SACRAMENTO — The final homestand of the season has the Sacramento State women's basketball team hosting a pair of top-four teams in the Big Sky Conference standings beginning Thursday (Feb. 22) against Montana at The Nest. Tip-off between the Hornets and the Grizzlies is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
NEXT UP…
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Montana | Big Sky Conference
GAME #26
WHAT: Montana (17-7, 9-4) at Sacramento State (5-20, 4-10)
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024
TIME: 6:30 p.m. PT
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
ARENA: The Nest
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com
TICKETS: HornetSports.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
• Montana head coach Brian Holsinger is in his third season at the helm of the Grizzlies, posting a 50-34 overall record in his two-plus seasons, including a 31-20 mark in Big Sky play
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES
• Montana enters the week with a 17-7 overall record and a 9-4 mark in Big Sky play for third place
• The Grizzlies have won their last two straight games, posting wins at home against Northern Colorado (82-73) and in-state rival Montana State (72-50)
• Montana has won six of its last eight, winning four straight before back-to-back losses against Eastern Washington (Feb. 3) and Northern Arizona (Feb. 8)
• The Grizzlies are 7-3 in true road games this season, but are just 3-3 in their last six away from home
• Graduate forward Carmen Gfeller leads a quartet of players in double figures, averaging 13.9 ppg while grabbing 5.7 rpg and shooting .506 from the field
• Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw (11.1 ppg), Mack Konig (11.0 ppg), and Ginza Marxen (10.1 ppg) join Gfeller in double figures
• Espenmiller-McGraw leads the team with 58 three-pointers and is shooting .446 from beyond the arc
• Junior Dani Bartsch is averaging nearly a double-double with a team-high 9.8 rpg to go with 9.2 ppg and shooting .491 from the floor overall
• Montana leads the Big Sky in field goal (.440) and three-point (.393) percentage, while ranking second in scoring offense (74.04 ppg) and allowing the second-fewest rebounds (32.25 rpg) in the league
SERIES NOTABLES
• Montana leads the all-time series with Sacramento State by a 48-9 count according to records that date back to the 1996-97 season
• The Hornets and Grizzlies split last year's regular season series, with each team winning on its home floor, while Montana prevailed in Missoula earlier this year, 84-57, on Jan. 27
• Seven of Sacramento State's nine wins in the series against the Grizzlies have come at The Nest, with last year's 63-56 victory snapping a three-game skid at home in the series
• Montana won the first 27 meetings overall in the series from 1997-2010, before Sacramento State posted its first win in the series, 100-83, on Feb. 20, 2010
PREVIOUSLY: MONTANA 84, SACRAMENTO STATE 57
• Senior Solape Amusan finished with a career high-tying 19 points and Irune Orio finished with 12 more
• Montana drained a school single-game record 19 three-pointers in the win, finishing with five players in double figures in the wire-to-wire win
• Sacramento State clawed back to within single digits in the third period after trailing by as many as 15 in the first half, but a 9-1 burst by the Grizzlies pushed the lead back to 17 and they never looked back
TURNING IT AROUND
• While the results may not have all ended in a "W," the Hornets have shown improvement during the second leg of Big Sky Conference play
• In two of the team's losses the second time around in league, the Hornets turned a 37-point loss to Idaho on Dec. 28 to just a six-point defeat on Feb. 5 (31-point difference), while the six-point loss at Northern Colorado last week was seven points better than the 13-point differential in the first meeting on Jan. 18
• Meanwhile, the Hornets have turned three of those defeats into victories, avenging a 14-point loss to Idaho State on Jan. 13 with a three-point win on Feb. 8 (a 17-point difference), defeating Weber State by 31 points following a 20-point loss on Jan. 11 (a 51-point difference), and taking down Northern Arizona by 16 after falling to the Lumberjacks by 17 on Jan. 20 (a 33-point difference)
ON FIRE IN FEBRUARY
• Following a 1-18 start, Sacramento State has caught fire in February, posting a 4-2 mark in the month
• The Hornets are averaging 68.8 ppg and shooting .440 (149-for-339)
• Defensively, Sacramento State has held opponents to 61.3 ppg and .367 (123-for-335) from the floor
MAKING THEIR POINT
• The 82 points at Northern Arizona were a season high and marked the eighth time this season that the Hornets have scored more than 60 points in a game this year -- including five of the last six
• The 82 points were the most since the Hornets finished off an 82-73 win over Montana State on Feb. 23 of last season
• Sacramento State finished with 26 points in both the first and second quarters in Flagstaff, surpassing the 23-point fourth quarter at Montana State on Jan. 25 for the most in any quarter this year
• The 52-point first half was also a season high and the most since they scored 57 in the first half at Weber State on Jan. 11, 2020, as part of a 91-67 win
APPLE? CHERRY?... BASKETBALL FLAVORED?
