SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It's time to say goodbye. The Sacramento State women's basketball team bids farewell to both the regular season and it's home court on Monday night (March 3), hosting Portland State at 6:30 p.m. in the regular season finale and the final Hornet basketball game in The Nest.
Prior to tip-off, Sacramento State honors its two seniors: Katie Peneueta and Jaydia Martin for their contributions to the program in a pregame ceremony set to begin approximately 15 minutes before tip-off.
GAME #31
WHAT: Portland State (4-22, 1-16 Big Sky) at Sacramento State (13-17, 6-11 Big Sky)
WHEN: Monday, March 3, 2025
TIME: 6:30 PM PT
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
ARENA: The Nest
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com
TICKETS: HornetSports.com
GAME NOTES
Sacramento State | Portland State
SIMPLY "THE NEST"
• With 70 years of championship memories echoing within its walls, the final Sacramento State basketball game will be played at The Nest on Monday night
• Built in 1955, The Nest is one of the oldest (and smallest) facilities in all of Division I basketball with a seating capacity of 1,012
• Next year, both basketball teams will move into The WELL -- an on-campus recreation and fitness facility located adjacent to the football field on the south end of campus -- which has been undergoing renovations in preparation for 2025-26
• An official name for the facility has yet to be determined
ABOUT THE VIKINGS
• Portland State enters the finale with a 4-22 overall record and a 1-16 mark in Big Sky play
• After defeating the team with the longest winning streak in the Big Sky in Montana State, Sacramento State now faces the team with the longest losing streak in the league in the Vikings, who have lost 13 straight
• Portland State hasn't won since a 58-52 win over Northern Colorado at home on Jan. 16
• The Vikings are 1-11 away from home this season, having lost 10 consecutive road games since a 67-57 win at Seattle U on Nov. 16
• Senior Alaya Fitzgerald leads the team in scoring at 12.3 ppg, shooting .357 from the field and making a team-high 35 three-pointers
• Senior Rhema Ogele is the leader on the glass for the Vikings, grabbing 7.4 rpg while shooting .526 from the field and averaging 9.1 ppg
SERIES NOTABLES
• Portland State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 34-26
• The Hornets, however, have won seven of the last eight meetings following their 76-74 overtime win over the Vikings in Portland to start Big Sky play earlier this season
• Sacramento State is 13-16 all-time in the series at home, but has won the last three meetings in The Nest dating back to the 2021-22 season
• The Hornets have swept the regular season series from the Vikings in two of the last three years
• Prior to last year's win by Portland State in the season finale in the Rose City, the Hornets had won six straight in the series -- the longest winning streak by Sacramento State in series history
• The last three meetings between the two schools have all been decided by seven points or fewer
• The overtime game earlier this year was the first in the series since Portland State posted a 66-64 win in extra time on Jan. 7, 2021 in Portland
• Sacramento State and the Vikings have gone to overtime four times in the history of the series -- all four of those coming on Portland State's home floor
• The Vikings' last win in Sacramento came on Jan. 9, 2021, in a 74-64 victory
MESSED AROUND AND GOT A TRIPLE-DOUBLE
• Junior guard Benthe Versteeg finally made history in the Hornets' game at Montana last week, posting what is believed to be the program's first triple-double against the Grizzlies
• Versteeg finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists against Montana just a week after missing out on the feat by a single assist against Idaho State (15 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists in 40 minutes)
• She played all 40 minutes (more on that later), hitting 7-of-12 from the field and setting a new career high for rebounds against Montana
• Versteeg's 10 helpers marked her third double-digit assist performance of the season
• She is now one of only 25 players in the NCAA to notch a triple-double (as of March 2), trailing Notre Dame's Olivia Miles (3), Duquesne's Megan McConnell (2), St. Joseph's Laura Ziegler (2), and UT Arlington's Avery Brittingham (2)
GET HER TO IN-N-OUT
• After following up her near triple-double against Idaho State with her triple-double at Montana, Versteeg was at it again on March 1, nearly posting another in the Hornets' victory at previously unbeaten Montana State
• She finished with 17 second-half points against the Bobcats, dished out 11 assists, and finished with a team-high tying seven rebounds
• It was her third double-double of the season, and the eighth of her career, while posting her 16th double-digit scoring performance of the year against Montana State and the most since she finished with 17 against Northern Colorado on Feb. 13
