SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The penultimate road trip of the season takes the Sacramento State women's basketball team back to the Pacific Northwest this weekend for a pair of games beginning Thursday with an 11 a.m. tip-off against Eastern Washington in Cheney, Wash. The Hornets and Eagles will be joined by local school children as part of EWU's "Kid's Day" game at Reese Court.
GAME #27
WHAT: Sacramento State (11-15, 5-8 Big Sky) at Eastern Washington (12-14, 5-8 Big Sky)
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026
TIME: 11 AM PT
WHERE: Cheney, Wash.
ARENA: Reese Court
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetSports.com
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Eastern Washington | Big Sky Conference
THE COACHES
• Sacramento State's Aaron Kallhoff enters his third year at the helm of the Hornets' program, posting a 32-58 mark and a 110-134 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
• Joddie Gleason is in her fifth season as head coach at Eastern Washington, posting an 80-72 overall record
BIG SKY BIG PICTURE
• Thursday's game at Eastern Washington will go a long way to deciding who will have to play on opening day at the Big Sky Conference Tournament in a couple weeks as the Hornets and Eagles are tied for sixth in the league standings to start the week
• Sacramento State currently holds the head-to-head tiebreaker with EWU by virtue of its 61-54 victory at home back on Jan. 24
• Both schools are a game ahead of eighth-place Montana (4-9) and half a game behind fifth-place Northern Arizona
• Seeds No. 5 and 6 earn a couple of days off, not having to play until the quarterfinals on March 9 against the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds
• Seeds No. 7 through 10 play on the tournament's first day on March 7, with the winners taking on the top two seeds 24 hours later
ABOUT THE EAGLES
• Eastern Washington enters the week with a 12-14 overall record and a 5-8 mark in Big Sky play
• The Eagles have lost their last three contests, falling to Montana State, Idaho State, and Weber State -- the last two on the road
• Two of those three contests were decided by two points: 71-69 against the Bobcats and 74-72 against the Wildcats
• EWU's last win came against Montana by four at home back on Feb. 5
• The Eagles are 6-5 at home this season, having lost three of their last four
• Ella Gallatin leads a quartet of EWU players in double figures, averaging 15.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg while shooting 42 percent from the field
• Kourtney Grossman is averaging a double-double with 13.3 ppg and a league-high 12.8 rpg while shooting 41 percent from the field
• Elyn Bowers (14.7 ppg) and Jaecy Eggers (11.8 ppg) are also in double figures as no other Eagle is averaging more than 4.5 ppg
• As a team, EWU averages 69.1 ppg and shoots .390 from the field, while opponents average 68.2 ppg and shoot just under 40 percent from the floor
• The Eagles are the second-best rebounding team in the Big Sky, averaging 42.3 rpg behind only Idaho's 47.0 rpg
SERIES NOTABLES
• Eastern Washington leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 41-25
• The Hornets have won the last two meetings with the Eagles: clipping EWU in the opening round of last year's Big Sky Tournament (71-67) and posting a 61-54 at home earlier this year
• The two straight wins followed a run of five straight wins by EWU
• Sacramento State is 10-18 all-time on the road against Eastern Washington, having lost the last three trips to Cheney, Wash., since a 67-58 triumph on Feb. 26, 2022
• That victory was the last in a run of three straight wins -- and five in six trips -- on the Eagles' home court
• Seven of the last 10 meetings between the two have been decided by double digits
• Last year's four-point tournament win by the Hornets was the closest in the series since a 73-60 win by Sacramento State in 2019
LAST TIME OUT
• Keanna Salave'a finished with 13 points and Benthe Versteeg added 12 more, but the Hornets could not find their way back from a 15-point deficit in a 60-55 loss to Northern Arizona
• Salave'a posted her seventh double-digit scoring game of the season, while Versteeg did so in her third straight game
• Senior Fatoumata Jaiteh added a game- and Sacramento State career-high 11 rebounds
• The Hornets used a 12-4 run to close the second quarter and make it a seven-point deficit at the break, then nearly erased a pair of double-digit deficits in the third and fourth periods before coming up just shy
• It was a one-possession game with under 10 seconds to play after a three-point play by Salave'a and triples from Rubi Gray and Versteeg, but could come no closer
• The Hornets caught fire in the fourth, shooting 64 percent in the final 10 minutes to help power the comeback attempt
IN THE MARGINS
• Each of the Hornets' last four contests couldn't have been much closer, each decided by eight points or fewer and a combined 22 points
• If the ball bounces a different way a couple times, this season's record might look a little different as nine of the team's 15 defeats have come by eight points or fewer, five of those by five points or fewer, and three of those by three points or fewer
• At the other end, when Sacramento State wins this season, it has usually come by a wide margin
• Of the team's 11 victories this season, seven have come by double-digits
• Five of those seven games have been by 20-or-more points: Stanton (+85), Nevada (+20), Cal State Fullerton (+20), Simpson (+60), and Weber State (+21)
• 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
WELL, IT'S A START...
