SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento State women's basketball team opens its penultimate home weekend of the regular season on Thursday (Feb. 8), welcoming Idaho State to The Nest for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off. Thursday is "Pride Night" at The Nest with free student Swarm shirts handed out to the first 50 university housing students.
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GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Idaho State | Big Sky Conference
GAME #22
WHAT: Idaho State (10-11, 6-4) at Sacramento State (2-19, 1-9)
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 8, 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
• Idaho State head coach Seton Sobolewski is in his 16th season at the helm of the Bengals, winning three Big Sky Coach of the Year honors and helping Idaho State to six postseason appearances
ABOUT THE BENGALS
• Idaho State enters the week with a 10-11 overall record and a 6-4 mark in Big Sky Conference play
• The Bengals split their contests against Northern Colorado (W, 76-56) and Northern Arizona (L, 73-59) last week to close out a four-game homestand
• The loss to the Lumberjacks snapped a three-game winning streak, but Idaho State has won six of its last eight dating back to Jan. 11
• Sporting an 8-2 record at home, the Bengals are just 1-8 in true road contests this year, losing five of their last six games away from Reed Gym
• Junior guard Tasia Jordan leads the team in scoring at 11.1 ppg, but hasn't played since her team's game against Montana State on Jan. 22
• Junior guard Maria Dias is also in double figures for the Bengals at 10.0 ppg, shooting .402 from the field and .385 from three-point range
• Junior guard Kacey Spink leads the team on the glass at 6.9 rpg, has a team-high 68 assists, and leads the way with 44 steals, while averaging 8.4 ppg
• Idaho State averages 59.6 ppg and shooting .391 from the field, while opponents are averaging 60.6 ppg and shooting .368 from the floor
• The Bengals rank second in the Big Sky in field goal percentage defense and third in three-point percentage defense (.298), while pacing the conference in blocks per game (3.52)
SERIES NOTABLES
• Idaho State holds a 46-10 lead in the series with Sacramento State dating back to 1996-97
• The Bengals defeated the Hornets, 62-48, in Pocatello earlier this year on Jan. 13 at Reed Gym
• Prior to that meeting, Sacramento State had won three of the previous four games against Idaho State, sweeping the regular season series from the Bengals in 2022-23
• Six of the Hornets' 10 wins in the series have come at The Nest, where Sacramento State is 6-21 in the history of the series
• Last season's 66-52 win at home snapped a string of six consecutive losses in Sacramento
• Idaho State won the first 27 meetings in the series from 1997-2009, until the Hornets picked up their first win in the series with an 80-71 triumph in 2010
LAST TIME OUT: IDAHO STATE 62, SACRAMENTO STATE 48
• In the first meeting between the two schools, freshman Summah Hanson posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds (at the time, her seventh of the year) and was joined in double figures by Irune Orio, who added 12 points
• Sophomore Benthe Versteeg finished with eight points, seven assists, and four steals
• After trailing by only four at the break, Sacramento State closed the gap to three following five straight points by Hanson, but Idaho State answered with a 9-0 run and added a 9-1 burst at the end of the third quarter for a 14-point lead it would not relinquish
A SHOT IN THE ARM
• Sacramento State followed up its 48 percent shooting performance in the win over Portland State on Feb. 3 by hitting 41 percent of its shots on Monday at Idaho
• It marked only the second time that the Hornets have shot 40 percent or better in back-to-back games since hitting 57 percent against Santa Clara (Nov. 29) and 41 percent against CSUN (Dec. 2)
• The 23 makes from the field against the Vikings and Vandals are tied for the third most in a single game this season, trailing only the 25 makes against Santa Clara and Northern Arizona (Jan. 20)
• Meanwhile, the Hornets have seen a significant uptick in success at the line, shooting 78 percent or better in four of their last five games (62-for-80, .775) and raising their overall free throw percentage by more than 30 points in the process
• In addition, the Hornets' nine makes from beyond the arc at Idaho are tied for the team's second-highest total on the season, matching the nine makes at Weber State and trailing only the 12 three's against Santa Clara on Nov. 29
IN GOOD HANDS
• Monday marked the fourth time in the last six outings that the Hornets have finished with fewer than 20 turnovers in the game
MAKING THEIR POINT
• The 64 points at Idaho marked the fifth time this season that the Hornets have topped 60 points in a game this year -- three of those coming in their last five outings
• Sacramento State's 72 points in the win over Portland State on Feb. 3 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
