SACRAMENTO — The regular season enters its final weekend as the Sacramento State women's basketball team will close out the year on the road beginning Saturday (March 2) at 2 p.m. at Portland State.

NEXT UP…
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Portland State | Big Sky Conference

GAME #28
WHAT: Sacramento State (5-22, 4-12) at Portland State (7-21, 2-14)
WHEN: Saturday, March 2, 2024
TIME: 2 p.m. PT
WHERE: Portland, Ore.
ARENA: Viking Pavilion
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: GoViks.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
• Portland State head coach Chelsey Gregg is in her third season at the helm of the Vikings, posting a 27-61 overall record and a 10-44 mark in Big Sky Conference play in her two-plus seasons

ABOUT THE VIKINGS
• Portland State enters the week with a 7-21 overall record and a 2-14 mark in Big Sky play
• The Vikings split their games last week, defeating Montana State (60-55) at home before falling to Montana (76-65) to close out the week
• The win snapped a brief two-game skid and was only the second in the last 20 games for Portland State
• Of the team's seven wins, five of those have come at Viking Pavilion where it is 5-9 this year
• Junior guard Esmeralda Morales leads the Big Sky in scoring at 17.1 ppg, shooting .377 from the field and draining a team-high 82 three-pointers
• Junior center Rhema Ogele leads the team on the glass at 5.8 rpg to go along with 9.2 ppg and shooting just over 50 percent from the field

SERIES NOTABLES
• Portland State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State by a 33-25 count since 1991-92
• The Hornets, however, have won the last six straight in the series following their 72-65 victory back on Feb. 3 at The Nest that gave Sacramento State its first conference win of the year
• The six-game winning streak is now the longest in the history of the series by the Hornets, surpassing the five straight victories from 2014-16
• Sacramento State is going for a season sweep of the regular season series with the Vikings for the third consecutive year
• Portland State's last win in the series came on Jan. 9, 2021, by a 74-64 score in Sacramento
• The Hornets are a combined 11-17 on the road against the Vikings, winning three of their last four trips to the Rose City -- with the lone loss a two-point defeat in overtime on Jan. 7, 2021

PREVIOUSLY: SACRAMENTO STATE 72, PORTLAND STATE 65
• Four starters finished in double figures for the Hornets, led by career nights from Solape Amusan (23 points) and Irune Orio (22 points)
• Summah Hanson added a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double, while Benthe Versteeg chipping in 10 more
• Sacramento State held Portland State to just 35 percent overall, including 27 points in the fourth quarter
• The Hornets used a 15-3 run that turned a four-point deficit into an eight-point lead and finished 10-of-11 from the line down the stretch to clinch the win

TURNING IT AROUND
• While the results may not always have ended in a victory, the Hornets have shown dramatic improvement during the second leg of Big Sky Conference play
 

POWER IN THE PAINT
• Sacramento State has outscored its opponents in the paint by a total of 40 points over its last six games
• The Hornets are averaging 26.7 ppg inside during that span, compared to just 20.0 ppg for the opposition
• The 42 points at Northern Arizona on Feb. 15 tied the season high set at home against the Lumberjacks on Jan. 20 at The Nest

PUT A LID ON IT
• The Sacramento State defense has clamped down on opponents as of late, holding four of the last five to under 35 percent shooting from the field overall and under 37 percent from beyond the arc
• As a result, three of those five opponents have been limited to fewer than 60 points, including a season-low 44 points by Weber State on Feb. 10 
• Opponents are averaging 57.6 ppg and shooting .344 (93-for-270) in that stretch, compared to 64.8 ppg and .405 (119-for-294) from the field by the Hornets

SMELLING LIKE A ROSE
• During its current six-game winning streak against Portland State, Sacramento State is averaging 70.0 ppg and shooting .466 from the field, while holding the Vikings to just 56.2 ppg and .365 from the floor
• The Hornets have also made 12 more shots from beyond the arc (43 to 31) and have attempted 20 more free throws (101 to 81) with 13 more makes (75 to 62)
• Sacramento State is also out-rebounding their Rose City rivals by more than six per game (36.5 rpg to 30.0 rpg)

QUARTER NOTES
• For the second straight game, Sacramento State limited the opposition to seven points in a quarter, holding Montana State to that total and just 1-of-8 shooting from the floor in the fourth period, tying the mark for the fewest points allowing in a single quarter
• This came after limiting Montana to just seven in the second quarter two nights earlier and matches the mark originally set at Washington in the fourth quarter in the regular season opener
• The Hornets also dished out seven assists in the first against the Bobcats, setting a new single-quarter season high for that category

