SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State women's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of Hornet Pavilion for the third time in four weeks of Big Sky Conference play, welcoming second-place Idaho on Thursday (Jan. 22) for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off.
GAME #19
WHAT: Idaho (13-5, 4-1 Big Sky) at Sacramento State (9-9, 3-2 Big Sky)
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026
TIME: 6:30 PM PT
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
ARENA: Hornet Pavilion
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetSports.com
TICKETS: HornetSports.com
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Idaho | Big Sky Conference
THE COACHES
• Sacramento State's Aaron Kallhoff enters his third year at the helm of the Hornets' program, posting a 30-52 mark and a 108-128 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
• Arthur Moreira enters his second season as head coach at Idaho, posting a 31-17 record
ABOUT THE VANDALS
• Idaho enters the week with a 13-5 overall record and a 4-1 mark in Big Sky play, tied with Northern Colorado for second in the league standings -- 1 1/2 games back of conference-leading Montana State
• The Vandals have won their last two straight, sweeping home games from in-state rival Idaho State (81-68) and Weber State (95-76) last week
• Those two wins followed their only league loss of the year at Montana State (99-66)
• Idaho is a near-perfect 7-1 at home, but is only 4-4 in true road games this year despite winning two of its last three
• Senior guard Kyra Gardner (13.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg) is one of five Vandals averaging double-digit points entering the week, powering an offense that averages 80.7 ppg and shoots .435 from the floor as a team
• Meanwhile, the Idaho defense is limiting opponents to 69.1 ppg and a .387 field goal percentage
SERIES NOTABLES
• Idaho leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 19-9, dating back to 1993
• The two have been Big Sky rivals since 2015, leading that series, 14-8
• The two schools split the two regular season meetings last year with each team holding serve on their respective home courts
• Sacramento State's 56-53 victory at home last season snapped a three-game skid in the series which followed a three-game Hornet winning streak
• The two schools have split the last 10 meetings evenly with three of Sacramento State's wins in that stretch coming at home
• In the history of the series, the Hornets are 6-6 against the Vandals at home, while winning just twice in 14 chances in Idaho
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
KEEPING IT 1,000
• Two points is all that's keeping senior guard Benthe Versteeg from her spot in Hornet history as she enters Thursday's game with 998 career points
• 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
• Once she hits the milestone, she will immediately be chasing a pair of Sacramento State greats on the all-time scoring list: Shelby Boudreaux (1992-96) is 18th on the chart with 1,013 career points with Teresa Hampton (1988-92) just ahead in 17th with 1,023 points
• Versteeg's 998 career points rank second among active Big Sky student-athletes as of Jan. 15, trailing only Montana's Mack Konig (1,233)
MORE MARKS AHEAD
• The all-time scoring list isn't the only one that Versteeg has her sights set on
• Her 383 field goals are 47 back of Alle Moreno (2010-14) and Julie Wastell (1995-99) for 10th on that list
• Versteeg's 150 steals are 13 behind Kris Karley (1994-97) for 10th
• With 112 games played, Versteeg is three behind Erika Edwards (2006-10) for 10th
• Her 94 starts are already tied for fourth with Maranne Johnson (2014-18) and Kylie Kuhns (2009-13), needing eight more starts to match Wastell and Kristy Ryan (1990-94) for second
• With 3,520 minutes, Versteeg is fifth on the all-time list, needing 32 more to match Wastell for fourth and 60 to match Fantasia Hilliard (2011-15) for third
HISTORIC HELPING HANDS
• With two assists on Saturday at Northern Colorado, Versteeg moved past Portland State's Kylie Jimenez (2017-21) for sole possession of 10th on the Big Sky all-time list with 536 to her name
• 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
• Versteeg needs 38 more helpers to catch Weber State's Tonya Schnibbe (574 from 2006-10) for ninth and 51 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 18 games
• Her total of 90 assists and her 5.00 assists per game puts her atop the Big Sky in both categories entering this week, while ranking No. 43 and No. 38 in the nation, respectively, as of Jan. 19
• 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)
SAME OLD, SAME OLD
• Back to her usual scoring self after being held to single digits against Weber State, sophomore guard Rubi Gray extended her latest double-digit scoring streak to three games -- and 14 of her last 15 -- with a team-high 15 points at Northern Colorado
• That followed a career night at Northern Arizona two nights earlier when she matched her career best with 26 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds for her first collegiate double-double
• It was Gray's fourth 20-point performance of the year
