SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The final week of the regular season has the Sacramento State women's basketball team playing three games in a five-day span for the second time this year, beginning Thursday (Feb. 26) at 6:30 p.m. against Montana.
Two of the final three games will be at home as the Hornets will host Montana State on Saturday (Feb. 28) at 2 p.m., before traveling to Pocatello, Idaho, to take on Idaho State on Monday (March 2) at 6 p.m. PT.
GAME #29
WHAT: Montana (7-19, 4-11 Big Sky) at Sacramento State (12-16, 6-9 Big Sky)
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 26, 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 | Montana | Big Sky Conference
THE COACHES
• Sacramento State's Aaron Kallhoff enters his third year at the helm of the Hornets' program, posting a 33-59 mark and a 111-135 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
• Nate Harris is in his first full season as head coach at Montana after serving as the interim head coach with the Grizzlies for the final 17 games of the 2024-25 season (9-8 record)
BIG SKY BIG PICTURE
• Every game from here on out counts for the Hornets, who enter the final week of the regular season in a three-way tie for fifth with Eastern Washington and Northern Arizona
• The top four teams are comfortably in the upper tier of the league with fourth-place Idaho State holding a 4.5-game lead over the trio of teams tied for fifth
• Meanwhile, the Hornets, Eagles, and Lumberjacks only lead eighth-place Montana by two games with three to play
• Sacramento State holds the tiebreaker with Eastern Washington after sweeping the regular season series and split the two games with NAU
• Should the three tie at the end of the regular season, the Hornets would be the higher seed by virtue of their 3-1 record against the other two
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES
• Montana enters the final week of the regular season with a 7-19 overall record and a 4-11 mark in Big Sky Conference play
• The Grizzlies have lost their last six straight after winning four-in-a-row -- a losing skid that began with a 64-57 loss to Sacramento State in Missoula back on Jan. 31
• Montana is just 3-9 on the road this year, having lost its last two straight dating back to a 70-67 overtime win at Idaho State on Jan. 24
• Senior guard Mack Konig is the team's leading scorer at 15.7 ppg and averages nearly four assists per game, but has appeared in only 19 contests this year due to injury
• She is one of three Grizzlies in double figures along with sophomore guard Avery Waddington (13.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and sophomore forward Jocelyn Land (10.5 ppg)
• As a team, Montana averages 62.9 ppg and shoots .384 from the field overall while opponents average nearly 73 points per contest and shoot .440 from the floor
• However, the Grizzlies own five of the top six single-game marks in the Big Sky for three-pointers made, including a league-high 19 at North Dakota on Dec. 3
• Montana is fourth in the league in three-point percentage (.313), averaging a Big Sky-best 9.1 per game and making a conference-best 256 overall this year
SERIES NOTABLES
• Montana leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 51-10
• The Hornets snapped a four-game skid in the series overall with their seven-point victory in Missoula back in January
• That win was also only the second win EVER for Sacramento State on the Grizzlies home floor in the history of the series along with a 73-60 triumph in 2017
• Seven of the Hornets' 10 wins in the series have come on their home floor, but Sacramento State has lost the last two contests -- and five of the last six -- played in Northern California dating back to a 63-56 win in 2023
• Each of the last four games between the two programs have been decided by eight points or fewer, while seven of the last eight have ended with a single-digit margin of victory for the winning team
LAST TIME OUT
• Senior Benthe Versteeg finished with a team-high 19 points and sophomore Rubi Gray added 13 more, but the Hornets never led in a 75-60 loss at league-leading Idaho on Feb. 21
• The Vandals finished with four in double figures and shot 43 percent from the field overall from the floor en route to the win -- which was their 12th straight at the time
• Senior Fatoumata Jaiteh and junior Keanna Salave'a shared team high honors with seven rebounds each, while Jaiteh added three steals
• A 15-3 burst from the end of the first to the start of the second by Idaho broke open what was a three-point game at the time as the Vandals began to pull away
• Sacramento State got no closer than seven points the rest of the way as the Vandals led by as many as 20 before settling on the final margin
WELL, IT'S A START...