• Thanks to an injury to guard Natalie Picton that sidelined her for the game against Northern Arizona, Head Coach Aaron Kallhoff was forced to use his 10th different starting lineup this season after inserting sophomore Brooklyn Taylor into the starting five for the second time this year
• Saturday's game marked the first missed start for Picton this season, leaving Benthe Versteeg and Rubi Gray as the only two Hornets to have started all 26 games thus far
• In all, 11 of the 13 Hornets who have seen time on the floor this year have started at least one game
• The 10 different lineups are believed to be the second-most among Big Sky Conference schools this year behind only the 13 different starting lineups used by the Lumberjacks
• Over the last five games, the Hornets have relied heavily on their starting five, which has accounted for 248 of the team's 300 points (83 percent)
• That includes 59 of the team's 62 points (95.2 percent) at Portland State (Feb. 7), an additional 58 of the team's 64 points in a win at Montana (Jan. 31), and 56 of 64 points against Weber State (Feb. 2)
• Hornet starters have accounted for 50-or-more points in five of the last eight games and 13 times overall this year
• In those 13 games, Sacramento State is 9-4
"KEY" TO OUR HEARTS
• Salave'a had herself quite a Valentine's Day against Northern Arizona, finishing with 13 points on 6-of-7 from the field, nine rebounds, and three blocked shots
• The 13 points tied her highest scoring output as a Hornet, matching her point total against Weber State back on Jan. 3, while the six makes from the field tied her season high set against Simpson (6-for-7) on Dec. 15 and tied in the game against Weber State
• The nine rebounds were her most since grabbing 13 against Weber State in that early January clash and was her third-highest total of the season
• Defensively, the three blocked shots tied her Sacramento State career high set just two games earlier at Portland State on Feb. 7
SHE'S JUST KEANNA FROM THE BLOCK
• After blocking a Sacramento State career-high three shots at Portland State on Feb. 7, Salave'a wasted little time in matching that performance, swatting three more shots against Northern Arizona last week
• The junior's 23 blocks are tops on the team and rank ninth in the Big Sky entering the week
• Salave'a has blocked at least one shot in 15 of her 25 appearances, including multiple blocks six times
SEND IT BACK!