A "FRESH" FACE ATOP THE LIST
• With 11 points at Northern Colorado on Feb. 17, 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 (344 points in 2013-14)
• Hanson's 13 points Montana State gave her 382 points, which stand 120 shy of breaking onto the school's single-season top-10 list for the Division I era and 136 shy of the all-time single-season chart for total points
• Her seven baskets against Montana on Feb. 22 gave her 131 for the season, which supplanted Sarah Craig (127, 2002-03) atop the single-season freshman list for that category, while her 12 rebounds against Montana State gave her 236 rebounds, which broke a tie with Margaret Huntington's for the top spot
• If the season ended today, Hanson's 14.1 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 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 382 (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)

MORE MILESTONES FOR SUMMAH
• Hanson also now holds single-season Division I era freshmen records for minutes played (926:56), breaking Sami Field-Polisso's mark of 908 in 2007-08
• She needs six more field goal attempts (323 by Hallie Gennett in 2013-14) as well as seven more free throws made (76 by Fantasia Hilliard in 2011-12) to take over the top spot in those categories

THAT'S WHAT SUMMAH HANSON'S ALL ABOUT
• Hanson's 13 points and 12 rebounds against Montana State gave the freshman her 13th double-double of the season, remaining the gold standard in the Big Sky and tied for 27th in the NCAA
• Hanson is one of only two freshmen (Northern Kentucky's Carter McCray is the other with 14) -- and one of six underclassmen overall -- in the nation with at least 13 double-doubles as of Feb. 26
• Hanson has posted a double-double in back-to-back contests and in six of her last eight games (more on that in a minute...)
• Hanson is one of 29 players in the Big Sky to post a double-double in a game this year, but one of only 18 to have multiple double-doubles
• Of Hanson's 13 double-doubles, four have included 20-point games which are the most in the league
• Hanson's five 20-point games are tied for fourth in the league
• Her 13 double-doubles this season are tied for sixth on the program's Division I single-season list alongside Kylie Kuhns (13 in 2010-11) and are already tied for seventh on the school's career list with Hannah Friend and Atty Boyer

EIGHT IS GREAT
• Hanson extended her double-digit scoring streak to eight games following her 13-point effort against Montana State on Feb. 24
• The freshman is averaging nearly a double-double over that stretch, putting up 15.6 ppg and 9.88 rpg while shooting .468 (44-for-94) 
• Hanson has shot better than 45 percent in seven of those eight contests
• She has also grabbed 10-or-more rebounds six times in that stretch

QUEEN OF THE BOARD ROOM
• Following her 12 rebounds against Montana State, Hanson ranks second in the Big Sky in both rebounding (8.74 rpg) and total rebounds (236)
• Among qualifying freshman across the country, Hanson is second in rebounding behind Northern Kentucky's Carter McCray (10.9 rpg) and ranks No. 63 in the nation overall in rebounds per game
• Hanson also ranks second in rebounds among the nation's freshmen, trailing McCray's 294 boards
• Hanson has led or shared the lead in rebounding 19 times
• Her 16 rebounds at Fresno State (Dec. 16) were the most since Isnelle Natabou grabbed 18 against Weber State on Jan. 21 last season

SHE'S KIND OF A BIG (SKY) DEAL
• Hanson is one of only five players in the Big Sky to rank in the top 10 in both scoring and rebounding (4th and 2nd, respectively), joining NAU's Sophie Glancey (3rd and 4th), Northern Colorado's Delaynie Byrne (6th & 3rd), EWU's Jamie Loera (8th & 9th), and Idaho's Kennedy Johnson (7th and 6th)
• Among that group, Hanson is the only freshman as Glancey is a sophomore, Johnson is a junior, and both Loera and Byrne are seniors

SHE'S A GIVER
• Versteeg remains atop the Big Sky in both assists per game (6.44 apg) and total assists (174)
• She is one of only two players in the Big Sky to average better than 5.0 apg, joining Eastern Washington's Jamie Loera (5.41 apg)
• If the season ended today, Versteeg's 6.44 apg would be the second highest single-season mark in the program's history, joining Fantasia Hilliard's 6.50 apg in 2013-14 (195 assists in 30 games)
• Should she end the year atop the Big Sky list, Versteeg would be the first Hornet to lead the league since Lianna Tillman (6.04 apg) in 2021-22
• 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 Big Sky rivals reaching double figures 11 times in 16 contests
• Through 16 league games, Versteeg is averaging a team-high 14.1 ppg (three points better than her overall average), 6.75 apg, 3.9 rpg, and 2.19 spg
• Her 83 makes from the field are the most on the team in league games ahead of Hanson's 81, while her 51 makes from the line lead the squad

