's 61 career appearances
SWIPER, NO SWIPING!
• After leading the team with 58 steals last season, Versteeg's two against Abilene Christian on Nov. 29 marked the fourth time she has posted multiple steals in a game this year
• Her four steals against UC Davis on Nov. 20 marked the fifth time a Hornet has finished with four-or-more steals in a game this season, trailing only teammate Sofia Alonso's five steals at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 14 -- the most in a game by a Hornet since Solape Amusan had five against Weber State on Feb. 10, 2023
• Last year, a Sacramento State player posted four-or-more steals eight times over the course of the season -- five of those by Versteeg
• The Hornets' defense has accounted for 83 steals through the first eight contests this season, ranking third in the Big Sky with 10.38 spg and trailing league-leading Montana State (14.57 spg in seven games)
• The Hornets' eight-game total is well ahead of last year's pace when it took them 14 games to reach 88 steals on the season -- and that included a 16-steal performance at Fresno State to bolster those numbers
• Four Hornets rank among the top 15 in steals in the Big Sky entering the weekend: Alonso in sixth (1.88 spg), Versteeg is ninth (1.71 spg), and both Jaydia Martin and Lina Falk are tied for 12th (1.50 spg)
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 eight games
• Versteeg has accomplished the feat three teams, Falk, Jaiteh, and Martin have all done it twice, while Taylor, Alonso, and Peneueta have done it once
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 six of the team's first eight games and leading the team in scoring at 13.3 ppg
• 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 five times
• 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
• She (along with teammate Sofia Alonso) also has posted at least one steal in seven of the team's eight games, including multiple swipes in four of those
SOFIA THE FIRST
• One of the first options off the bench all season for the Hornets, freshman Sofia Alonso made her first two career starts last weekend in Miami
• After struggling in the opener, Alonso finished with 11 points, five rebounds, and six assists, against Wagner -- her highest single-game point total since pouring in a career-high 17 points against Long Beach State
• Alonso has finished in double figures in five of the team's first eight games
