SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State women's basketball team looks to make it a clean sweep of the Big Sky Conference's most challenging road trip, heading to Greeley, Colo., to take on streaking Northern Colorado on Saturday (Jan. 17) at 1 p.m. PT.
GAME #18
WHAT: Sacramento State (9-8, 3-1 Big Sky) at Northern Colorado (13-5, 4-1 Big Sky)
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026
TIME: 1 PM PT
WHERE: Greeley, Colo.
ARENA: Bank of Colorado Arena
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: UNCBears.com
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Northern Colorado | Big Sky Conference
THE COACHES
• Sacramento State's Aaron Kallhoff enters his third year at the helm of the Hornets' program, posting a 30-51 mark and a 108-127 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
• Kristen Mattio is in her fifth season as Northern Colorado's head coach, posting a 70-72 overall record entering Saturday
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 BEARS
• Northern Colorado enters the weekend as one of the league's hottest teams, posting a 13-5 overall record and a 4-1 mark in Big Sky play -- just a half game behind Montana State for the top spot in the standings
• After falling to the Bobcats in their league opener, the Bears have reeled off four-straight victories after defeating Portland State, 80-60, on Thursday night
• UNC is a combined 7-2 at home this year, winning its last two and four of its last five
• Three of its last four wins have all been by double-digits save for a three-point win over Weber State on the road last week
• Sophomore guard Neenah George leads a balanced Bears offense, averaging 14.2 ppg while shooting .434 from the field
• Heather Baymon (12.0 ppg), Tatum West (10.7 ppg), and Aniah Hall (10.3 ppg) are also in double figures, while West leads the way on the glass (8.8 rpg)
• As a team, UNC is averaging 72.5 ppg and shooting .431 from the field, while allowing just 60.9 ppg and holding opponents to a .399 field goal percentage
SERIES NOTABLES
• Northern Colorado leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 24-14
• Of the Hornets' 14 wins in the series, only four of those have come in Greeley, Colo., as they are 4-14 against the Bears on the road
• The two schools split their two regular season meetings in 2024-25 with each winning on their respective home floors
• Sacramento State has lost its last two trips to Greeley, Colo., last posting a win on UNC's home floor with a 73-41 win on Jan. 12, 2023
• That marked the second-straight win at Northern Colorado for the Hornets, who posted a 65-55 win the season prior
• Before that, the Bears had won 10 straight from Sacramento State on their home court
START ME UP
• Thursday's win at Northern Arizona moved Sacramento State to 3-1 in league play -- off to the program's best Big Sky start since the 2022-23 NCAA Tournament team opened 4-0
• The victory was also the third-straight win overall for the Hornets giving them their second three-game winning streak of the year
• The three-straight conference triumphs is also the program's longest since Feb. 8-15, 2024, that featured wins over Idaho State, Weber State, and Northern Arizona
KEEPING IT 1,000
• Senior guard Benthe Versteeg enters this week's contest continuing to inch her way toward a milestone, needing just 14 more points to reach 1,000 for her career after tying her season high with 18 points against Northern Arizona on Thursday night
• Should she reach the mark, Versteeg would be the 19th Hornet to accomplish the feat and the first since Summer Menke did it in 2022
• Versteeg's 986 career points rank second among active Big Sky student-athletes as of Jan. 15, trailing only Montana's Mack Konig (1,233)
HISTORIC HELPING HANDS
• Thanks to her four assists in Thursday's win at Northern Arizona, Versteeg moved into a tie for 10th on the Big Sky's career list, matching Portland State's Kylie Jimenez (2017-21) with 534
• The total remains second on the Sacramento State all-time list, trailing only record-holder Fantasia Hilliard -- whose 726 career assists from 2011-15 rank second in league history -- on that chart
• While Versteeg's next assist would give her sole possession of 10th on the Big Sky chart, she needs 40 more helpers to catch Weber State's Tonya Schnibbe (574 from 2006-10) for ninth and 53 assists to move into a tie for seventh alongside the Montana duo of Skyla Sisco (587 from 1994-98) and Mandy Morales (587 from 2005-09)
DELICIOUS DISH
• Versteeg has posted five-or-more assists in 13 of the team's 17 games
• Her total of 88 assists and her 5.18 assists per game puts her atop the Big Sky in both categories entering this week, while ranking No. 37 and No. 33 in the nation, respectively, as of Jan. 15
• 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 81 games)
RUBI'S GEM IN FLAGSTAFF
• Back to her usual scoring self after being held to single digits against Weber State, sophomore guard Rubi Gray exploded in Thursday's win over Northern Arizona
• The Tasmanian tied her career high with 26 points (she also had 26 in a win over Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 21) and added a career-high 11 rebounds en route to her first career double-double
