SACRAMENTO — One of the hottest teams in the Big Sky Conference takes on, perhaps, the hottest team in the league on the road to tip-off this week's action as Sacramento State, winners of three of its last four, takes on league-leading Northern Arizona, which has won eight straight. The Hornets and Lumberjacks lock horns on Thursday (Feb. 15) at 5 p.m. PT at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Ariz.
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GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Northern Arizona | Big Sky Conference
GAME #24
WHAT: Sacramento State (4-19, 3-9) at Northern Arizona (18-6, 10-1)
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024
TIME: 5 p.m. PT
WHERE: Flagstaff, Ariz.
ARENA: Walkup Skydome
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: NAUAthletics.com
THE COACHES
• Sacramento State's Aaron Kallhoff is in his first season at the helm of the Hornets. He has served five previous seasons as a head coach at the junior college level and spent 10 years as an assistant at five Division I programs: Arkansas State, TCU, LSU, Penn State, and BYU. He earned his first career Division I victory as a head coach on Dec. 2 against CSUN
• Northern Arizona head coach Loree Payne is in her seventh season at the helm of the Lumberjacks, posting a 102-104 overall record in her six-plus seasons. Prior to that, she was the head coach for seven years at the University of Puget Sound, winning 130 games.
ABOUT THE LUMBERJACKS
• Northern Arizona enters the week with an 18-6 overall record and a 10-1 mark in the Big Sky
• The Lumberjacks have won their last eight straight after sweeping the Montana schools last week on the road, winning by nine at Montana and 13 at Montana State
• NAU hasn't lost since an 89-84 decision against the Griz on Jan. 13 at home
• Only three of Northern Arizona's eight straight victories have come by fewer than 10 points and none of those three by fewer by eight
• 15 of the Lumberjacks' 24 games have come away from Walkup Skydome, where they are 6-3 on the year -- winning three of their last four
• Sophomore forward Sophie Glancey leads the team in scoring (15.5 ppg), rebounding (7.1 rpg), and field goal percentage (.546), standing as one of three NAU players in double-figures scoring wise
• Junior Leia Beattie (11.7 ppg) and senior Emily Rodabaugh (11.7 ppg) are also in double figures
• Both Rodabaugh and Beattie have been deadly from beyond the arc, leading the team with 56 makes and 47 makes from deep, respectively
SERIES NOTABLES
• Northern Arizona leads the all-time series with Sacramento State by a 41-18 count dating back to 1992-93
• The Lumberjacks have won three of the last four meetings, sweeping the regular season series from the Hornets last year and winning the first meeting at The Nest this year
• Sacramento State's win in that stretch came in last year's championship game of the Big Sky Tournament
• The Hornets' last regular season win over Northern Arizona came on Feb. 3, 2022, in Flagstaff, posting a 76-62 victory
• Sacramento State is just 7-21 on the road against the Lumberjacks, having dropped six of its last seven away from home versus NAU
• Northern Arizona won 21 of the first 23 meetings in the series, while the Hornets posted their longest winning streak of four during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons
PREVIOUSLY: NORTHERN ARIZONA 83, SACRAMENTO STATE 66
• The Lumberjacks shot 71 percent (15-of-21) in the opening quarter and led wire-to-wire in the first meeting between the two teams on Jan. 20 at The Nest
• Benthe Versteeg finished with a career-high 26 points to lead three Hornets in double figures
• Summah Hanson added 10 points and seven rebounds, while Irune Orio chipped in 11
• Following the first quarter blitz, Sacramento State would get no closer than 13 midway through the third, using a 9-2 run to cut into the deficit and win the quarter 17-15