ALREADY MAKING A NAME FOR HERSELF
• Thanks to her 23-point night at Idaho on Monday, freshman Summah Hanson moved into the top five in points scored by a freshman in the program's Division I history with 293 -- the most since Gigi Hascheff scored a record 344 points in 2013-14
• Hanson's total moved her past both Fantasia Hilliard (274 in 2011-12) and Julie Wastell (274 in 1995-96) into fourth, and puts her just 12 points back of Sarah Craig (305 in 2002-03) for third
• Hanson is only the 11th Hornet freshman to score at least 200 points in her debut season and, with seven 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 Craig
• 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 8.3 rpg, passing Margaret Huntington's 7.5 rpg
• Hanson also stands 21 makes behind Craig's record of 127 field goals and is 49 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. Sarah Craig 305 (2002-03)
4. Summah Hanson 293 (2023-24)
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
• Hanson's eight double-doubles remain the gold standard in the Big Sky and are tied for 44th in the NCAA entering the week
• Hanson is one of only two freshmen (Northern Kentucky's Carter McCray the other with 10) -- and one of 12 underclassmen overall -- in the nation with at least eight double-doubles as of Feb. 5
• 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 (8.33 rpg) and total rebounds (175)
• 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 fourth in total rebounds (175) among the nation's freshmen, trailing McCray's 227 boards
• She ranks No. 84 in the nation overall in rebounds per game
• Hanson has led or shared the team lead in rebounding in 15 of the team's 21 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 six 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), Idaho's Kennedy Johnson (8th and 7th), and Montana State's Katelynn Limardo (10th and 6th)
• Among that group, Hanson is the only freshman as the others are, at least, sophomores
SHE GIVETH, SHE TAKETH AWAY
• Sophomore Benthe Versteeg enters the week leading the team in assists (127) and steals (34)
• 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 (5.86) and total assists (123) 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 (5.41)
• 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 13 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 13 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 123 after six assists at Idaho on Monday
• The total has her just 27 assists away from breaking into the all-time top 10 in a single-season (Fantasia Hilliard's 150 in 2011-12 is 10th) and 24 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 19-point effort at Idaho on Feb. 5, Versteeg has now reached double figures seven times in 10 conference contests
• Through 10 league games, Versteeg is the Hornets' leading scorer, averaging a solid 13.6 ppg (three points better than her overall season average), 5.70 apg, 3.4 rpg, and 1.8 spg
• Her 48 makes from the field are second on the team in league games behind Hanson's 49, while her 34 makes from the line lead the squad
PUTTING THE "O" IN ORIO
• Sophmore Irune Orio has collected double-digit points in six of her last nine games and seven times overall this year
• During that run, Orio is averaging 11.7 ppg -- nearly four points above her overall season scoring average (8.4 ppg) -- and 4.6 rpg, while shooting .424 (42-for-99) overall from the fioor
• The 105 points over her last nine games account for nearly two-thirds of her season total of 176 points entering the week
• Orio finished with a career-high nine rebounds at Idaho on Feb. 5, surpassing her previous best of eight at Montana State on Jan. 25
JANUARY WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING
• Orio has provided the Hornets with a consistent offensive threat since the calendar turned to January
• Through her first 11 games of the season, Orio averaged 6.0 ppg and 2.3 rpg, while shooting .391 (27-for-69) from the field and .278 (10-for-36) from beyond the arc
• Since 2024 began, however, Orio has beefed up those numbers, averaging 11.0 ppg and 4.3 rpg over the last 10, shooting .419 (44-for-105) from the floor and .351 (13-for-37) from three-point range
HOLD UP, WAIT A MINUTE
• Versteeg enters the week ranked No. 2 in the NCAA in minutes per game (38.25), standing behind only Duquesne's Megan McConnell (38.70)υ Versteeg has played at least 38 minutes in eight 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 33.78 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 11 times
SWIPER, NO SWIPING
• Versteeg has led or co-led the team in steals nine times this season and 19 times overall in her career
• Versteeg enters the week with 34 steals on the year and 1.62 spg -- ranking sixth in the league in each category
• The 34 steals are 10 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 seven of her last nine games and averaging 2.11 spg in that span, with her 19 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 11 times
