SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State women's basketball team rings in the New Year at home for the first time in three years, welcoming Idaho State to Hornet Pavilion on Thursday (Jan. 1) for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off. Thursday's contest is the Big Sky Conference opener for both schools.
GAME #14
WHAT: Idaho State (7-4, 0-0 Big Sky) at Sacramento State (6-7, 0-0 Big Sky)
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026
TIME: 6:30 PM PT
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
ARENA: Hornet Pavilion
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetSports.com
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Idaho State | Big Sky Conference
THE COACHES
• Sacramento State's Aaron Kallhoff enters his third year at the helm of the Hornets' program, posting a 27-50 mark and a 105-126 overall record in seven-plus seasons as a head coach
• Kallhoff claimed his 100th career win as a head coach in Sacramento State's 2025-26 season-opening win over Stanton University
• Seton Sobolewski is in his 18th year as head coach at Idaho State, posting a 293-247 record with the Bengals
NEW NEST
• After spending most of its history playing at The Nest, both the Sacramento State men's and women's basketball teams transition its home contests to the Hornet Pavilion located inside The WELL, an on-campus fitness complex that has renovated a portion of the facility to serve as the new home of the Hornets
• The venue will seat approximately 3,000 fans -- nearly tripling the capacity of The Nest
• It was a giant facelift for the facility featuring (among other enhancements): re-striping of all courts to include the game court, telescopic bleachers around the center court, two new video boards, LED ribbon boards, new scoreboards, a new sound system, removal and replacement of existing lighting, new press tables and courtside seats, and new branding promoting Sacramento State and the city of Sacramento
"BIG" NEWS FOR 2026
• The 2025-26 campaign marks the 30th -- and final -- season as a member of the Big Sky Conference for the Hornets, who announced plans to move to the The Big West beginning in 2026-27
• Sacramento State has faced four of its future league rivals this year: UC San Diego (Nov. 12), Long Beach State (Nov. 15), Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 21), and California Baptist (Nov. 29)
• Another league opponent -- Causeway rival UC Davis -- is also on the schedule (Nov. 24), but the Aggies are departing for the Mountain West Conference following this year
• The Big West will be the third conference for the Hornets in their Division I history after playing in the America West Conference along with Cal Poly, CSUN, and Southern Utah from 1994-96, and then joining the Big Sky in 1996-97
ABOUT THE BENGALS
• Idaho State enters Big Sky play with a 7-4 overall record and has won its last two over Cal Poly (62-49) and Utah Valley (59-56) on the road
• Thursday's game at Sacramento State is the fifth in a run of six-straight road contests as the Bengals haven't played at home since a Dec. 3 win over Omaha (74-43)
• Overall, ISU is 3-2 on the road, posting a 2-2 record in its previous four games of this six-game road swing
• Graduate guard Tasia Jordan leads the team in scoring at 16.2 ppg, shooting .447 from the field and adding 5.6 rpg, 16 steals, and 10 blocks
• Junior forward Piper Carlson is also in double figures at 11.2 ppg to go along with her team-high 8.5 rpg and .537 field goal percentage
• As a team, the Bengals are shooting .399 from the field and averaging 64.7 ppg, while allowing 57.0 ppg and holding opponents to a .364 field goal percentage
SERIES NOTABLES
• Idaho State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 47-13
• The two schools split their two meetings in 2024-25 with each team winning on the other's home court
• The Bengals won the last meeting, 50-41, in Sacramento to snap a three-game Hornet winning streak in the series
• Overall, Sacramento State has won six of the last nine meetings with Idaho State since 2021-22
• That run followed a nine-game winning streak for Idaho State from 2017-21
• The Bengals won the first 27 games in the series from 1997-2009 before the Hornets posted their first win, 80-71, on Jan. 30, 2010
• Seven of Sacramento State's 13 wins in the series have come at home -- the last a three-point, 61-58, victory on Feb. 8, 2024
FOR OPENERS... BIG SKY STYLE