• The Hornets limited the Lumberjacks to 35 percent or less in each of the final three quarters and turned NAU over 15 times in that span after it had committed just one in the first period
LIKE A RECORD, BABY
• Sophomore Benthe Versteeg had her self an opportunity -- 14 of them, in fact -- that she couldn't pass up against Weber State on Feb. 10, setting the school Division I Era single-game record with 14 assists in the win over the Wildcats
• The performance surpassed the previous Division I Era record of 13 set by Justyce Dawson at Southern Utah on Feb. 25, 2017, and fell just one assist shy of the all-time record of 15 held by Tina Gray during the 1985-86 season
• Her 14 assists are the most in a game in the Big Sky entering the week and marked the second time she has finished in double figures along with her 10 against Santa Clara on Nov. 29
VERSTEEG IS VER-SCORING
• In addition to her eye-popping assist total, Versteeg set a career high with 10 makes from the field against the Wildcats en route to tying her career high with 26 points, wrapping up her second double-double
• Versteeg has reached double digits in points in each of her last four games (12 times overall this year), averaging 17.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 9.3 apg, and 1.8 spg, while shooting .418 (23-for-55) from the floor
ALREADY MAKING A NAME FOR HERSELF
• Thanks to her 19-point night against Weber State, freshman Summah Hanson moved into third place in the program's Division I history for points scored by a freshman with 323 -- the most since Gigi Hascheff scored a record 344 points in 2013-14
• Hanson's total moved her past Sarah Craig (305 in 2002-03) for third and stands 13 shy of Hallie Gennett (336 in 2013-14) in second
• Hanson is only the fourth Hornet to reach the 300-point plateau in her rookie season and the 11th Sacramento State freshman to score at least 200 points
• If the season ended today, Hanson's 14.0 ppg would be the best by a freshman in the school's Division I history, passing Craig's 12.2 ppg in 2002-03, as would her 8.7 rpg, passing Margaret Huntington's 7.5 rpg
• Hanson also stands nine makes behind Craig's record of 127 field goals and is 25 rebounds back of Huntington's record-setting total (224).
MOST SINGLE-SEASON POINTS BY A HORNET FRESHMAN (Division I era only)
1. Gigi Hascheff 344 (2013-14)
2. Hallie Gennett 336 (2013-14)
3. Summah Hanson 323 (2023-24)
4. Sarah Craig 305 (2002-03)
t5. Fantasia Hilliard 274 (2011-12)
t5. Julie Wastell 274 (1995-96)
7. Maranne Johnson 268 (2014-15)
8. Sami Field-Polisso 230 (2007-08)
9. Sarah Stapp 226 (1992-93)
10. Tiara Scott 221 (2016-17)
11. Kylie Kuhns 219 (2009-10)
12. Tola Tallman 192 (2000-01)
13. Katie Peneueta 191 (2021-22)
14. Emily Christensen 182 (2007-08)
15. Shanti Smith 169 (2010-11)
16. Margaret Huntington 154 (2013-14)
SEEING DOUBLE-DOUBLE
• Finishing with 19 points and 13 rebounds against Weber State, Hanson's 10 double-doubles remain the gold standard in the Big Sky and are tied for No. 32 in the NCAA entering the week
• Hanson is one of only two freshmen (Northern Kentucky's Carter McCray the other with 11) -- and one of nine underclassmen overall -- in the nation with at least 10 double-doubles as of Feb. 10
• Hanson posted back-to-back double-doubles last week against Idaho State and Weber State and has three double-doubles in her last four
• During her recent four-game stretch, Hanson is averaging 16.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg, and 2.0 spg, while shooting .490 (24-for-49) from the field, .412 (7-for-17) from beyond the arc, and .846 (11-for-13) from the line
• Hanson is one of 28 players in the Big Sky to post a double-double in a game this year, but one of only 17 to have multiple double-doubles
• Of Hanson's 10 double-doubles, three have included 20-point performances which are also the most in the league