• She made 10 baskets to fall just one short of her career high in the category, while setting a new career high bar with six makes from beyond the arc
• It was Gray's fourth 20-point performance of the year and her 13th double-digit scoring game in the last 14 games
• Gray has led, or shared the team lead, in scoring in 10 of the team's 17 contests this year while her team-best 15.4 ppg is her highest than at any other point this season
HERE'S A QUARTER
• Of Gray's 26 points against the Lumberjacks, 10 of those came in the fourth quarter alone -- the fifth time this season that the sophomore has posted a double-digit scoring quarter this year
• Overall, the Hornets have eight double-digit quarters by a single player this season as Picton has accomplished the feat twice (UC San Diego and Simpson) while Pinja Paananen has done so once (Stanton)
• Gray's 14-point first quarter against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 21 is the most in a quarter by a Hornet this year and the most since Kahlaijah Dean finished with 14 points in the third quarter at Santa Clara on Nov. 14, 2022
"PIC"-POCKET
• Junior guard Natalie Picton has been in the pockets of opposing offenses all season, posting multiple steals in 14 of the team's 17 games -- including seven games with three or more
• She finished with four more steals at Northern Arizona on Thursday night, marking her fifth game with at least four swipes in a game
• Picton's 45 steals rank fourth in the Big Sky standings in that category as of Jan. 15 and she is fifth in the league at 2.65 spg
• Her 45 swipes are four shy of teammate Benthe Versteeg's team-high total of 49 at the end of last season
• After setting her Hornet career high with five in the regular season opener against Stanton, Picton finished with back-to-back five-steal performances against San Jose State (Dec. 21) and Idaho State (Jan. 1)
ROLLING A "NAT" 20
• Picton's 14 points against Northern Arizona now has her in double figures in each of her last three games -- the longest such streak among Hornets entering this weekend
• The Welland, Ontario, native is averaging 15.7 ppg in that stretch, which includes her third 20-point game of the year (21) against Portland State in the win over the Vikings
• Her 12 double-digit scoring games are second behind only teammate Rubi Gray's 13
DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP)...
• Sacramento State hasn't given up much this season, entering the week leading the Big Sky in three-point percentage defense (.267) -- which also ranks No. 35 in the NCAA (as of Jan. 15) -- while standing second in the Big Sky in scoring defense (58.8 ppg), second in field goal percentage defense (.375), and third in rebounding defense (34.9 rpg)
• Northern Arizona became the eighth Hornet opponent this year to be held under 60 points in a game on Thursday night, with Sacramento State winning seven of those eight contests
• Sacramento State and Northern Colorado have each held eight opponents to fewer than 60 points this year, trailing only Idaho State, which has done it nine times
• 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 all-time school record is 56.8 ppg allowed over 23 games in 1984-85
SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE... PART II
• After taking on the league's top scoring defense in Idaho State (58.1 ppg) two weeks ago, the Hornets will be challenged by a Northern Colorado squad that is solid at both ends, ranking third in the league in scoring (72.7 ppg) and third in scoring defense (60.7 ppg)
• At 58.8 ppg, Sacramento State is second in the league -- and No. 65 in the nation -- in scoring defense, standing as one of two schools to hold opponents under 60 points per game
SWIPER, NO SWIPING
• As a team, the Hornets have posted 20-or-more steals twice against Stanton (26) and Simpson (20) and stand as one of three schools in the Big Sky averaging double-digit steals (third at 10.00 spg)
• 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 (Nov. 21) are tied for the most by a Big Sky player in a game, while Versteeg's six swipes against Weber State are tied for sixth
NO QUIT IN MANDAQUIT
• After giving the Hornets a lift as a reserve off the bench for most of the season, redshirt freshman Jaety Mandaquit has impressed in each of the Hornets' last three victories, earning starts in wins over Weber State, Portland State, and Northern Arizona
• Mandaquit set her career high in scoring with 10 points in the win over the Vikings, then added a career-high six assists on Thursday against the Lumberjacks to go with three points and four rebounds
• She has averaged 33.3 minutes per game over the last three contests, hitting 8-of-12 (.667) from the field and five of her six three-point attempts
• Mandaquit is also averaging 7.0 ppg and 1.7 spg in that stretch -- including a career-high tying three steals against Portland State
THREEEEEE-CO-LA
• Bolstered by Gray's six makes from long distance on Thursday, the Hornets drained a season-high 11 three-pointers at Northern Arizona, surpassing the 10 makes against UC Davis back on Nov. 24
• The 11 three's were the most for Sacramento State since it finished with 12 in a win at Montana State on March 1 of last season
WINDEX WOMAN
• Junior forward Elizabeth Abiara has put in the work in the paint for the Hornets over the last month-plus, accumulating 49 of her 89 total rebounds in her last seven games