• Thanks to Salave'a's three swats against NAU, the Hornets' 94 blocked shots this season are now tied for 10th on the school's single-season list alongside the 2017-18 squad and are now six shy of becoming only the eighth team to reach the century mark in a single campaign
• Entering the week, Sacramento State ranks third in the Big Sky with its 94 blocks and fourth at 3.62 blocks per game
• Two days earlier, Sacramento State rejected eight Northern Colorado shots on Feb. 12, setting a new high bar for the season and the most in a single contest since the Hornets blocked the same number at Northern Arizona on March 11, 2019
• That season (2018-19), Sacramento State blocked eight-or-more shots as a team six times, including a season-high nine against the Bears on Feb. 19
• Last season, the Hornets knocked down 114 shots, which ranked tied for fifth on the school's single-season list with the 2022-23 team
FATOU A FORCE ON THE BOARDS
• Jaiteh's 11 rebounds against Northern Arizona last weekend narrowly propelled her to a double-double against her former school as she added eight points, three assists, and three steals for the Hornets
• The 11 boards marked her second collegiate double-digit rebounding performance, trailing only the 14 rebounds she grabbed against Eastern Washington while with the Lumberjacks on Jan. 21, 2023
• It surpassed her previous season high of nine set at UC San Diego (Nov. 12) and tied at Montana (Jan. 31)
• The total was also the eighth double-digit rebounding performance by a Hornet this season as Salave'a, Versteeg, and Elizabeth Abiara each have two, with Rubi Gray adding another
STAYING ACTIVE
• Versteeg's 562 career assists have her ranked No. 9 among active Division I players, trailing Texas' Rori Harmon (902), while her career average of 4.68 apg is No. 14 among active players entering the weekend
SHE CAN DISH IT OUT
• When she's not dishing it to her teammates, Versteeg has been dishing it out to the opposition with double-digit points in each of her last three games and eight of her last 10 overall
• Over her last three, the senior is averaging 13.3 ppg (two points better than her overall season average of 11.3 ppg) to go with 4.3 rpg and shooting .472 overall (17-for-36) from the field
• In her last 10 games, she is averaging slightly better scoring-wise at 13.5 ppg and 3.7 rpg
THE HORNETS' NEWEST MILLENNIAL
• Versteeg became the 19th Hornet to collect 1,000 career points on Jan. 22 against Idaho after needing just two points to reach the plateau entering the day, finishing the game with a career-high tying 26 points against the Vandals
• Versteeg became the first Sacramento State women's basketball player to accomplish the feat since Summer Menke did so in 2022
• The senior reached the mark on a right-handed floater with 3:06 remaining in the second quarter against the Vandals
• Entering Thursday's game at Eastern Washington, Versteeg now has collected 1,103 career points, launching her into 14th on the school's all-time scoring list
• Versteeg sped past Menke (1,078 from 2018-22), Hannah Friend (1,079 from 2016-18), and Karen Littleton (1,083 from 1975-79) following her 14 points against Northern Colorado and needs 47 more points to catch Emily Christensen (1,150 from 2007-12) for 13th on the listÂ
• Versteeg has reached double figures 16 times this season while collecting the sixth 20-point game of her career against Idaho, which was her highest single-game point total since scoring 26 against both Northern Arizona (Jan. 20) and Weber State (Feb. 10) in 2024
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
• After surpassing the 1,000 point plateau Versteeg became the 11th player in the program's Division I history with 1,000 career points and 400 (or more) rebounds
• The senior, who ranks second on the team with 130 boards this season, has 470 caroms to her name during her Sacramento State career
• With 30 more rebounds, she would be only the seventh in the program's Division I history to have 1,000 points and 500 rebounds for a career
• Other members of the 1,000-500 club include: Shelby Boudreaux (1,013-573), Emily Christensen (1,150-529), Maranne Johnson (1,627-535), Kylie Kuhns (1,504-1,234), Summer Menke (1,078-536), and Kristy Ryan, who had 1,729 points and 750 in three seasons at the Division I level, but ended her four years as a Hornet with 2,064 total points and 911 rebounds in her career
WHO'S NEXT?
