SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The final week of the regular season will see the Sacramento State women's basketball team play its final three games in the span of five days beginning this week in the "Treasure State." The Hornets open the week with a pair of games on the road, traveling to Missoula, Mont., on Thursday (Feb. 27) for a 6 p.m. tip-off against Montana, before heading to Bozeman on Saturday (March 1) for a 1 p.m. tip against league-leading Montana State.
Looking ahead, Sacramento State closes out the regular season on Monday (March 3) at 6:30 p.m. against Portland State in the final game at The Nest.
THIS WEEK...
GAME #29
WHAT: Sacramento State (12-16, 5-10 Big Sky) at Montana (10-16, 6-9 Big Sky)
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025
TIME: 6 PM PT
WHERE: Missoula, Mont.
ARENA: Dahlberg Arena
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: GoGriz.com
GAME #30
WHAT: Sacramento State (12-16, 5-10 Big Sky) at Montana State (25-2, 15-0 Big Sky)
WHEN: Saturday, March 1, 2025
TIME: 1 PM PT
WHERE: Bozeman, Mont.
ARENA: Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: MSUBobcats.com
GAME NOTES
Sacramento State | Montana | Montana State
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES
• Montana enters the week 10-16 overall and a 6-9 mark in Big Sky play, standing in a three-way tie for fifth
• The Grizzlies have lost their last four against Northern Arizona (96-76), Idaho State (66-46), Weber State (73-69), and Montana State (98-66)
• Montana's last victory came against Northern Colorado on Feb. 6 at home, 70-64
• The Grizzlies are 7-5 at home this season, but has lost three of their last four
• Junior guard Mack Konig leads the team in scoring at 10.0 ppg and paces the team in assists with 120
• Montana is fourth in the Big Sky in offense (65.8 ppg), but is next-to-last in scoring defense (69.8 ppg)
• The Grizzlies are also third in field goal percentage (.416), but 10th in field goal percentage defense (.425), while leading the Big Sky in three-point percentage (.345) and second in three-pointers per game (8.69)
SERIES NOTABLES
• Montana leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 50-9
• The Grizzlies have won three straight in the series after posting a 69-63 victory in California on Feb. 1, and have won 13 of the last 15 dating back to the 2018 Big Sky Tournament
• The Hornets have won just once in 30 all-time meetings in Missoula -- a 73-60 win on Jan. 21, 2017 -- losing their last eight trips to Dahlberg Arena
• Sacramento State's last win in the series came on Feb. 25, 2023, at home by a 63-56 score
ABOUT THE BOBCATS
• Montana State continues to roll through its schedule, entering the week having won 18 straight games en route to a 25-2 overall record and a 15-0 Big Sky record
• The Bobcats haven't lost since an 82-80 overtime defeat against Oral Roberts on Dec. 7
• MSU's only other loss came at Utah on Nov. 24 by a 72-53 score
• Montana State's 18-game winning streak is tied for the second-longest in the nation behind only the 23 consecutive victories by Grand Canyon and are one of 21 schools that haven't lost at home this year
• Senior guard Esmeralda Morales leads the team in scoring at 15.1 ppg and is one of two Bobcats in double figures along with Marah Dykstra (13.0 ppg)
• Dykstra also leads the team on the glass at 4.7 rpg and is shooting .471 from the field
• Montana State leads the NCAA in steals per game (14.6), is No. 7 in turnovers forced per game (24.07), No. 17 in scoring defense (55.4 ppg), No. 21 in free throw percentage (.773), and No. 25 in scoring margin (+17.0)
SERIES NOTABLES
• Montana State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 47-13
• The Bobcats have won the last three straight in the series following a 67-45 victory in Sacramento on Jan. 30
• After the Hornets posted four consecutive wins from 2012-14, MSU has won 20 of the last 23 meetings
• Montana State is 25-4 against Sacramento State at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, winning the last 10 consecutive meetings in Bozeman dating back to a 69-65 Hornet win on Dec. 20, 2012
• Sacramento State's last win in the series came by an 82-73 score at home on Feb. 23, 2023
DENIAL OF SERVICE
• Sacramento State's defense limited Weber State to just 21.1 percent shooting in its 11-point win on Feb. 20