• Since joining the Big Sky Conference for the 1996-97 season, the Hornets are a combined 9-20 in league lid-lifters
• Sacramento State has won two of its last three league openers, posting wins over Portland State in 2022-23 (65-56) and 2024-25 (76-74 in overtime) around an 88-51 loss to Idaho in 2023-24
• Thursday marks the fourth time that Sacramento State and Idaho State will open the Big Sky season against one another, but the first since 2005-06
• The Bengals have won all three of the previous league openers against the Hornets in 2002 (75-63), 2005 (63-57), and 2006 (79-76)
• Of Sacramento State's nine league-opening wins, four have come against Portland State, two against Montana State, and one each against Eastern Washington, Northern Arizona, and Weber State
• The Hornets are 4-10 at home in league openers and a slightly better 5-10 on the road
• Sacramento State is opening Big Sky play at home for only the third time in the last 10 years, but has lost its last two dating back to a 132-91 win over Portland State in 2016
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
• Thursday marks only the fifth New Year's Day game for the Hornets in program history and the third in the program's Division I history
• It is the first New Year's Day game since the 2014-15 season when Sacramento State fell at Northern Arizona, 64-60
• The Hornets have played at home on New Year's Day only once, falling to Idaho, 64-59, during the 1992-93 season
• The Hornets' only win on New Year's Day came way back in the 1975-76 season, defeating San Jose State on a neutral court, 82-55, at the Chico North Valley Classic
SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE
• Thursday's game features two of the stingiest defenses in the Big Sky entering conference play
• Idaho State and Sacramento State are 1-2 in the league in opponent field goal percentage at .364 and .372, respectively
• The Bengals also lead the league in scoring defense (57.0 ppg) while the Hornets enter the week in third (59.8 ppg)
KEEPING IT 1,000
• Versteeg enters this week's contest continuing to inch her way toward a milestone, needing just 67 more points to reach 1,000 for her career
• Should she reach the plateau, Versteeg would become the 19th Hornet to accomplish the feat and the first since Summer Menke did it in 2022
• Versteeg's 933 career points rank second among active Big Sky student-athletes as of Dec. 17, trailing only Montana's Mack Konig (1,187)
SHADES OF GRAY
• Sophomore guard Rubi Gray continued her run of double-digit scoring performances at San Jose State on Sunday, finishing with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting -- including four three-pointers -- against the Spartans
• The native of Tasmania has now reached double figures in each of her last 10 games -- which includes a trio of 20-plus point performances -- averaging 17.4 ppg and 3.1 rpg while shooting .489 (65-for-133) from the field overall
• Her 24 points against Pacific (Dec. 4) matched her output against UC San Diego on Nov. 12 and were just two shy of her career high of 26 against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 21
• Following a slow start to the year, Gray has shot better than 40 percent from the field in eight of her last 10 contests
• Of her team-high 193 points, all but 19 of those have come during her 10-game scoring binge
A "KEY" INGREDIENT
• Junior forward Keanna Salave'a posted her third-straight double-digit scoring performance -- and her fifth of the season -- at San Jose State, finishing with 11 points to go with 11 rebounds for her first Hornet double-double
• The Vancouver, Wash., native is averaging 11.3 ppg and 8.0 rpg while shooting 15-for-28 (.536) from the field in those three contests, including a 6-for-7 night from the field against Simpson on Dec. 15
• She has also done the work on the boards as her 11 rebounds against the Spartans were a Sacramento State career high for her and the second-highest single-game total by a Hornet this year (Benthe Versteeg's 12 against UC Davis is the only one higher)
• The 11 boards marked her fifth game with eight-or-more rebounds this year and her 10th with five or more caroms in 13 games
• Salave'a is averaging a team-best 6.2 rpg, ranking in the top 15 in the Big Sky in rebounding (12th), total rebounds (7th), and offensive rebounds (t4th)
• Her work on the offensive end (37 rebounds) accounts for nearly half of her rebound total (81)
"PIC"-POCKET