• After Versteeg surpassed the 1,000 career-point plateau, our eyes turn to another Hornet also making her way toward the milestone
• Picton enters the weekend needing 217 points to reach the mark, accumulating 783 points in her three-year collegiate career -- including a career-high 326 this season with Sacramento State
MORE MARKS AHEAD
• The scoring list isn't the only one that Versteeg has her sights set on
• Her 423 field goals are seven back of Alle Moreno (2010-14) and Julie Wastell (1995-99) for 10th on that list
• Versteeg's 161 steals are two behind Kris Karley (1994-97) for 10th
• Her 120 appearances are now fifth and are one back of Kylie Kuhns (2009-13) for fourth
• With her start at Portland State, Versteeg became only the fourth Hornet to start 100 career games and, now, with 102 career starts, matches Wastell and Kristy Ryan (1990-94) for second
• With 3,785 minutes, Versteeg is now second on the all-time list, trailing record-holder Kylie Kuhns (2009-13) by 19 minutes
HISTORIC HELPING HANDS
• Entering the weekend, Versteeg has a solid grasp on 10th on the Big Sky all-time assist list with 562
• The total remains second on the Sacramento State all-time list, trailing only record-holder Fantasia Hilliard -- whose 726 assists from 2011-15 rank second in league history -- on that chart
• Versteeg needs 12 more helpers to catch Weber State's Tonya Schnibbe (574 from 2006-10) for ninth and 29 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)
AND I'M THREEEEE... THREE FALLIN'
• The 1-2 punch of Gray and Picton have been among the most consistent shooters from beyond the arc in the Big Sky this year, ranking second and sixth, individually, in makes entering this week's contests
• Gray, who has 59 makes from beyond the arc, and Picton, who had 51 of her own, are two of six in the league with 50-or-more three-pointers along with Northern Arizona's Naomi White (82), Northern Colorado's Heather Baymon (57), Weber State's Lanae Billy (56), and Idaho's Kyra Gardner (54)
• As a duo, the Sacramento State pair ranks second among sharp-shooting tandems in the league (110 makes), trailing only Northern Arizona's tandem of White (82) and Audrey Taylor (38), who have 120 combined three's
• Picton's 51 makes from beyond the arc are a career high, far surpassing the 31 she drained while with Montana State last year as a sophomore
• Meanwhile, Gray's 59 makes are the most by a Hornet since Solape Amusan finished the 2023-24 season with 61
"PIC"-KING IT UPÂ
• Thanks to her 12 points against Northern Colorado, Picton extended her double-digit scoring streak to four straight games -- and nine of her last 11 overall dating back to Jan. 3
• During her most recent run, Picton is averaging a robust 17.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 2.25 apg while shooting .424 (25-for-59) from the field overall
• Over her last 11, she is averaging 14.5 ppg, 4.52 rpg, and 2.0 spg
• Her 22-point effort at Weber State on Feb. 2 marked Picton's fourth 20-point game of the year -- and the fifth of her collegiate career -- along with games against UC Davis (24), Simpson (27), and Portland State (21)
• She also grabbed a career-high eight rebounds at Montana (Jan. 31) and tied her career high with her nine makes from the field against the Wildcats that was originally set in a 27-point outburst against Simpson on Dec. 15
MISS CONSISTENT
• Gray's performance against Northern Colorado on Feb. 12 continued a stellar season for the sophomore, who has hit for 10-or-more points in a game in 19 of her last 23 -- including 11 straight from Nov. 12 to Jan. 1
• Of those 19 double-digit performances, Gray has reached 20 points four times, including a career-high 26 points against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 21 and 26 more (to go with 11 rebounds for her first double-double) at Northern Arizona on Jan. 15
• Overall, Gray has been limited to single digits only seven times this year
WHAT SOPHOMORE SLUMP?