• Her 10 double-doubles this season are tied for eighth on the program's Division I single-season list and already tied for 12th on the school's career list in that same span
DOUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLE
• Double digits were prevalent in the box score for the Hornets against Weber State as both Benthe Versteeg and Summah Hanson each finished with double-doubles in the win over the Wildcats
• It marked the first time that Sacramento State had two players accomplish the feat in the same game since Kahlaijah Dean (22 points and 13 rebounds) and Isnelle Natabou (22 points and 10 rebounds) did so against Idaho on March 6 of last season in the Big Sky Tournament
QUEEN OF THE BOARD ROOM
• Following her 13 rebounds against Weber State -- which is her second-highest total of the season -- Hanson enters the week ranked second in the Big Sky in both rebounding (8.65 rpg) and total rebounds (199)
• Among qualifying freshman across the country, Hanson is second in rebounding behind Northern Kentucky's Carter McCray (10.8 rpg)
• Hanson also ranks second in total rebounds (199) among the nation's freshmen, trailing McCray's 237 boards
• She ranks No. 67 in the nation overall in rebounds per game
• Hanson has led or shared the lead in rebounding in 17 of the team's 23 games
• Her 16 rebounds at Fresno State (Dec. 16) were the most since Isnelle Natabou grabbed 18 against Weber State on Jan. 21 last season
• They are also tied for the most in a game by a Big Sky player along with Idaho's Hope Butera (vs. Texas A&M-Commerce on Dec. 1) and Northern Colorado's Aniah Hall (vs. Portland State on Jan. 20)
SHE'S KIND OF A BIG (SKY) DEAL
• Hanson is one of only four players in the Big Sky to rank in the top 10 in both scoring and rebounding (6th and 2nd, respectively), joining Northern Arizona's Sophie Glancey (3rd and 4th), Northern Colorado's Delaynie Byrne (4th & 3rd), and Idaho's Kennedy Johnson (9th and 7th)
• Among that group, Hanson is the only freshman as Glancey is a sophomore, Johnson is a junior, and Byrne is a senior
A SHOT IN THE ARM
• Sacramento State has shot better than 41 percent in each of its last four games following its 47 percent showing against Weber State
• It's the longest such streak since Sacramento State went 11 straight games of 40 percent or better from the floor from Feb. 4-March 8 of last season
• During the run, the Hornets are shooting a collective .440 (96-for-218) from the field
• Prior to this run, the last time Sacramento State shot better than 40 percent as a team was on Jan. 3 on the road at St. Thomas (.436)
• The .479 field goal percentage against Portland State at the start of this streak was the team's best since they shot .568 against Santa Clara on Nov. 29
IS THERE A LID ON THAT BASKET?
• The defense clamped down on the Wildcats, holding them to a .283 field goal percentage overall and just 3-of-17 (.176) from beyond the arc
• The field goal percentage was the lowest since the Hornets held Weber State to the same percentage in a 70-44 win on Jan. 21 of last year
• The Wildcats' three-point percentage was the lowest since Sacramento State held Montana to just 1-of-14 (.071) from three-point range earlier this year on Jan. 25
• It also marked the eighth time this year that the Hornets have held an opponent to under 30 percent from deep in 2023-24
MAKING THEIR POINT
• The 75 points against Weber State marked the seventh time this season that the Hornets have topped 60 points in a game this year -- including each of the last four (68.0 ppg average) and the second time they have surpassed 70 points
• Sacramento State's previous high was 72 points in the win over Portland State on Feb. 3
• Meanwhile, the 31-point win over the Wildcats was the Hornets' largest of the season and their biggest margin of victory since defeating Northern Colorado by the same amount (79-48) nearly a year earlier to the day on Feb. 11, 2023
APPLE, CHERRY... BASKETBALL FLAVORED?