• Sacramento State rolled out the 12th different starting lineup this season in the weekend finale at Idaho despite the return of junior guard Natalie Picton to the starting lineup
• Versteeg and Gray are the only two Hornets who have started all 28 games thus far this year
• The 12 different lineups are believed to be the second-most among Big Sky schools this year behind the 13 different starting fives used by Northern Arizona
• In all, 11 of the 13 Hornets who have seen time on the floor this year have started at least one game
• Over the last seven games, the Hornets have relied heavily on their starting five, which has accounted for 360 of the team's 429 points (84 percent) in that stretch
• 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 (91 percent) in a win at Montana (Jan. 31), another 56 of 64 points (88 percent) against Weber State (Feb. 2), and 53 of 60 points (88 percent) at Idaho
• Hornet starters have accounted for 50-or-more points in seven of the last 10 games and 15 times overall this year
• In those 15 games, Sacramento State is 10-5
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 five games and 10 of her last 12 overall
• Over her last five, the senior is averaging 15.0 ppg (more than three points better than her overall season average of 11.8 ppg) to go with 4.6 rpg and shooting .449 overall (31-for-69) from the field
• She has not shot less than 41 percent from the field in any of those five games
• In her last 12 games, she is averaging slightly better than her season average scoring-wise at 14.2 ppg and 3.9 rpg
• Versteeg's eight assists against Eastern Washington on Feb. 19 were a season high and the most since she had 11 helpers against the Eagles in the first round of last year's Big Sky Tournament
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 Saturday's game against Idaho, Versteeg now has collected 1,138 career points, launching her into 14th on the school's all-time scoring list
• She now needs just 12 more points to catch Emily Christensen (1,150 from 2007-12) for 13th on the list
• Versteeg has reached double figures 18 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
ON A SCALE OF ONE TO 10...
• Aside from becoming the 19th player to score 1,000 career points in a Hornet uniform, Versteeg has now etched her name among the program's best in a number of categories following last week's games
• Her 437 field goals are now 10th on the all-time list, passing Alle Moreno (2010-14) and Julie Wastell (1995-99) and standing 12 back of Emily Christensen (2007-12) for ninth
• Versteeg's 165 steals passed Kris Karley (1994-97) and Stephanie Cherry (2003-07) for ninth, standing eight behind Adella Randal-El (2014-16) and Wastell for seventh
• Her 122 appearances are now fourth ahead of Kylie Kuhns (2009-13) and are three behind Maranne Johnson (2014-18) and Margaret Huntington (2012-17) for second
• With her start at Portland State, Versteeg became only the fourth Hornet to start 100 career games and, now, with 104 career starts, is in sole possession of second behind Fantasia Hilliard's (2011-15) record of 117
• Versteeg has also now played the most recorded minutes by any Hornet with 3,854 after passing Kylie Kuhns (3,804 from 2009-13)
STAYING ACTIVE
• Versteeg's 571 career assists have her ranked No. 10 among active Division I players, trailing Texas' Rori Harmon (920), while her career average of 4.68 apg is No. 14 among active players entering the week
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 140 boards this season, has 480 caroms to her name during her Sacramento State career
• With 20 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
HISTORIC HELPING HANDS
• Entering the weekend, Versteeg has a solid grasp on 10th on the Big Sky Conference all-time assist list with 571
• 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 three more helpers to catch Weber State's Tonya Schnibbe (574 from 2006-10) for ninth and 16 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)
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 211 points to reach the mark, accumulating 789 points in her three-year collegiate career -- including a career-high 332 this season with Sacramento State
MISS CONSISTENT
• Gray's 13-point performance at both Eastern Washington and Idaho continued a stellar season for the sophomore, who has hit for 10-or-more points in a game in 21 of her last 25 -- including 11 straight from Nov. 12 to Jan. 1
• Of those 21 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 NAU 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 397 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 scoring (9th), total points (8th), field goals made (8th), three-pointers made (3rd), three-pointers per game (2nd), and minutes per game (7th)
SEND IT BACK!
