SACRAMENTO — Fresh off its second win of the season -- and its first Big Sky Conference triumph of 2023-24 -- the Sacramento State women's basketball makes a quick trip to Moscow, Idaho, on Monday (Feb. 5) for a 6 p.m. tip-off at Idaho. It's a rare Monday appearance for the Hornets, who will play on that day of the week for only the second time this season and the first since opening the regular season at Washington on Nov. 6. The game against the Vandals tips-off a run of three games in six days for the Hornets, who host Idaho State on Feb. 8 and Weber State on Feb. 10 at The Nest.
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GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Idaho | Big Sky Conference
GAME #21
WHAT: Sacramento State (2-18, 1-8) at Idaho (10-11, 3-6)
WHEN: Monday, Feb. 5, 2024
TIME: 6 p.m. PT
WHERE: Moscow, Idaho
ARENA: ICCU Arena
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: GoVandals.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
• Idaho head coach Carrie Eighmay is in her first season at the helm of the Vandals after eight seasons at Nebraska-Kearney and three years at Hastings College for three
ABOUT THE VANDALS
• Idaho enters the week with a 10-11 overall record and a 3-6 mark in Big Sky Conference play
• The Vandals have lost their last two straight -- and six of their last seven -- after being swept at home by the Montana schools last week
• Idaho is an impressive 7-2 away from home, but are just 2-9 in 11 home contests this year, losing its last five straight dating back to a 63-44 win over Saint Martin's on Dec. 19
• Junior guard Kennedy Johnson is the only Vandal in double figures, averaging 12.3 ppg while shooting .431 from the field and averaging 6.5 rpg and a team-high 1.67 spg
• Graduate forward Hope Butera leads Idaho on the glass at 8.2 rpg to go along with 9.0 rpg, while shooting .481 from the floor
• The trio of Ashlyn Wallace (29), Sarah Schmitt (25), and Sarah Brans (23), have combined for 77 of the team's 146 makes from beyond the arc
SERIES NOTABLES
• Idaho leads the all-time series with Sacramento State by a 17-8 count according to records that date back to the 1992-93 season
• The Vandals posted a 88-51 win over the Hornets in the first meeting between the two programs at The Nest earlier this year on Dec. 28 to tip-off Big Sky Conference play
• Sacramento State has won four of the last six in the series after losing seven straight from 2018-20, but had its three-game winning streak in the series snapped with the loss earlier this year
• Five of the Hornets' eight wins in the series have come at home as Sacramento State is just 2-10 on the road against Idaho
• The Hornets posted a 77-70 win over the Vandals on Feb. 4 last season for only their second win ever in Moscow, snapping a seven-game road skid
• Prior to that, Sacramento State's only other win at Idaho came on Jan. 15, 2015, by a 107-89 score
ALREADY MAKING A NAME FOR HERSELF
• Thanks to her double-double against Portland State, freshman Summah Hanson inched closer to a spot among the top five in points scored by a freshman in the program's Division I history with 270 -- the most since Gigi Hascheff scored a record 344 points in 2013-14
• Hanson's total moved her past Maranne Johnson and her 268 points in 2014-15 for sixth on the list
• Hanson is now just four points shy of both Fantasia Hilliard (274 in 2011-12) and Julie Wastell (274 in 1995-96) for a tie for fourth
• Hanson is only the 11th Hornet freshman to score at least 200 points in her debut season and, with 30 more points, would become only the fourth to reach the 300-point plateau in her rookie season along with Hascheff, Hallie Gennett (336 in 2013-14), and Sarah Craig (305 in 2002-03)
• If the season ended today, Hanson's 13.5 ppg would be the best by a freshman in the school's Division I history, passing Sarah Craig's 12.2 ppg in 2002-03, as would her 8.5 rpg, passing Margaret Huntington's 7.5 rpg
• Hanson also stands 28 makes behind Craig's record of 127 field goals and is 55 rebounds back of Huntington's record-setting total (224).
