ARLINGTON, Texas — Junior
Koko Akridge finished with a game-high 16 points while sophomore
Alexis Hess added 15 more, helping the Sacramento State women's basketball team to victory in its regular season opener, 67-61, over UT Arlington on Tuesday night at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
The Hornets (1-0) opened the season with a win for the third consecutive year and brought home victory in a road opener for the first time since posting a 95-86 triumph over Utah State in 2015.
Led by 13 points apiece from Jalyn Brown and Journee Hampton, the Mavericks (0-1) finished with four in double figures, but was limited to just 33 percent shooting from the field in the loss.
Akridge hit 5-of-12 from the field overall and 6-of-6 from the line, but probably none more important than the four free throws she sank in the final minute of the game with UTA within a single possession at 62-59.
Hess, meanwhile, came off the bench to drain 6-of-10 from the field and a trio of three-pointers, adding four rebounds, five assists, and a pair of steals in 22 minutes. Senior
Elizabeth Abiara grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and drained 6-of-8 from the line to finish with eight points, adding a pair of blocks and two steals, while junior
Achol Magot was 4-for-4 from the line in seven minutes.
Sacramento State led nearly the whole night, trailing for only one minute total of game time. Senior
Natalie Picton, who finished with nine points, tied the game at six-all with a lay-up early in the first quarter and a pair of free throws by
Jenessa Cotton gave the Hornets the lead for good at the 6:50 mark of the opening period.
Leading by as many as five in the opening quarter, a 9-0 run by Sacramento State gave the visitors its first double-digit lead of the night at 24-14 with just 2:40 gone in the second period and the Hornets grew the advantage to as many as 14 points with under three to play in the half thanks to another 7-0 spurt after UT Arlington had closed to within six at one point.
However, a 13-4 run over the final 2:39 of the first half by the Mavericks quickly whittled the advantage down to just five points at the break, 37-32.
UT Arlington got to within a single possession on three different occasions in the first five and a half minutes of the third quarter and were within a single point at 43-42 with 3:32 to play — and again with 2:22 to go — before an "and one" by Picton have the Hornets a little breathing room.
The Mavericks answered with a three-pointer to get back to within a single point, but a basket by Hess and another by junior
Ajong Lual helped the Hornets to a four-point lead heading into the final period.
Sacramento State was able to stretch the lead out to seven points twice in the first three minutes of the fourth, but UT Arlington would not go quietly. The Mavericks got to within two points with 5:08 to play after a three-pointer by Hampton before the Hornets got hot from the line, finishing the game 8-for-10 from the stripe to hold off the home side.
For the game, Sacramento State finished shooting 45 percent from the field and 22-of-27 (.815) from the line, while the Mavericks struggled, making only 15 of their 25 attempts from stripe. The Hornets held a narrow, 38-34, advantage on the glass and outscored UTA in the paint, 32-20.
Sacramento State remains on the road for its second contest of the year, albeit a little more local, as the Hornets travel to Reno, Nev., on Saturday (Nov. 7) for a 6 p.m. tip-off on the Mountain West Plus Network (subscription required).