• Thanks to the team's three swats at Idaho, the Hornets' 101 blocked shots this season make this year's squad the eighth to reach the century mark in a single campaign in school history
• This year's Sacramento State team is now nine blocks back of the 2010-11 team for seventh on the all-time list
• Entering the week, Sacramento State ranks third in the Big Sky with its 101 blocks -- one of only three schools in the league with more than 100 along with Idaho (120) and Weber State (112) -- and fourth at 3.61 blocks per game
• 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
BLOCK YOU VERY MUCH
• Salave'a's 25 blocked shots this season are tied for sixth in the Big Sky and the junior stands as one of only 11 players in the league to block at least 20 shots this year
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 (9th), Natalie Picton (16th), and Benthe Versteeg (19th)
• Although all 10 league representatives have at least one player among the top 20, the Hornets and Eastern Washington lead the way with three apiece
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 third and sixth, individually, in makes entering this week's contests
• Gray, who has 63 makes from beyond the arc, and Picton, who has 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), Weber State's Lanae Billy (66), Northern Colorado's Heather Baymon (60), and Idaho's Kyra Gardner (60)
• As a duo, the Sacramento State pair ranks second among the top sharp-shooting tandems in the league (114 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 63 makes are the most by a Hornet since Kahlaijah Dean (78) and Katie Peneueta (71) in 2022-23
THREE'S FOR ME
• Gray (2.3 per game) and PIcton (2.0 per game) are two of only six players in the Big Sky who are averaging two-or-more three-pointers per game entering this week's games
"PIC"-POCKET
• Picton has been in the pockets of opposing offenses all season, posting multiple steals in 19 of her 26 games -- including 10 games with three or more
• She enters this week's contests ranked tied for sixth with 61 steals overall and sixth at 2.3 spg in the Big Sky, while standing No. 84 and No. 73 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 61 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 39 steals, including 13 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 15 games, Mandaquit is averaging 2.13 spg in that stretch, while posting multiple steals in nine of her last 11
• Of her 39 steals, 32 of those have come during that 14-game stretch
DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP)...
• Sacramento State stands third in scoring defense (60.7 ppg), third in field goal percentage defense (.385), third in three-point percentage defense (.296), and fourth in rebounding defense (35.6 rpg)
• Opponents have even struggled from the free throw line against the Hornets, shooting .705 this year which ranks as the third-lowest in the league behind Northern Colorado (.688) and Montana (.698)
• Eastern Washington on Feb. 19 became the 13th Hornet opponent this year to be held to 60 points or fewer in a game, with Sacramento State winning 11 of those 13 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
LIVING IN PERFECT HARMONY
• You couldn't have much better of a shooting night than the duo of Keanna Salave'a and Fatoumata Jaiteh had on Thursday at EWU
• First, Salave'a finished 5-for-5 from the field and hit both of her free throws en route to her 12-point, eight-rebound day against the Eagles
• The 5-for-5 from the field is tied for the third-best single-game shooting performance in the program's Division I era and the best since Isnelle Natabou set the mark with a 7-for-7 day against Fresno State on Dec. 3, 2022
• Jaiteh, who finished with 10 points on the day, scored eight of those from the line where she was an unblemished 8-for-8 at the stripe
• That showing is tied for 10th on the school's single-game Division I era chart and the best since Kahlaijah Dean was the same on the road at Idaho on Feb. 2, 2023
IN THE MARGINS
• Finally, a close one went the Hornets' way as Sacramento State's nine-point win over Eastern Washington snapped a run of four-straight defeats by a combined 22 points -- all four decided by eight points or fewer
• It was only the fifth victory by nine points or fewer and the first since a 64-57 triumph at Montana on Jan. 31
• The remaining seven victories have been by 11 points or more, including five of those seven 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
• 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 16 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
