SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State set a pair of school records and put up one of the highest scoring single-game performances in school history on Monday night, opening the 2025-26 season with a dominating 124-39 victory over visiting Stanton University in the first-ever intercollegiate athletic event at Hornet Pavilion.
The triumph gave Head Coach Aaron Kallhoff his milestone 100th career victory as a head coach while the team won its season opener for the second consecutive season. The Elks, playing their inaugural season at the NAIA level, fell to 0-2 overall.
Monday night's 124 points were the fourth-most in a game in the history of the program and the first since Sacramento State put up 107 points in a 114-107 double overtime loss at Northern Arizona on Jan. 9, 2020. On the other side of the scoreboard, the 39 points allowed were tied for the third-fewest in the program's Division I history and the fewest since holding San Jose State to the same number on Dec. 15 of last season in a 66-39 victory.
Meanwhile, the 85-point margin of victory and 52 field goals made set new program records, surpassing the 71-point, 86-15 win over San Francisco State on Feb. 21, 1974, and the 50 makes from the field against Portland State on Jan. 2, 2016.
Two more records were in sight as the 33 assists were one shy of the record of 34 in that game at Portland State in 2016, while the team's 26 steals were four shy of the record of 30 at Portland State on Feb. 7, 2015.
All 13 Hornets who entered the game on Monday night scored, including five in double figures. Sophomore Brooklyn Taylor led the way with a career-high 19 points on 8-of-12 from the field, while junior Natalie Picton (18), sophomore Ajong Lual (14), sophomore Pinja Paananen (13), and junior Elizabeth Abiara (12) joined her in double figures.
Junior Keanna Salave'a finished with a team-high eight rebounds — seven of those on the offensive end — while Fatoumata Jaiteh and Lual added seven boards apiece. Jaiteh also dished out a career-high eight assists, while sophomore Rubi Gray and Picton swiped a game-high five steals each as the Hornets ended the night with 26 steals off 44 Stanton turnovers.
Overall, Sacramento State shot a blistering .605 from the field — the first time shooting 60 percent from the floor since hitting .600 at Northern Colorado in a 73-41 win on Jan. 12, 2023, and the highest since finishing with the same percentage, albeit with 43 fewer attempts, against the Bears on March 7, 2009.
The Elks, who managed just 19 points in their season opener on Oct. 28, were led by 13 points from Sophia Laurel and 11 more by Teagan Cohen as Stanton hit nine of its 14 makes from beyond the arc on the night.
The Hornets return to action on Thursday (Nov. 6) at 11 a.m., as they host Nevada at Hornet Pavilion.