SHE GIVETH, SHE TAKETH AWAY
• Sophomore Benthe Versteeg enters the weekend leading the team in both assists (174) and steals (51)
• 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

VERSTEEG IS VER-SCORING
• When she's not dishing it out, she's taking it to the opponents as Versteeg's 18-point night against Montana gave the sophomore double-digit points in six of her last eight games
• In that stretch, Versteeg is averaging 14.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 8.13 apg, and 2.38 spg, while shooting .377 (43-for-114) from the floor.

CAN'T PASS THIS UP
• Thanks to her five assists against Montana State, Versteeg's Big Sky-leading total grew to 174, solidifying her hold on fifth place on the both school's all-time and Division I Era single-season lists
• She passed last year's assist leader, Kahlaijah Dean (168) and needs five 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 and she 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
• The performance surpassed the previous Division I Era record of 13 set by Justyce Dawson at Southern Utah on Feb. 25, 2017, and fell one assist shy of the all-time record of 15 held by Tina Gray in 1985-86
• 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

SOLO ACT
• Senior Solape Amusan has done a little bit of everything for the Hornets this season, ranking third on the team in scoring (8.6 ppg), third in rebounding (3.8 rpg), and third in steals (1.12 spg)
• She has reached double-digit points in eight of her last 13, averaging 11.4 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 38 made field goals, 30 of those have come from beyond the arc
• In her last 13, Amusan is shooting .417 (48-for-115) overall and .419 (36-for-86) from beyond the arc

PUTTING THE "OH!" IN ORIO
• Sophomore Irune Orio has shined since the calendar turned over to 2024, averaging 10.1 ppg in the 15 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

SWIPER, NO SWIPING
• Versteeg has led or co-led the team in steals 14 times this season and 24 times overall in her career
• Versteeg enters the week with 51 steals on the year and 1.89 spg -- ranking third in the league in both categories
• The 51 steals are the most by a Hornet since the 2018-19 campaign when Hannah Friend led the team with 55 steals
• Versteeg set a career high with five steals against Cal Poly on Dec. 21, and finished with four for a fourth time this year against Montana State on Feb. 24, joining her two performances against Idaho State and her game against Montana on Feb. 22
• The sophomore has been a pest as of late, posting multiple steals in 12 of her last 15 games and averaging 2.40 spg in that span, with her 36 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 16 times

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 has done it twice against Portland State (Feb. 3) and Montana (Feb. 22), while Lina Falk did so at Montana State (Jan. 25)

HOLD UP, WAIT A MINUTE
• For the third consecutive week, Versteeg leads the NCAA in minutes per game (38.39), passing Duquesne's Megan McConnell (38.30)
• Aside from her marathon efforts detailed above, Versteeg has played at least 38 minutes in 10 other games and has played 37-or-more minutes in all but four games this year
• Hanson is fifth in the Big Sky at 34.33 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 15 times

BREATH OF "FRESH" AIR
• Sacramento State has started at least one true freshman in all 27 games this season and has listed at least two true freshman in the starting five 20 times
• 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-five of the the team's 61 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 Montana State marked the eighth time overall -- and the 13th time in the last 16 games -- that the starting five has accounted for at least 40 points in a game
• Overall, Hornet starters have accounted for just over 82 percent of the team's points this year, scoring 1,243 of the 1,512 total points thus far

COMBINATION UNLOCKED
• The Hornets look as if they have settled in on a rotation, using the same starting lineup in each of the last eight games: Benthe Versteeg, Irune Orio, Lina Falk, Solape Amusan, and Summah Hanson
• That combination has been used 11 times overall, with Sacramento State posting a 4-7 record in those contests
• The Hornets used a different starting lineup in each of their first eight games and have used 13 different starting lineups through 27 games overall
• Sacramento State used the same lineup (Versteeg, Orio, Falk, Amusan, and Hanson) in back-to-back-to-back games for the first time this season against Fresno State, Cal Poly, and Idaho
• 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 27 games