MOST SINGLE-SEASON POINTS AS A FRESHMAN (Division I only)
1. Gigi Hascheff 344 2013-14
2. Hallie Gennett 336 2013-14
3. Sarah Craig 305 2002-03
t4. Fantasia Hilliard 274 2011-12
t4. Julie Wastell 274 1995-96
6. Summah Hanson 270 2023-24
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
• Hanson's eight double-doubles remain the most in the Big Sky entering the weekend and are tied for 44th in the NCAA
• Hanson is one of only two freshmen (Northern Kentucky's Carter McCray the other) -- and one of 11 underclassmen overall -- in the nation with at least eight double-doubles as of Feb. 3
• Hanson is one of 27 players in the Big Sky to post a double-double in a game this year, but one of only 15 to have multiple double-doubles
• Of Hanson's eight double-doubles, three have included 20-point performances which are also the most in the league
• Her eight double-doubles this season are tied for 10th on the program's Division I single-season list and already 15th on the school's career list in that same span
QUEEN OF THE BOARD ROOM
• Hanson enters the weekend ranked second in the Big Sky in both rebounding (8.45 rpg) and total rebounds (169)
• Among qualifying freshman across the country, Hanson is third among freshmen in rebounding behind Northern Kentucky's Carter McCray (10.8 rpg) and Iowa State's Addy Brown (8.5 rpg)
• Hanson also ranks fifth in total rebounds (169) among the nation's freshmen, trailing McCray's 227 boards
• She ranks No. 81 in the nation overall in rebounds per game
• Hanson has led or shared the team lead in rebounding in 15 of the team's 20 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 five players from around the league to rank in the top 10 in both scoring and rebounding (6th and 2nd, respectively) categories, joining Northern Colorado's Delaynie Byrne (3rd & 3rd), Montana's Carmen Gfeller (4th & 10th), Northern Arizona's Sophie Glancey (5th and 4th), and Montana State's Katelynn Limardo (10th and 6th)
• Among that group, Hanson is the only freshman as the others are, at least, sophomores
MAKING THEIR POINT
• Sacramento State's 72 points in the win over Portland State marked a season high in scoring
• The total surpassed the previous high of 66 scored against Northern Arizona on Jan. 20, and marked only the fourth time that Sacramento State topped the 60-point mark along with the 65 points scored against Santa Clara and the 61 at Weber State
TWO FOR 20
• No, it's not the latest meal deal from your favorite restaurant, but it was a huge part of the menu for the Hornets in their win over Portland State
• Senior Solape Amusan finished with a career-high 23 points and sophomore Irune Orio added a career-high 22 in the win over the Vikings -- both collecting their first career 20-point games
• The duo became the first Hornet tandem to finish with 20 points in the same game since Jordan Olivares (26) and Kaylin Randhawa (20) did so against Northern Arizona in last year's Big Sky Tournament championship
GIMME FOUR!
• Along with Amusan and Orio's performance against the Vikings, Summah Hanson added 13 points and Benthe Versteeg chipped in 10 more, giving the Hornets four players in double figures
• It marked the first time that Sacramento State had accomplished that feat since Isnelle Natabou (23), Olivares (18), Kahlaijah Dean (16), and Randhawa (11) did so in the Big Sky regular season title-clinching win over Portland State on Feb. 27 of last season
SOLO ACT
• Amusan, who played all 40 minutes en route to her game- and career-high total against Portland State, finished 7-of-13 from the field and drained five three-pointers
• She was also on double-double watch, eventually finishing the day with nine rebounds
• Her previous career high was 19 against at Montana on Jan. 27
• Amusan has finished in double figures in four of her last six games, averaging 11.8 ppg and 4.5 rpg while shooting .490 (24-for-49) from the field and .441 (15-for-34) from beyond the arc
PUTTING THE "O" IN ORIO
• Orio hit 9-of-15 from the floor en route to her career-high total against Portland State, adding five assists, three rebounds, and three steals
• Twelve of her 22 points came in the second quarter against the Vikings, matching Summah Hanson's 12-point third quarter against CSUN for the most by a Hornet in a single quarter this year
• The 22 points surpassed her previous best of 16 set in the teams' win against CSUN on Dec. 2
• Saturday's performance gave Orio double-digit points in six of her last eight games and seven times overall this year
• During that run, Orio is averaging 12.0 ppg -- nearly four points above her overall season scoring average -- and 4.0 rpg, while shooting .422 (38-for-90) overall from the fioor
• The 96 points over her last eight games account for more than half of her season total of 167 points entering the week
• The five assists, nine makes, three steals, three free throws made, and 39 minutes played against Portland State were also all career highs
SHE'S A GIVER
• Versteeg remains atop the Big Sky in both assists per game (5.85) and total assists (117) entering the week
• She is one of only two players in the Big Sky to average better than 5.0 apg, joining Eastern Washington's Jamie Loera (5.33)
• 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).