• Junior guard Natalie Picton was in the Spartans' pockets for most of the game on Dec. 21, tying her season high with five steals to go with 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists
• She now has multiple steals in 11 of the team's 13 games -- including five games with three or more
• Picton's 33 steals rank her tied for second in the Big Sky standings in that category as of Dec. 29 and fourth in the league at 2.54 spg
• Her 33 swipes are 16 shy of teammate Benthe Versteeg's team-high total of 49 last season
• As a team, the Hornets have posted 20-or-more steals twice this year against Stanton (26) and Simpson (20)
• The 26 steals against Stanton were four shy of the program's single-game mark of 30 set against Portland State on Feb. 7, 2015
• The total was also the highest in six seasons for the Hornets, who last posted a 20-plus steal game against Cal Maritime on Nov. 13, 2019, finishing with 28 in that contest
• Individually, Fatoumata Jaiteh's seven steals against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 21 are tied for the most by a Big Sky player in a game, while Picton's pair of five-steal performances -- along with Rubi Gray's five against Stanton and Jaiteh's five against Long Beach State -- rank tied for ninth
HISTORIC HELPING HANDS
• With her 68 assists over her first 13 games this season, Versteeg now has 514 for her career, placing her second on the school's all-time list, trailing only record-holder Fantasia Hilliard (726 from 2011-15), on that chart
• That total also puts her among the top 15 in Big Sky history, moving her into 12th place past Montana's Margaret Williams (511 from 1982-87) and closing in on Eastern Washington's Chene Cooper in 11th (525 from 2008-12)
DELICIOUS DISH
• Versteeg has posted five-or-more assists in 10 of the team's 13 games
• Her total of 68 assists and her 5.23 assists per game puts her atop the Big Sky in both categories entering this week, while ranking No. 35 and No. 37 in the nation, respectively, as of Dec. 29
• With her seven assists against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 21 -- which tied her season high -- Versteeg posted her 32nd career game with seven-or-more assists with all of those coming in the last two-plus seasons (a total of 77 games)
HOLD THE LINE
• Picton has been nearly automatic from the line this season, shooting a team-high .905 (19-for-21) from the stripe
• The Welland, Ontario, native drained 15 consecutive free throws without a miss until her first went astray at San Francisco on Dec. 17 -- her first miss since Nov. 12 at UC San Diego
• The mantle for consecutive makes now falls on the shoulders of Rubi Gray, who is 23-for-26 (.885) from the line and has made her last 18 from the stripe since missing her first in the Hornets' match-up with Chattanooga on Nov. 28
• Two more makes without a miss and Gray will move into a tie for 12th for consecutive makes by a Hornet in the program's Division I era and the longest streak since Sofia Alonso opened with 22 straight makes last year
IN THE MARGINS
• Sacramento State's 60-point margin of victory over Simpson on Dec. 15 is the fourth-largest in the program's history, trailing the school-record 85-point win over Stanton earlier this year, a 71-point win over San Francisco State in 1974 and a 64-point victory against Stanislaus State in 1979
• Five of the Hornets' six victories this year have come by double-digits
• Of those five, four have been by 20-or-more points: Stanton (+85), Nevada (+20), Cal State Fullerton (+20), and Simpson (+60)
• On the other side, four of the team's seven defeats have been by six points or fewer, including a three-point overtime loss
RIM PROTECTORS
• Sacramento State enters the New Year leading the Big Sky in both blocks (59) and blocks per game (4.54), while standing No. 53 in the nation in blocks per game as of Dec. 29
• Individually, Salave'a is one of 10 players in the Big Sky with double-digit swats, ranking tied for third in the league
• The Hornets have blocked multiple shots in 12 of their 13 games this season, including five-or-more blocks eight times
• Sacramento State's seven blocks at San Francisco were a season high and tied for the second-most in a game by a Big Sky squad this year
• The seven blocks were the most for the Hornets since they had seven against Northern Arizona in the second round of last year's Big Sky Tournament on March 9
DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP)...
