SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Senior guard Benthe Versteeg finished with a team-high 14 points to lead two other teammates in double figures, but a huge run to start the third quarter by visiting Northern Colorado proved to be too deep a hole for Sacramento State to dig out of as the Bears held off the Hornets for a 62-55 win on Thursday night at Hornet Pavilion.

Sacramento State fell to 11-14 overall and 5-7 in league play, while Northern Colorado improved to 18-8 and 9-4 in the Big Sky Conference.

Versteeg hit 6-of-13 from the field and added three rebounds, three assists, and a career-high three blocks to her final stat line. Junior guard Natalie Picton and sophomore guard Rubi Gray added 12 points apiece, extending their respective double-digit scoring streaks to four straight games.

A back-and-forth first quarter had the two teams separated by just two points and the end of one and the Hornets battled back from down eight midway through the second period to tie the game at the break, using a 12-4 run over the final 5:34 to make it 32-all at halftime.

The third quarter was decisive, however, as Northern Colorado opened the second half on an 11-0 run before a lay-up by Brooklyn Taylor stopped the bleeding and the Bears extended their rally to a 19-2 burst before a three-pointer by Jaety Mandaquit cooled off the UNC run.

After the hot start, Northern Colorado's offense went silent, managing just three free throws over the final 2:29 of the third and shooting just 2-for-8 with seven turnovers in the fourth quarter, leaving the door open for Sacramento State. 

The Hornets held the Bears to no field goals over the final 5:21 of regulation and UNC managed just 3-of-6 from the line in that span as Sacramento State attempted to claw its way back. The Hornets, who trailed by as many as 17 at one point in the third, cut the deficit to 10 entering the final period and had Northern Colorado in their sights, down just five with 1:38 to play.

A 9-3 spurt brought Sacramento State to within 60-55, but the Hornets could not find the bottom of the basket the rest of the way.

Sacramento State shot 40 percent to just 36 percent for UNC, which shot just 25 percent from the field in the final stanza. The Bears finished shooting 56 percent from beyond the arc for the game and attempted nine more free throws than the Hornets while holding a 38-27 advantage on the boards.

The weekend comes to a close on Saturday (Feb. 14) at 2 p.m. as Sacramento State hosts Northern Arizona.