• Abiara is averaging 7.0 rpg in that stretch, compared to just 4.4 rpg over her first nine contests as a Hornet, including a Sacramento State career-high 12 boards against Portland State last week and 10 more at Pacific back on Dec. 4
• In addition, 21 of her 34 offense rebounds this year have come during the last six weeks, setting season high's with five on the offensive end against both the Tigers and Vikings
THE "GLASS" HALF FULL
• While the 49 rebounds on Thursday at Northern Arizona weren't a season high (it actually ranks third behind the 53 boards against Stanton and UC San Diego this year), the effort in keeping the Lumberjacks OFF the glass was certainly one of the team's best
• Sacramento State, which ranks third in the Big Sky in rebounding defense (34.9 rpg), limited NAU to just 24 boards -- the fewest surrendered to a Division I opponent this year and the fewest since Santa Clara had 22 in a five-point Hornet win on Nov. 29, 2023
• Meanwhile, the 25-rebound advantage for the Hornets on Thursday was its largest against a Division I opponent since out-rebounding Idaho by 26 (47-21) on Jan. 5, 2023
A "KEY" INGREDIENT
• After missing the game against Portland State with an injury, Salave'a eased back into the swing of things with 17 minutes at NAU, finishing with eight points and three rebounds
• It's the latest performance during a six-game stretch that has her averaging 10.7 ppg and 7.7 rpg, while shooting .510 (26-for-51) from the field overall
• She has scored in double figures in four of those six contests -- including a pair of double-doubles against San Jose State (11 points, 11 rebounds) and Weber State (13 points, 13 rebounds)
• Salave'a's performance against the Wildcats set new Sacramento State career high's for the junior while the 13 rebounds were the most by a Hornet this year
• She has grabbed eight-or-more rebounds in a game six times this season and has led, or shared the team lead, in rebounding eight times
IN THE MARGINS
• When Sacramento State wins this season, it usually wins big
• The Hornets posted a 19-point win at Northern Arizona -- their largest since a 31-point win over the Lumberjacks in 2023 and their largest in Flagstaff since a 32-point victory a month earlier that same year
• Of the team's nine victories this season, seven of those have now come by double-digits
• Five of the seven have been by 20-or-more points: Stanton (+85), Nevada (+20), Cal State Fullerton (+20), Simpson (+60), and Weber State (+21)
• On the other side, four of the team's eight defeats have been by six points or fewer, including a three-point overtime loss
• 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
BETTER IN THE BIG SKY
• With the Big Sky Conference schedule nearly three weeks old, a few of the Hornets' core players have benefited greatly from the start of league play
• Although the sample size is a bit different, Sacramento State's top three scorers are all averaging better than their overall numbers through four conference games
• Gray (15.4 ppg overall) is averaging 17.3 ppg in Big Sky play, Picton (12.5 ppg) is scoring at a 13.3 ppg clip, while Versteeg (10.4 ppg overall) is keeping pace with Picton at 13.3 ppg
• Salave'a has also seen a boost, averaging 10.0 ppg in league against her 7.9 ppg overall, while Mandaquit is averaging 6.0 ppg in 31.4 mpg compared to just 2.9 ppg and 14.7 mpg overall
PUNCHING FIRST
• Sacramento State has outscored the opposition by a combined 102 points in the first half this season -- including a 68-point advantage in the first quarter alone
• The Hornets are averaging 17.4 ppg in the opening 10 minutes this season, outscoring the opposition by four points per quarter
• Sacramento State is "winning" all four quarters this season, holding a 34-point advantage in the second, a 32-point lead in the third, and an eight point margin in the fourth quarter
NOT HALF BAD
• Sacramento State is 8-1 this season when leading at the half and a combined 21-5 when winning the first 20 minutes under Head Coach Aaron Kallhoff over the last two-plus years
• 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 8-1 this year when outscoring its opponents in the paint
• The Hornets have scored 30-or-more points in the key in all eight 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 17-3 when scoring 70-or-more points, while winning just 11 times when held under that mark since 2023-24
RIM PROTECTORS
• Sacramento State enters the week ranking second in the league in total blocks (69) and blocks per game (4.06), while standing No. 74 in the nation in the latter category
• Individually, Keanna Salave'a ranks eighth with 14 blocks by herself
• The Hornets have blocked multiple shots in 15 of their 17 games this season, including five-or-more blocks eight times
• The team'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
HOME, SWEET HOME
• The Hornets have certainly adjusted well to their new digs at Hornet Pavilion, winning six of their eight home contests thus far
• Over the last two seasons, Sacramento State is a combined 15-8 at home, already matching its win total from the previous two years (15-14) with six home games remaining
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