• Sacramento State hasn't given up much this season, ranking third in the Big Sky Conference in scoring defense (59.8 ppg), second in field goal percentage defense (.372), third in rebounding defense (35.1 rpg), and leading the league in three-point percentage defense (.264) -- the latter ranking No. 40 in the NCAA (as of Dec. 29)
• It's a continuation of a trend that has seen the Hornets post two of the stingiest scoring defenses in school history in the last three years as they allowed 59.9 ppg in 2022-23 (second in school history) and gave up 63.6 ppg in 2024-25 (fourth in school history)
• The school record is 56.8 ppg allowed over 23 games in 1984-85
TIME IS ON THEIR SIDE
• Three of the top five players in the Big Sky in terms of minutes played sport the green and gold as Picton (second), Versteeg (third), and Gray (sixth) are among the toughest to get off the court
• Picton has played just over 87 percent of the team's minutes (454 of 520) -- including four games with 40-or-more minutes -- with Versteeg close behind at 83 percent (432 of 520) and Gray at 77 percent (402 of 520)
• Picton's 34.9 mpg trails only NAU's Naomi White (36.8 mpg), while Versteeg is third at 33.2 mpg
• Thanks to those minutes, Versteeg has moved into fifth on the all-time minutes played list with 3,343 and, if she's able to replicate her total from each of the last two seasons, would break Kylie Kuhns' school career record of 3,804 minutes from 2009-13
• Meanwhile, for Picton, her time on the court is a big step up from last season when she played a total of 497 minutes in 31 games at Montana State, and is well above her average of 29.1 mpg in 29 games during her freshman season with the Bobcats in 2023-24
FINDING THE RIGHT COMBINATION
• After senior Fatoumata Jaiteh went down with an injury against UC Davis on Nov. 24, the Hornets have been in search of her replacement in the starting five
• Featuring the same starting lineup in each of the team's first seven games, Sacramento State has had a different starting five in four of its last six
• Tali Fa'i (vs. Chattanooga), Keanna Salave'a (at Pacific), and Pinja Paananen (Simpson, San Francisco, and San Jose State) earned their first career starts as Hornets, while Brooklyn Taylor picked up her first start of the year -- and the second of her career -- at California Baptist
BENCH BOOST
• Sacramento State's second unit has come on to outscore its counterparts in nine of the team's 13 games this season
• Hornet reserves have combined for 20-or-more points six times
• Sacramento State is fourth in the Big Sky in bench points per game (23.0)
NOT HALF BAD
• Sacramento State is 5-1 this season when leading at the half and a combined 18-5 when winning the first 20 minutes under Head Coach Aaron Kallhoff over the last two-plus seasons
• Last season, the Hornets were 10-1 when leading at the break
• The 58 first-half points on Dec. 15 against Simpson were the second most in a single half this year, trailing only the 71-point opening half against Stanton, and the third half with at least 50 points
ATTACKING THE PAINT
• Sacramento State is a combined 6-1 this year when outscoring its opponents in the paint
• The Hornets have scored 30-or-more points in the key in all six of those wins, including 86 points in the season opener in a lop-sided win over Stanton, 54 against Simpson on Dec. 15, and 44 more in a 20-point victory against Cal State Fullerton
HITS OF THE 70s
• During the Aaron Kallhoff era, 70 points seems to be the magic number for the Hornets
• Over the last two-plus seasons, Sacramento State is 16-3 when scoring 70-or-more points, while winning just 10 times when held under that mark since 2023-24
HORNETS SIGN OREGON TEAMMATES
• Sacramento State added a pair of high school standouts during the November signing period, welcoming forward Dyllyn Howell and guard Jordan Barlow from South Medford HS in Oregon
• Howell is a two-time all-conference pick and was an all-state selection as a junior, helping her team to a state title as a sophomore
• Barlow was also a member of that state title-winning squad, picking up all-conference honors as a junior
• Once they arrive on campus, the duo would be the ninth and 10th Hornets to hail from the "Beaver State," and the first since Kylie Kuhns and Natasha Torgerson played for the Hornets from 2009-13
