SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Junior Natalie Picton finished with a career-high 27 points to lead two other teammates in double figures and the Sacramento State women's basketball used a balanced scoring effort in a 102-42 rout of visiting Simpson University on Monday night at Hornet Pavilion.
The Hornets snapped a four-game skid in improving to 6-5 overall on the year, winning for the first time since Nov. 21 and playing in their first home game since Nov. 24. It marked the second time this season that Sacramento State has eclipsed the 100-point plateau, joining its 124-point outburst against Stanton University in the season opener — while the 60-point margin of victory was the fourth-largest in school history.
Monday night was an exhibition for the NAIA Red Hawks, who were led by Destiny Nichols' 12 points.
Picton surpassed her previous career high of 24 points set while at Montana State and tied earlier this year against UC Davis, hitting 9-of-13 from the field, 5-of-7 from three-point range, and 4-of-4 from the line. She added four rebounds and six assists without a turnover in 22 minutes, scoring 13 of her 27 in the opening 10 minutes to help the Hornets get off to their quick start.
Sophomore Rubi Gray kept her double-digit scoring streak alive with 15 points in 17 minutes, adding a pair of rebounds and three assists, while Keanna Salave'a added 12 points in 12 minutes off the bench on 6-of-7 from the field to go with five boards.
Monday marked the eighth-straight double-digit performance for Gray, who scored 10 points in the opening quarter — her fourth double-digit quarter of the season.
Four Hornets shared game-high honors with five boards as Salave'a was joined by Benthe Versteeg, Pinja Paananen, and Elisa Leghissa.
Sacramento State led wire-to-wire for the third time this season and outpaced Simpson by as many as 65 points on the night, opening the game on an 18-0 run over the first 5:21 and led by 27 points at 33-6 at the end of one quarter. The Hornets led by 41 points at 58-17 at the break and built their largest lead at 91-26 with just 21 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
No Sacramento State player was on the floor for more than 23 minutes as all 12 players who saw time finished in the scoring column. The Hornets shot 57 percent from the field for the game, holding the Red Hawks to just 26 percent for the contest, and outrebounded Simpson, 44-29.
The defense forced 28 turnovers thanks to 20 steals on the night, turning those in 38 points for the good, while the offense collected 54 points in the paint and outscored Simpson, 17-1, on the fastbreak. Junior Tali Fa'i led the way with four swipes while Picton and Brooklyn Taylor had three each.
Sacramento State closes out non-conference play with two games on the road this week, traveling to San Francisco to take on the University of San Francisco on Wednesday (Dec. 17) at 4 p.m. at the Chase Center — home of the NBA's Golden State Warriors and the WNBA's Golden State Valkyries. The Hornets then return to the Bay Area on Sunday (Dec. 21) to take on San Jose State at 1 p.m.