• Of her 17 against Montana State, 13 of those came in the fourth quarter alone, tied with teammate Fatoumata Jaiteh (fourth quarter at Portland State on Jan. 4) for the most points in a quarter by a Hornet this season
• Versteeg's recent run now has her scoring in double figures in four straight games (14.5 ppg) to go with 8.0 rpg and 8.0 apg, while shooting .524 (22-for-42) overall and .875 (14-for-16) from the line
DELICIOUS DISH
• The Big Sky leader in both total assists and assists per game a season ago, Versteeg has 133 assists in her last 19 games, averaging 7.0 apg in that span
• She now has 180 assists this season -- leading the Big Sky in both overall and assists per game (6.21 apg)
• Versteeg enters the final game of the regular season with 418 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) and would become the first Hornet to post back-to-back 200-assist seasons with 20 more helpers this year
• Thanks to her combined 21 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 (391)
• Versteeg's 12 assists against Northern Arizona on Feb. 15 is one of nine 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
• Versteeg has accounted for a conference-high four of those nine double-digit performances in the league as no other player has more than two
• Her 11 assists against Montana State marked Versteeg's ninth career game of 10-or-more assists -- four of those coming this year
A MATTER OF RECORD
• Already the school's single season record-holder with her 208 assists last season, Versteeg is moving up the school's top 10 for a second time in her career in 2024-25
• Versteeg's 180 assists put her fifth on the school's single-season list, standing four behind Fantasia Hilliard's 2012-13 total of 184 for fourth
• Hilliard also holds second place with 197 in 2014-15 and third with 195 helpers in 2013-14
BENTHE VERSTEEG AND THE FORTY MINUTES
• When it comes to minutes, there is nothing "minute" (my-NOOT) about it for Benthe Versteeg
• In what is becoming a regular thing, the Hornets' point guard went the distance for the seventh time this season by playing all 40 minutes at Montana on Feb. 27
• After playing 38 minutes or more just twice in her first 14 games, Versteeg has now done so in 13 of her last 15 games
• All told, Versteeg has played a full 40 minutes on 19 different occasions in 91 career games as a Hornet, while playing at least 39 minutes in 17 other contests
MINUTE WOMEN
• Speaking of minutes, the Hornets have three players ranked among the top six in the league in the category
• Versteeg is second in the Big Sky at 34.69 mpg -- trailing only Portland State's Layla Torres-Kahapea (35.68 mpg) -- followed by Jaydia Martin (33.44 mpg) in third and Lina Falk in sixth (33.16 mpg)
• With 1,006 minutes played, Versteeg is the first Big Sky player to have played in 1,000 minutes this season (as of March 2)
• 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 37.29 mpg in 17 contests, while Falk is second (36.31 mpg) and Martin is fourth (34.86 mpg)
THREE-CO-LA
• Sacramento State jumped out against and kept pace with Montana State thanks, in part, to its accuracy from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes
• The Hornets drained six three-pointers in the first quarter and finished with nine of their 12 for the game in the first half -- the most in a quarter this year and the most since they finished with seven in the first quarter at Montana State on Jan. 28, 2023
• The 12 makes from beyond the arc were the most since Sacramento State finished with 13 against Idaho State in last year's Big Sky Tournament opener
GOING BIG IN BIG SKY COUNTRY
• Senior Katie Peneueta left her mark in the Treasure State over the weekend, posting back-to-back double-digit scoring performances for only the second time this season against Montana and Montana State
• Peneueta averaged 17.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg over the two-game trip, including a team-high 19 points in the win at previously unbeaten Montana State
• She shot .550 (11-for-20) from the field overall and .538 (7-for-13) from beyond the arc, including an incredibly efficient 7-for-9 from the floor and 5-of-6 from three-point range against the Bobcats
• Peneueta's 19 points against MSU was her second-highest total of the year, trailing only the 20 points against Wagner on Dec. 1
THE "PEN"-EUETA IS MIGHTIER
• In 73 career games with the Hornets, Peneueta has made a living from long distance, sinking 165 of 204 career field goals (81 percent) from distance
• Thanks to those 165 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 three more to tie Sami Fields-Polisso (2007-11) and Erika Edwards (2006-10) for seventh with 168
• Her career .439 (165-for-376) three-point percentage would also be a record -- by a wide margin (Solape Amusan is second on the list at .382)
• 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
• If the season ended today, her .384 from beyond the arc this year would rank eighth
GUESS WHO'S BACK?