• The Hornets forced Weber State into 24 turnovers on Saturday -- the second-highest single-game total by an opponent behind only the 27 miscues by Cal Poly on Dec. 21
• Sacramento State's 11 steals marked the second straight game that it finished in double figures in that category (10 vs. Idaho State) and the most since it had 16 against Cal Poly
• Meanwhile, the Hornets' 11 turnovers were a season low and the fewest since they had 11 at UCLA in last year's NCAA Tournament
• Weber State was unable to capitalize on any of the 11 miscues, failing to score a single point following a Sacramento State turnover
SOLO ACT
• Senior Solape Amusan did a little bit of everything against Weber State, finishing with eight points, four rebounds, a pair of blocks, and a career-high five steals against the Wildcats
• The five steals marked the second time this year a Hornet has had that many in a game (Benthe Versteeg vs. Cal Poly on Dec. 21)
• She has reached double figures in five of her last nine, including a career-high 23 points to go with nine rebounds in a win over Portland State on Feb. 3 at The Nest
• Of her last 23 made field goals, 16 of those have come from beyond the arc
• In her last nine, Amusan is shooting .452 (33-for-73) overall and .423 (22-for-52) from beyond the arc, while averaging 11.1 ppg (3.1 ppg better than her overall average) and 4.1 rpg
SHE GIVETH, SHE TAKETH AWAY
• Sophomore Benthe Versteeg enters the week leading the team in assists (146) and steals (39)
• Should she remain atop the list in both categories, it will mark the fourth straight season that a Hornet has led the team in both categories, joining Summer Menke (56 and 43) in 2020-21, Lianna Tillman (179 and 34) in 2021-22, Kahlaijah Dean (168 and 44) in 2022-23
SHE'S A GIVER
• Versteeg remains atop the Big Sky in both assists per game (6.35) and total assists (146) entering the weekend
• She is one of only two players in the Big Sky to average better than 5.0 apg, joining Eastern Washington's Jamie Loera (5.43)
• Should she end the year atop the Big Sky list, Versteeg would become the first Hornet to lead the league in assists since Lianna Tillman averaged 6.04 apg in 2021-22 en route to league player of the year honors
• Versteeg would be the fifth Hornet overall to lead the league in assists, joining Tillman, Rexanne Rodriguez (5.65 apg) in 2000-01, Tika Koshiyama-Diaz (5.48 apg) in 2010-11, and Fantasia Hilliard in 2012-13 (5.9 apg), 2013-14 (6.5 apg), and 2014-15 (5.8 pg).
• She has 15 games with at least six assists
• Those 15 games are the most since Tillman had 18 such contests in 2021-22
• Versteeg's 14 assists against Weber State (Feb. 10) and her 10 assists against Santa Clara (Nov. 29) are two of four double-digit assist totals in the Big Sky thus far: Loera (12 at Utah State on Nov. 10), Montana's Gina Marxen (10 against South Dakota on Jan. 3), and Idaho State's Kacey Spink (10 against Northern Colorado on Feb. 1)
• Her double-doubles against Weber State (26 points, 14 assists) and Santa Clara (16 points, 10 assists) are two of only four point-assist double-doubles in the league this year
VERSTEEG KEEPING IT "100"
• Thanks to her eight assists at Montana State on Jan. 25, Versteeg topped the century mark for the season and she enters the week with 146 after her record-setting total against Weber State
• The total has her just four assists away from breaking into the all-time top 10 in a single-season (Fantasia Hilliard's 150 in 2011-12 is 10th) and one shy of the program's Division I top-10 list (Rexanne Rodriguez is 10th with 147 during 2000-01)
BENTHE BETTER IN THE BIG SKY
• Since the calendar turned to conference play, Versteeg has been red hot against the Hornets' Big Sky Conference rivals
• Following her 26-point effort against Weber State, Versteeg has now reached double figures nine times in 12 conference contests
• Through 12 league games, Versteeg is the Hornets' leading scorer, averaging 14.6 ppg (more than three points better than her overall season average), 6.67 apg, 3.8 rpg, and 1.92 spg
• She flirted with a triple-double against Idaho State on Feb. 8, ending the night with 13 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists, to go along with four steals, and ended five rebounds shy two nights later against the Wildcats
• Her 63 makes from the field are the most on the team in league games ahead of Hanson's 61, while her 42 makes from the line lead the squad
HOLD UP, WAIT A MINUTE
• Versteeg enters the week ranked No. 2 in the NCAA in minutes per game (38.34), standing behind only Duquesne's Megan McConnell (38.46)
• Versteeg has played at least 38 minutes in nine other games and has played 37-or-more minutes in all but four games this year
• Hanson, meanwhile, is fifth in the Big Sky at 34.06 mpg -- including a season-high 39:47 at Idaho on Feb. 5