• The mark surpassed Wagner's .245 field goal percentage back on Dec. 1 for the lowest by a Hornet opponent in the program's Division I history and the fourth time this season that Sacramento State has held an opponent to under 30 percent from the field
• However, according to available records, one would have to go all the way back to Feb. 27, 1979, to find a lower field goal percentage by an opponent as the Hornets held Stanislaus State -- which was playing with just six players -- to just .177 (14-for-79) in a 93-29 victory
• In addition, the 12 makes from the field by Weber State tied a season-low by a Hornet opponent, matching the Seahawks' 12 makes in that December clash
• Thanks, in part, to that performance against the Wildcats, Sacramento State enters the week ranked second in the Big Sky in field goal percentage defense at .386
MESSED AROUND AND (NEARLY) GOT A TRIPLE-DOUBLE
• Junior guard Benthe Versteeg got just about as close as you can get to a triple-double without getting one with her performance against Idaho State on Feb. 22
• Versteeg collected her second double-double of the season -- and the seventh of her career -- in the process with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but fell just one assist shy after ending the day with nine helpers
• Her 15 points marked her 15th double-digit scoring performance of the year and the most since she finished with 17 against Northern Colorado on Feb. 13
• Meanwhile, Versteeg's 11 rebounds tied her career high set earlier this year against Long Beach State
DELICIOUS DISH
• The Big Sky leader in both total assists and assists per game a season ago, Versteeg has 112 assists in her last 17 games, averaging 6.59 apg in that span
• She now has 159 assists this season -- leading the Big Sky in both overall and assists per game (5.89 apg)
• Versteeg enters the final week of the regular season with 397 for her career, trailing only career record-holder Fantasia Hilliard (726 from 2011-15) and Heather Baker (453 from 1989-93) on the all-time chart
• Versteeg is the first Hornet to post 100 assists in back-to-back seasons since Fantasia Hilliard led the team in all four of her seasons in the green and gold (2011-15)
• Thanks to her combined 11 assists last week, Versteeg now has the most assists among active players in the Big Sky entering the week, surpassing Montana State's Esmeralda Morales (387)
• Versteeg's 12 assists against Northern Arizona on Feb. 15 is one of six double-digit assist performances by a Big Sky player this year and are the most in the league entering the week, surpassing the 11 assists by Montana's Mack Konig against South Dakota State on Dec. 7
• It marked Versteeg's seventh career game of 10-or-more assists and stood just two helpers shy of her school Division I era single-game record of 14 set against Weber State on Feb. 10 of last season
PASSES OR POINTS?
• When Versteeg isn't finding her teammates for baskets, the junior is dabbling in some scoring of her own since the start of league play
• Versteeg is averaging 12.8 ppg in that stretch -- nearly two points better than her season average overall -- including a trio of 20-point outings at Eastern Washington (21), at Idaho State (23), and against Idaho (22)
• Since the start of Big Sky play, Versteeg has reached double figures in 11 of the team's 15 games, averaging 12.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, and 6.33 apg while raising her overall season average from 9.3 ppg to 11.2 ppg
• Overall, the junior has finished with double-digit points 18 times and has led the team in scoring seven times
CONNECT FOUR
• Senior Katie Peneueta posted back-to-back four-block performances in the paint against Weber State and Idaho State last week, giving her a team-high 36 swats for the year
• Three of those blocks came in the first quarter -- the second time this season that she has had three blocks in a quarter (vs. Abilene Christian on Dec. 20)
• The back-to-back four block games marked the first time a Hornet has blocked at least four shots in consecutive games since Kennedy Nicholas did so at Northern Arizona (Jan. 9) and at Weber State (Jan. 11) during the 2019-20 season
• The last time a Sacramento State player accomplished the feat in at least three straight games was Nicholas once again with five straight contests from Feb. 28 to March 11, 2019
• During that time, Nicholas collected a total of 25 blocks en route to 78 for the year, which ranks third on the school's single-season list
97... 98... 99...