• During her recent scoring binge, Gray is averaging 19.7 ppg and 7.0 rpg, while shooting .418 (31-for-55) from the field over the last three
• Gray has led, or shared the team lead, in scoring in 11 of the team's 18 contests this year while her team-best 15.4 ppg is her highest than at any other point this season
WELCOME BACK
• After missing 10 games due to injury, the Hornets welcomed back a key cog to their wheel in the form of senior forward Fatoumata Jaiteh last Saturday at Northern Colorado
• Playing 12 minutes, Jaiteh scored her first basket in nearly two months and added a pair of rebounds
HELPING HERSELF
• When she's not dishing to her teammates for easy buckets, Versteeg has been finding her own ways to score as of late, hitting for double-digit points in three of her last four games
• In that stretch, the senior has hit and tied her season high with 18 points against Weber State and Northern Arizona, averaging 14.0 ppg while shooting .453 (24-for-53) from the field -- including a season-high eight makes against the Lumberjacks -- and dishing out 4.25 apg
• Her 12 points against Northern Colorado last Saturday marked her 10th double-digit scoring performance of the season
"PIC"-POCKET
• Junior guard Natalie Picton has been in the pockets of opposing offenses all season, posting multiple steals in 15 of the team's 18 games -- including eight games with three or more
• She finished with four steals at Northern Arizona last week, marking her fifth game with at least four swipes in a game, and added three more at Northern Colorado
• Picton's 48 steals rank tied for fifth in the Big Sky standings in that category as of Jan. 19 and she is fourth in the league at 2.67 spg, while standing No. 39 and No. 43 nationally
• Her 48 swipes are one shy of teammate Benthe Versteeg's team-high total of 49 at the end of last season, while two more steals would be the most by a Hornet since Versteeg had 58 in 2023-24
• 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)
WINDEX WOMAN
• Junior forward Elizabeth Abiara has put in the work in the paint for the Hornets over the last month-plus, accumulating 56 of her 96 total rebounds in her last eight games
• Abiara is averaging 8.3 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 on Jan. 10 and 10 more at Pacific back on Dec. 4
• In addition, 24 of her 37 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
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 four contests, earning starts in wins over Weber State, Portland State, and Northern Arizona as well as Saturday's game at Northern Colorado
• 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 then tied her career high with three steals against the Bears
• Mandaquit has averaged 32.8 minutes per game over the last four contests, hitting 8-of-16 (.500) from the field and five of her eight three-point attempts
• Mandaquit is also averaging 5.3 ppg -- nearly double her overall season average -- while dishing out 11 assists and eight steals
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 nine 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 now 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 16.8 ppg in Big Sky play, Picton (12.2 ppg) is scoring at a 13.0 ppg clip, while Versteeg (10.5 ppg overall) is scoring at a 12.0 ppg pace
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 (.269) -- which also ranks No. 35 in the NCAA (as of Jan. 19) -- while standing second in the Big Sky in scoring defense (59.3 ppg), second in field goal percentage defense (.378), 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 last week, with Sacramento State winning seven of those eight contests
• Sacramento State held eight opponents to fewer than 60 points this year, trailing only Idaho State (10 times) and Northern Colorado (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
RIM PROTECTORS
• Sacramento State enters the week ranking third in the league in total blocks (69) and second in blocks per game (3.83), while standing No. 92 in the nation in the latter category
• Individually, Keanna Salave'a ranks 12th with 14 blocks by herself
• The Hornets have blocked multiple shots in 15 of their 18 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
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
PUNCHING FIRST
• Sacramento State has outscored the opposition by a combined 94 points in the first half this season -- including a 60-point advantage in the first quarter alone
• The Hornets are averaging 16.8 ppg in the opening 10 minutes this season, outscoring the opposition by nearly four points per quarter
• Sacramento State is "winning" all but the fourth quarter this season, holding a 34-point lead in the second and a 30-point lead in the third
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
THE "GLASS" HALF FULL
• Sacramento State has been even or ahead in the rebounding column in seven of the team's last eight games, including a 25-rebound advantage in the win over Northern Arizona last week
• The Hornets have outrebounded 11 of 18 opponents this year, while the 49 boards against the Lumberjacks were the third-most this season, trailing only the 53 rebounds against Stanton and UC San Diego
• Meanwhile, 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
• The 25-rebound advantage for the Hornets 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