• Gray continues to lead the Hornets with 371 points this season -- the most points by a Sacramento State sophomore since Isnelle Natabou finished with 440 in 2021-22
• Entering this week's contests Gray ranks among the top 10 in the Big Sky in seven major offensive categories including scoring (8th), total points (7th), field goals made (7th), three-pointers made (2nd), three-pointers per game (2nd), and minutes per game (7th)
EASY AS 1-2-3
• Sacramento State enters this week's game with its top three scorers all ranked among the top 20 in the Big Sky in scoring average: Rubi Gray (8th), Natalie Picton (14th), and Benthe Versteeg (19th)
• Although all 10 league representatives have at least one player among the top 20, Eastern Washington -- which has four -- is the only school with more than the Hornets
THESE THREE'S ARE NOT FREE
• Anything outside of 22 feet, 1 3/4 inches and the Hornets have it covered
• Sacramento State continues to lead the Big Sky -- and ranks No. 69 in the NCAA -- in three-point percentage defense, holding opponents to just .285 from long range this year
• If the season ended today, that mark would be the first time that the Hornets have held an opponent to under 30 percent from distance for a season since 2005-06 (.285)
• It would also mark the fifth time an opponent has failed to crack 30 percent from three-point range in a single-season since the 1991-92 campaign
• Since the NCAA adopted the three-point line in 1987-88, the all-time school record for three-point defense came in 1988-89, when opponents shot just .218 against the Hornets
• The Hornets have held eight of their last 12 opponents to less than 30 percent from beyond the arc, while Northern Colorado's .563 from three-point range on Feb. 12 marked only the fourth time this year that an opponent has shot better than 40 percent from deep
• Montana's 11 makes from three-point range on Jan. 31 marked only the second time this year that an opponent has made 10-or-more, but it came on 41 attempts by the Grizzlies
• Those attempts were the most by a Hornet opponent since Montana let fly 41 times from beyond the arc on Jan. 27, 2024
DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP)...
• Aside from its defensive exploits from beyond the arc this year, Sacramento State also stands third in scoring defense (60.2 ppg), third in field goal percentage defense (.383), and fourth in rebounding defense (35.7 rpg)
• Opponents have even struggled from the free throw line against the Hornets, shooting just .698 this year which ranks as the second-lowest in the league behind only Northern Colorado (.687)
• Northern Arizona became the 12th Hornet opponent this year to be held to 60 points or fewer in a game Feb. 14, with Sacramento State winning 10 of those 12 contests
• 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
"PIC"-POCKET
• Picton has been in the pockets of opposing offenses all season, posting multiple steals in 19 of the team's 25 games -- including 10 games with three or more
• She enters this week's contests ranked fifth with 60 steals overall and 2.4 spg in the Big Sky, while standing No. 65 and No. 67 in the NCAA, respectively
• Her four steals at Northern Arizona (Jan. 15), marked her fifth game with at least four swipes in a game this season
• Her 60 swipes this year are the most by a Hornet since Maranne Johnson ended the 2017-18 campaign with 77 -- a total that ranks seventh on the school's single-season list
• Picton's total this year surpassed her single-season career best of 57 set as a sophomore at Montana State
• 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)
NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON'T
• Picton isn't the only one with the quick hands for the Hornets this year as redshirt freshman Jaety Mandaquit has been a menace on the defensive end in her first year with the program
• She is second on the team with 35 steals, including 11 games with two or more, setting her career high with four swipes at Portland State on Feb. 7
• Having logged a steal in each of her last 13 games, Mandaquit is averaging 2.2 spg in that stretch, while posting multiple steals in seven of her last nine outings
• Of her 35 steals, 28 of those have come during that 13-game stretch
APPLE, CHERRY... BASKETBALL FLAVORED?
• Sacramento State's defense has forced opponents into an average of 18.54 turnovers per game this season, a mark that ranks fourth in the Big Sky -- and No. 88 in the NCAA -- entering this week's games
• That average ranks behind only Montana State (No. 4 in the NCAA at 26.00 pg), Northern Colorado (No. 39 in the NCAA at 20.44 pg), and Idaho State (No. 69 in the NCAA at 19.16 pg)
• The Hornets have turned opponents over 20-or-more times in a game nine times, the last a 20 turnover night at Weber State on Feb. 2