• Thanks to her eight blocks last week, Peneueta now has 36 for the year -- which would rank second in the Big Sky -- while her 1.80 bpg would lead the league if she met the minimums for games played
• Of Peneueta's 36 blocks, 35 of those have come over the last 16 games (2.19 bpg)
• The 36 blocks this year are just seven shy of breaking into the single-season top 10, with Megan Kirtscher standing 10th with 43 in 2011-12
• Peneueta has a block in 15 of her 20 games, including nine with multiple swats
• She now has 99 for her career, solidifying her hold on sixth place on the school's all-time list and ranking second among active Big Sky players (Glancey, 103)
• With one more swat this season Peneueta would become only the sixth Hornet to reach the century mark in school history and the first since Kennedy Nicholas finished with 173 from 2016-20
• Peneueta finished with six blocks in the team's second meeting with Abilene Christian this season (Dec. 20) -- still tied for the most by a Big Sky player this year
• The total, however, was not a career high as the Vancouver, Wash., native had seven swats -- and nearly a triple-double -- in a win over Idaho on Jan. 5, 2023, adding 11 points and 11 rebounds against the Vandals
• Peneueta's six blocks against Abilene Christian rank tied for eighth on the school's single-game list, four off the record of 10 set by Heidi Carroll against San Francisco State on Feb. 21, 1983
BENTHE VERSTEEG AND THE FORTY MINUTES
• When it comes to minutes, there is nothing "minute" (my-NOOT) about it for Versteeg
• In what is becoming a regular thing, the Hornets' point guard went the distance for the sixth time this season by playing all 40 minutes against Idaho State on Feb. 22
• After playing 38 minutes or more just twice in her first 14 games, Versteeg has now done so in 11 of her last 13 games
• All told, Versteeg has played a full 40 minutes on 18 different occasions in 89 career games as a Hornet, while playing at least 39 minutes in 16 other contests
MINUTE WOMEN
• Speaking of minutes, the Hornets have three players ranked among the top six in the league in the category entering the week
• Versteeg is second in the Big Sky at 34.34 mpg -- trailing only Portland State's Layla Torres-Kahapea (35.56) -- followed by Jaydia Martin (33.20) in fifth and Lina Falk in sixth (32.66 mpg)
• Sacramento State is the only school with three players among the top 10, with Portland State and Idaho logging two apiece
• Since the start of Big Sky play, no other player in the league has played more than Versteeg, who is averaging 37.01 mpg in 15 contests
BACK ON TRACK
• Senior Jaydia Martin is streaking again
• Martin, who had scored in double figures in 13 consecutive games from Nov. 29 to Jan. 23, has a new six-game streak following last week's contests, averaging 16.2 ppg and shooting .435 (30-for-69) from the field
• Her 20 points at Northern Colorado on Feb. 13 marked her fifth game with 20-or-more points and her highest since scoring 20 against Northern Arizona on Jan. 16
• Her five 20-plus point games rank tied for fifth in the Big Sky entering the week
• Martin, who enters the week ranked No. 5 in the Big Sky in scoring, has reached double figures in 19 of her last 21 games and a team-high 21 of her 27 games
• During her run of 13 straight double-digit games, Martin averaged 17.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 3.23 apg, while shooting .471 (89-for-189)
• During that time, Martin topped the 20-point plateau four times -- including a 31-point effort against Kansas City on Dec. 4 that remains tied for the most points by a Big Sky player this season entering the week
MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH US
• Sacramento State has been strong in the fourth quarter as of late, "winning" the final stanza in eight of its last 13 contests and playing even in another
• The Hornets are plus-20 (235-215) in those 13 fourth quarters, including a plus-12 in the win over Idaho State
• As a team, Sacramento State is shooting .447 (76-for-170) from the field and .788 (63-for-80) from the line in that stretch, averaging 18.1 points per fourth quarter
• Defensively, the Hornets are holding opponents to just .364 (59-for-162) shooting in the last 13 fourth quarters
• The Hornets are also outrebounding opponents, 108-89, in the fourth period, averaging 8.3 rebounds per quarter
START ME UP
• The Sacramento State starting five has accounted for more than 85 percent of the team's scoring (765 of 895 points) over the Hornets' last 15 games
• The 74 points by the starters at Eastern Washington were a season high and the most since the Sacramento State starting five finished with 75 points at Northern Arizona on Feb. 15 of last year (an 82-66 win)
• The 67 points (of the 72 total) from the starters at Northern Colorado are the third-highest in a game this year, trailing the aforementioned 74 against the Eagles and the 72 at Portland State to tip-off Big Sky play
• The 18 points scored by the bench against Weber State (Feb. 20) were the most since they scored 19 against Montana State on Jan. 30
SEARCHING FOR THE RIGHT COMBINATION
• The injury bug has stung the Hornets once again, forcing Sacramento State into using its 12th different starting lineup of the year against Idaho State on Feb. 22
• Prior to that, the lineup of Versteeg, Falk, Martin, Peneueta, and Jaiteh had combined to start 11 of the team's previous 14 games
• Sacramento State opened the year by putting the same five players (Versteeg, Gray, Falk, Martin & Jaiteh) on the floor to tip-off the first five games of the season
• However, between that and the team's most recent run, illness and injury joined forces to throw a wrench into the lineup as Sacramento State used seven different starting five's over its next eight games
SWIPER, NO SWIPING!