• Sacramento State committed a season-low nine turnovers in its loss at Northern Colorado on Feb. 17
• The total surpassed the previous low of 11 against Weber State on Feb. 10 and were the fewest since the Hornets had only seven miscues againsst Portland State on Feb. 27 of last season
• Meanwhile, Sacramento State forced the Bears into 16 turnovers of their own, turning those into 18 points for the good guys
TREASURE STATE SUCCESS
• Amusan has seen her fair share of success against the Montana schools in her two seasons
• In five career games over the last two years (she missed this year's contest at Montana State due to illness), Amusan is averaging 15.4 ppg and 3.6 rpg, while shooting .542 (26-for-48) from the floor overall and .579 (22-for-38) from beyond the arc
• Of her five career games against the Montana schools, Amusan has finished in double figures in four of them, after being held to just nine points against Montana at home last year
• Against the Grizzlies alone, Amusan is averaging 15.6 ppg while shooting .571 (16-for-28) from the field overall and .591 (13-for-22) from three-point range
A "FRESH" FACE ATOP THE LIST
• With 11 points at Northern Colorado last Saturday, freshman Summah Hanson became the highest-scoring freshman in the program's Division I history, reaching 348 points in her debut season to pass Gigi Hascheff and her 344 points in 2013-14
• Her four baskets against the Bears gave her 127 for the season, tying Sarah Craig's single-season freshman mark in 2002-03, while her 213 rebounds are 11 back of Margaret Huntington's record total in 2013-14
• If the season ended today, Hanson's 13.9 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 8.5 rpg, passing Margaret Huntington's 7.5 rpg
• 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
MOST SINGLE-SEASON POINTS BY A HORNET FRESHMAN (Division I era only)
1. Summah Hanson 348 (2023-24)
2. Gigi Hascheff 344 (2013-14)
3. Hallie Gennett 336 (2013-14)
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)
QUEEN OF THE BOARD ROOM
• Following her four rebounds at Northern Colorado, Hanson ranks second in the Big Sky in both rebounding (8.52 rpg) and total rebounds (213)
• Among qualifying freshman across the country, Hanson is second in rebounding behind Northern Kentucky's Carter McCray (10.7 rpg)
• Hanson also ranks second in rebounds among the nation's freshmen, trailing McCray's 267 boards
• She ranks No. 75 in the nation overall in rebounds per game
• Hanson has led or shared the lead in rebounding in 17 of the team's 25 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 (5th 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 6th)
• Among that group, Hanson is the only freshman as Glancey is a sophomore, Johnson is a junior, and Byrne is a senior
CAN'T PASS THIS UP
• Thanks to her seven assists at Northern Colorado, Versteeg's Big Sky-leading total grew to 166 assists for the year moving her into sixth on the both school's all-time and Division I Era single-season lists
• The sophomore needs just two more to match last year's assist leader, Kahlaijah Dean (168), for fifth on both lists and 13 more to reach Lianna Tillman's team-leading total of 179 in 2021-22 for fourth
• The school's all-time single-season record is 197 set by Fantasia Hilliard during the 2014-15 season
• Hilliard holds the top three spots on both lists with 195 in 2013-14 for second and 184 in 2012-13 for third
LIKE A RECORD, BABY
• Versteeg had herself 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 -- and tied for seventh in the NCAA -- entering the week and marked the second time she has finished in double figures along with her 10 against Santa Clara on Nov. 29
• Five days later, Versteeg nearly equalled that single-season record with 13 assists at Northern Arizona -- her league-best third game with 10-or-more assists on the year
SHE'S A GIVER
• Versteeg remains atop the Big Sky in both assists per game (6.64 apg) and total assists (166) 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 (5.44 apg)
• If the season ended today, Versteeg's 6.64 apg would be the highest single-season mark in the program's history
• 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 17 games with at least six assists
• Those 17 games are the most since Tillman had 18 such contests in 2021-22
• Her double-doubles against Northern Arizona (18 points, 13 assists), Weber State (26 points, 14 assists), and Santa Clara (16 points, 10 assists) are three of only five point-assist double-doubles in the league this year
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
• Versteeg has reached double figures 10 times in 14 conference contests
• Through 14 league games, Versteeg is the Hornets' leading scorer, averaging 14.4 ppg (more than three points better than her overall average), 7.14 apg, 3.8 rpg, and 1.93 spg
• Her 74 makes from the field are the most on the team in league games ahead of Hanson's 70, while her 46 makes from the line lead the squad
SUMMAH'S SIX PACK
• Hanson extended her double-digit scoring streak to six games thanks to her record-setting 11-point effort at Northern Colorado
• The freshman is averaging nearly a double-double over that stretch, putting up 15.2 ppg and 9.33 rpg while shooting .465 (33-for-71)
• Hanson has shot better than 45 percent in five of those six contests
• She has also grabbed 10-or-more reebounds four times in that stretch
SEEING DOUBLE-DOUBLE
• Finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds at Northern Arizona, Hanson's 11 double-doubles remain the gold standard in the Big Sky and are tied for No. 31 in the NCAA entering the week
• Hanson is one of only two freshmen (Northern Kentucky's Carter McCray the other with 13) -- and one of seven underclassmen overall -- in the nation with at least 11 double-doubles as of Feb. 20
• Hanson has posted a double-double in four of her last six games
• Hanson is one of 29 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 11 double-doubles, three have included 20-point games which are the most in the league
• Her 11 double-doubles this season are eighth on the program's Division I single-season list and already tied for 11th on the school's career list
SOLO ACT
• Senior Solape Amusan has done a little bit of everything for the Hornets this season, ranking third on the team in scoring (8.5 ppg), third in rebounding (3.6 rpg), and third in steals (1.13 spg)
• Her team-high 13 points at Northern Colorado marked her seventh double-digit scoring performance in her last 11, averaging 11.6 ppg in that stretch including a career-high 23 points against Portland State on Feb. 3
• Her five steals against Weber State on Feb. 10 marked the second time a Hornet has had that many in a game this year (Versteeg vs. Cal Poly on Dec. 21)
• Of her last 32 made field goals, 24 of those have come from beyond the arc
• In her last 11, Amusan is shooting .442 (42-for-95) overall and .429 (30-for-70) from beyond the arc
PUTTING THE "OH!" IN ORIO
• Sophomore Irune Orio has shined since the calendat turned over to 2024, averaging 10.3 ppg in the 14 games since, compared to just 6.0 ppg in the first 11 games of the year
• Orio has scored double-digit points eight times since Jan. 1, including a career-high 22 points against Portland State on Feb. 3
• She wrapped up her first collegiate double-double with 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds at Northern Arizona
• She became the fourth Hornet to post a double-double this year along with Hanson, Versteeg, and freshman Ayanna Jackson
FALK THIS WAY
• Freshman Lina Falk finished with 12 points at Northern Colorado in her last outing, posting her third double-digit scoring performance in her last four games and her fourth overall
• Falk is averaging 11.0 ppg and shooting .613 (19-for-31) during that stretch
• Her run includes a career-high 15 points on 7-of-10 from the field in a win at league-leading Northern Arizona, scoring 13 of those in the second half
• Falk also has games of 11 points against Idaho State (Feb. 8) and 12 at Montana State (Jan. 25)
MESSED AROUND AND GOT THREE DOUBLE-DOUBLES
• Not only did all five Hornet starters finish in double figures at NAU on Feb. 15, but three of those players collected double-doubles in the process
• Benthe Versteeg finished with 18 points and 13 assists, Summah Hanson added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Irune Orio added 13 points and 12 boards
• Versteeg's double-double was her third, Orio's was the first of her career, while Hanson posted her Big Sky-best 11th
• The last time Sacramento State had three players post double-doubles in a single game came against Northern Arizona on Dec. 29, 2011, when Emily Christensen (13 points, 12 rebounds), Kylie Kuhns (20 points, 15 rebounds), and Fantasia Hilliard (17 points, 10 rebounds) accomplished the feat in a 91-85 victory
SHE GIVETH, SHE TAKETH AWAY
• Sophomore Benthe Versteeg enters the weekend leading the team in assists (166) and steals (43)
• 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
NO REST FOR THE WEARY
• Versteeg played all 40 minutes in a regulation game for the ninth time this year at Northern Colorado on Feb. 17
• It also marked the 10th time in her career that she has gone the distance, joining a "complete game effort" at Cal State Fullerton last year
• Versteeg's nine "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)
HOLD UP, WAIT A MINUTE
• For the second consecutive week, Versteeg leads the NCAA in minutes per game (38.38), passing Duquesne's Megan McConnell (38.29)
• Aside from her marathon efforts detailed above, 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 is fifth in the Big Sky at 33.99 mpg -- including a season-high 39:47 at Idaho (Feb. 5)
• After playing in only 20 minutes at Washington in the opener, Hanson has played 35-or-more minutes 13 times
SWIPER, NO SWIPING
• Versteeg has led or co-led the team in steals 12 times this season and 22 times overall in her career
• Versteeg enters the week with 43 steals on the year and 1.72 spg -- ranking fourth in the league in both categories
• The 43 steals are one 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 10 of her last 13 games and averaging 2.15 spg in that span, with her 28 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 14 times
BREATH OF "FRESH" AIR
• Sacramento State has started at least one true freshman in all 25 games this season and has listed at least two true freshman in the starting five in 18 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
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 a season-high 75 points in the win at Northern Arizona
• Fifty-three of the the team's 59 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 Northern Colorado marked the 16th time overall -- and the 11th time in the last 14 games -- that the starting five has accounted for at least 40 points in a game
• Overall, Hornet starters have accounted for just under 81 percent of the team's points this year, scoring 1,135 of the 1,404 total points thus far