• Versteeg owns five of the top 10 single-game assist totals in the Big Sky
• She has 12 games with at least six assists, including nine helpers for a third time this year at Weber State, joining her performances against CSUN on Dec. 2 and Oral Roberts on Jan. 6
• Those 12 games are the most since Lianna Tillman had 18 such contests in 2021-22
• Versteeg's career-high 10 assists against Santa Clara (Nov. 29) is one 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 16-point, 10-assist game against the Broncos is one of only three point-assist double-doubles in the league this year
• The 10 helpers against the Broncos were just one shy of the school's single-game top 10 (seven players are tied for ninth with 11 assists, the last being Fantasia Hilliard at Montana in 2015)
VERSTEEG KEEPING IT "100"
• Thanks to her eight assists at Montana State on Jan. 25, Versteeg topped the century mark for the season and enters the week with 117 after another eight-assist performance against Portland State
• The total has her just 33 assists away from breaking into the all-time top 10 in a single-season (Fantasia Hilliard's 150 in 2011-12 is 10th) and 30 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
• Through nine league games, Versteeg is the Hornets' leading scorer, averaging a solid 13.0 ppg (three points better than her overall season average), 5.67 apg, 3.2 rpg, and 1.78 spg
• In those nine league contests, Versteeg has scored in double figures in six of them
SWIPER, NO SWIPING
• Versteeg has led or co-led the team in steals eight times this season and 18 times overall in her career
• Versteeg enters the week with 32 steals on the year and 1.60 spg -- ranking sixth in the league in each category
• The 32 steals are 12 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 six of her last eight games and averaging 2.13 spg in that span, with her 17 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 10 times
BREATH OF "FRESH" AIR
• Sacramento State has started at least one true freshman in all 20 games this season and has listed at least two true freshman in the starting five in 13 of those games
• The Hornets have started three true freshmen four times at Washington in the season opener on Nov. 6, against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 12, at Montana State on Jan. 25, and at Montana on 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
LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT COMBINATION
• Through the first 20 games this season, Sacramento State has put 13 different starting lineups on the floor after freshman Ayanna Jackson made her third career start at Montana on Jan. 27
• 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 four times overall after Saturday's game against Portland State
• Sacramento State has also used the lineup of Versteeg, Lee, Orio, Amusan, and Hanson three times against Eastern Washington (Dec. 30) and St. Thomas (Jan. 3) and, again at Weber State on Jan. 11
• The Hornets have also rolled out the lineup of Versteeg, Edge, Orio, Amusan, and Hanson three times against Oral Roberts (Jan. 6), Idaho State (Jan. 13), and Northern Colorado (Jan. 18)
• 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 20 games
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
• The previous high for a starting five was 58 points against Weber State on Jan. 11
• Thirty-six of the the team's 42 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 Vikings marked the 11th time overall -- and the sixth time in the last nine games -- that the starting five has accounted for at least 40 points in a game
• Overall, Hornet starters have accounted for more than 77 percent of the team's points this year, scoring 821 of the 1063 total points thus far
LET'S GO HALVSIES
• The 37 points scored in the second half against Portland State on Saturday are the most by the Hornets in ANY half this year, surpassing the 36-point second half against Santa Clara on Nov. 29
• Sacramento State's 35-point first half against the Vikings are tied for the most points scored by the Hornets in the opening 20 minutes this season, joining the 35-point first half at Montana on Jan. 27
• By "winning" both halves against Portland State, it marked the fifth and sixth times that Sacramento State has "won" a half this season along with the first half against CSUN, the second half against Cal Poly, and the second half against Northern Arizona
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
ALL GO, NO QUIT
• Amusan became the third Hornet to play 40 minutes in a game this season against Portland State on Saturday, joining Benthe Versteeg (seven times) and Lina Falk (once)
• Although she played in "only" 39:21 against Portland State, Versteeg has gone the distance in five of her last eight games dating back to a 40-minute effort against Oral Roberts on Jan. 6, and has missed only 2:51 of game time in that stretch
HOLD UP, WAIT A MINUTE
• Versteeg enters the week ranked No. 2 in the NCAA in minutes per game (38.32), standing behind only Duquesne's Megan McConnell (38.70)
• Versteeg has played at least 38 minutes in eight other games and has played 37-or-more minutes in all but three games this year
• Hanson, meanwhile, is fifth in the Big Sky at 33.48 mpg -- including a season-high 39:22 against Nevada
• After playing in only 20 minutes at Washington in the opener, Hanson has played 35-or-more minutes 10 times