• After missing games against Idaho State and Montana due to injury, senior Jaydia Martin returned to the lineup with a vengeance against Montana State, finishing with 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists to help power the win over the Bobcats
• It marked the seventh straight double-digit scoring performance of the year for Martin, averaging 15.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and 2.9 apg in that stretch dating back to her 16-point night against Montana on Feb. 1
• She is also shooting .417 (35-for-84) from the field and .476 (20-for-42) from beyond the arc during her recent run
• Martin also scored in double figures in 13 consecutive games from Nov. 29 to Jan. 23
• 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 enters the week ranked No. 4 in the Big Sky in scoring and has reached double figures in 20 of her last 22, and a team-high 22 overall
• 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 entering the week
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 13.1 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 13 of the team's 17 games, averaging 13.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, and 6.82 apg while raising her overall season average from 9.3 ppg to 13.1 ppg
• Overall, the junior has finished with double-digit points 20 times and has led the team in scoring seven times
START ME UP
• The Sacramento State starting five has accounted for nearly 87 percent of the team's scoring (894 of 1,031 points) over the Hornets' last 17 games
• In its win at Montana State last week, the Sacramento State starting five accounted for all but two of the team's winning point total, scoring 71 of the team's 73 points
• Those 71 points marked the third time this year that the Hornet starters have accumulated at least 70 points, joining the 74 points at Eastern Washington (Jan. 11) and the 72 in an overtime win at Portland State on Jan. 4
• The 74 points against the Eagles are 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)
• On the flip side, 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
DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK
• Well, go ahead and do it anyway
• The Hornets rallied from down by as many as 13 points to spoil Montana State's bid for a perfect Big Sky season -- the third time this year that they have erased a double-digit deficit en route to a win
• Sacramento State came back from down 12 points for a 51-48 win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 18, which followed a fourth-quarter rally from down 11 points en route to a 76-74 overtime win at Portland State on Jan. 4
GIMME A SECOND CHANCE
• Junior Fatoumata Jaiteh gave the Hornets numerous second chances to score in the win at Montana State, grabbing all six of her rebounds against the Bobcats on the offensive glass
• It is the first time that a Hornet has grabbed at least five offensive rebounds without a defensive board since Jakira Wilson had all five of her rebounds on the offensive end against Pacific Union on Dec. 19, 2019
• Jaiteh's six offensive rebounds mark the second-highest total by a Hornet this year, trailing only the seven grabbed by Brooklyn Taylor against Lincoln University as part of a 10-rebound night on Nov. 10
97... 98... 99...
• Peneueta now has 36 blocks for the year -- which would rank second in the Big Sky -- while her 1.64 bpg would also stand second in the league if she met the minimums for games played
• Of her 36 blocks, 35 of those have come over the last 18 games (1.94 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 22 games, including nine with multiple swats
• She now has 99 for her career, solidifying her hold on sixth on the school's all-time list and ranking second among active Big Sky players (Glancey, 105)
• 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 meeting with Abilene Christian on 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
SWIPER, NO SWIPING!
• Sacramento State is third in the Big Sky in both steals (257) and steals per game (8.57 spg) entering the week
• The Hornets' 257 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 (8th, 1.59 spg), Benthe Versteeg (12th, 1.45 spg), Jaydia Martin (t13th, 1.43 spg), and Lina Falk (15th, 1.39 spg)
• Versteeg leads the team with 13 multi-steal games, followed by Falk and Martin, who have 12 apiece, and Jaiteh with 11 games
SEARCHING FOR THE RIGHT COMBINATION
• The injury bug has stung the Hornets once again, forcing Sacramento State into using its 13th different starting lineup of the year at Montana on Feb. 27
• 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