• Sacramento State is third in the Big Sky in both steals (248) and steals per game (8.86 spg) entering the week
• The Hornets' 248 steals this season easily surpassed last year's total of 207 over 31 contests -- which were the most by a Hornet squad since the 2019-20 team finished with 282
• Sacramento State has four ranked in the top 15 in the league in steals: Fatoumata Jaiteh (6th, 1.64 spg), Lina Falk (13th, 1.46 spg), Jaydia Martin (t14th, 1.44 spg), and Benthe Versteeg (t14th, 1.44 spg)
• The trio of Falk, Martin, and Versteeg share the team lead with 12 multi-steal games apiece, followed by Jaiteh and her 11 games
THE "PEN"-EUETA IS MIGHTIER
• In 71 career games with the Hornets, Peneueta has made a living from long distance, sinking 158 of 193 career field goals (82 percent) from beyond the arc
• Thanks to those 158 three-point makes, Peneueta now ranks among the school's top 10 in the category, passing Emily Christensen (152 from 2007-12) for ninth
• She needs 10 more to tie Sami Fields-Polisso (2007-11) and Erika Edwards (2006-10) for seventh
• Her career .435 (158-for-363) three-point percentage would also be a record -- by a wide margin
• Peneueta holds the top two single-season three-point marks in school history (minimum 25 three-pointers made), shooting a school-record .463 (56-for-121) as a freshman in 2021-22 and a second-best mark of .455 (71-for-156) in her sophomore year
BOARDING BIG IN THE BIG SKY
• Limited to only five non-conference contests due to illness and injury to start the year, Peneueta has been a beast on the boards for the Hornets since the start of Big Sky play
• Of her 110 rebounds this season, 95 of those have come in Big Sky play, averaging 6.3 rpg to stand 13th
• During that stretch, Peneueta has a pair of double-digit rebounding performances against Idaho (Jan. 9) with 11 and Northern Arizona (Jan. 16) with a career-high 13
• She has led the team in rebounding a team-high six times in those 15 games, followed by six from Jaydia Martin and four from Lina Falk
"ONE POINT, THAT'S ALL WE GOT?"
• The Hornets' defense was on point to help power the team's comeback against Northern Colorado on Jan. 18, holding the Bears to a single point in the fourth quarter on a free throw just 16 seconds into the period
• Sacramento State limited UNC to 0-for-7 from the field and nine turnovers in the decisive fourth and 1-for-13 with 10 turnovers in the final 15:09 during the Hornets' game-clinching 19-4 run
• That one point is the fewest points that Sacramento State has allowed in a quarter since the NCAA moved to four periods for women's basketball in 2015-16
• In fact, four of the six lowest-scoring quarters by a Hornet opponent have come this season: a four-point fourth at Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 14) and a four-point first and third quarters against Wagner (Dec. 1)
PUT A LID ON IT
• In holding San Jose State to just 39 points back on Dec. 15, it marked the second time this season -- and the first time in the program's Division I history -- that the Hornets have held two opponents to fewer than 40 points in a single season (Wagner finished with just 34)
• The 34 points allowed to Wagner were the fewest surrendered in a game in the program's Division I history and the fewest by a Sacramento State opponent since a 78-29 win over Concordia College on Nov. 22, 1990
• The 39 points scored by the Spartans were tied for the third fewest in the program's Division I history, matching a 45-39 win over New Mexico State on Dec. 31, 2004
• Along with the 40 points allowed to Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 14, three of the five fewest opponent point totals in the program's Division I history have come this year
• Of the top 15 lowest point totals by an opponent in that same stretch, 10 of those have come at The Nest