• After playing in only 20 minutes at Washington in the opener, Hanson has played 35-or-more minutes 13 times
NO REST FOR THE WEARY
• Versteeg played all 40 minutes in a regulation game for the eighth time this year against Idaho State on Feb. 8
• It also marked the ninth time in her career that she has gone the distance, joining a "complete game effort" at Cal State Fullerton last year
• Versteeg's eight "complete games" this season are the most since Lianna Tillman did so nine times during the 2021-22 campaign
• Only two other Hornets have gone the distance this year: Solape Amusan vs. Portland State (Feb. 3) and Lina Falk at Montana State (Jan. 25)
SWIPER, NO SWIPING
• Versteeg has led or co-led the team in steals 10 times this season and 20 times overall in her career
• Versteeg enters the week with 39 steals on the year and 1.70 spg -- ranking fourth and fifth in the league, respectively
• The 39 steals are five shy of Kahlaijah Dean's team-high 44 from 2022-23
• Versteeg set a career high with five steals against Cal Poly on Dec. 21
• The sophomore has been a pest as of late, posting multiple steals in eight of her last 11 games and averaging 2.18 spg in that span, with her 24 steals in that stretch accounting for more than half of her season total
• Versteeg has a steal in all but five games and multiple steals 12 times
BREATH OF "FRESH" AIR
• Sacramento State has started at least one true freshman in all 23 games this season and has listed at least two true freshman in the starting five in 16 of those
• The Hornets have started three true freshmen four times at Washington (Nov. 6), against Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 12), at Montana State (Jan. 25), and at Montana (Jan. 27)
• Sacramento State listed a starting five comprised completely of underclassmen in each of the first four games and again in back-to-back games at Montana State and Montana
• Junior Seilala Lautaimi became the first upperclassman to crack the starting lineup against UC Davis on Nov. 21
WANNA BE STARTING SOMETHING
• The Hornets' starting five has produced at least half of the team's points in all but one game this season after the bench held a 33-32 advantage against Santa Clara on Nov. 29
• Sacramento State's starting five was responsible for all 72 points -- a season-high by the starters -- in the win over Portland State, and 69 of the 75 points against Weber State on Feb. 10
• Forty-five of the the team's 51 double-digit scoring performances have come from starters; Freshman Ayanna Jackson had 12 as a reserve against Cal State Fullerton and 11 at Montana State, Solape Amusan was the spark off the bench three times with 11 against UC Davis, 18 against Santa Clara, and 19 at Montana, while J'yana Salton added 10 points against Idaho
• The game against the Wildcats marked the 14th time overall -- and the ninth time in the last 12 games -- that the starting five has accounted for at least 40 points in a game
• Overall, Hornet starters have accounted for just under 80 percent of the team's points this year, scoring 1,007 of the 1,263 total points thus far
LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT COMBINATION
• Through 23 games, Sacramento State has put 13 different starting lineups on the floor
• The Hornets used the same lineup in back-to-back games for the first time this season against Fresno State, Cal Poly, and Idaho: Benthe Versteeg, Irune Orio, Lina Falk, Solape Amusan, and Summah Hanson
• That lineup is also the more used lineup by Sacramento State this season, listed seven times overall after Saturday's game against Weber State
• All told, 12 of the 13 Hornets who have seen time on the court have earned a start, with Hanson and Versteeg the only two to start all 23 games
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
• Thanks to some digging through the box scores from past seasons, Hanson's career-high 28 points at Weber State on Jan. 11 were the most by a Hornet freshman in the program's Division I history
• It marked her third 20-point game of the season, surpassing her previous career-best of 22 at Nevada on Nov. 9
• They were also the most since Kahlaijah Dean finished with 35 points against Montana State on Feb. 23 of last season
• The 28 points are also the third-most by a player in the league this season, trailing only the 31 points scored by Eastern Washington's Aaliyah Alexander at Northern Arizona on Jan. 27 and the 30 points scored by Weber State's Jadyn Matthews against the Hornets on Jan. 11
• Earlier this year, Hanson's 22 points at Nevada on Nov. 9 made her the first Hornet freshman to score 20 points in a game since Katie Peneueta had 20 at Northern Arizona on Feb. 3, 2022
• Hanson's double-double against the Wolf Pack was the first by a Hornet freshman since Margaret Huntington had 10 points and 13 rebounds against UC Irvine on Dec. 14, 2013
