SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The final home game of the 2025-26 regular season brings second-place Montana State to town as the Sacramento State women's basketball team tips-off against the Bobcats on Saturday (Feb. 28) at 2 p.m. It will be "Senior Day" at Hornet Pavilion as the departing Hornet seniors will be honored in a pregame ceremony at approximately 1:45 p.m.
GAME #30
WHAT: Montana State (21-6, 14-2 Big Sky) at Sacramento State (13-16, 7-9 Big Sky)
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026
TIME: 2 PM PT
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
ARENA: Hornet Pavilion
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetSports.com
TICKETS: HornetSports.com
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Montana State | Big Sky Conference
THE COACHES
• Sacramento State's Aaron Kallhoff enters his third year at the helm of the Hornets' program, posting a 34-59 mark and a 112-135 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
• Tricia Binford is in her 21st season as head coach at Montana State, leading the Bobcats to a 380-259 record, six conference titles, and four postseason berths in the last 10 seasons
BIG SKY BIG PICTURE
• Thanks to its dominating win over Montana on Thursday night, Sacramento State moved into the driver's seat for one of the top-six seeds for next week's Big Sky Conference Tournament
• The Hornets now stand a game ahead of both Eastern Washington and Northern Arizona -- which both lost their games against Northern Colorado and Idaho, respectively -- in the standings with two to play
• The Eagles and Lumberjacks play each other on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. PT
• 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 BOBCATS
• Montana State enters the weekend with a 21-6 overall record and a 14-2 mark in Big Sky play
• The Bobcats have won five straight and stand in second place in the league standings, just a game back of first-place Idaho
• Five of Montana State's six losses have come in true road games this season as the Bobcats are 12-0 at home with a game against Northern Arizona remaining in the season finale
• Montana State has won three straight on the road dating back to a loss at Idaho (73-70) in a battle of league-leaders on Feb. 5
• Sophomore guard Taylee Chirrick leads the Bobcats in nearly every major category: scoring (18.0 ppg), rebounding (7.0 rpg), assists (3.63 apg), and steals (4.33 spg, 117 overall)
• She also shooting .471 from the field
• Sophomore forward Addison Harris is also in double figures at 13.9 ppg, shooting .468 from the field and leading the team with 22 blocks
• Four other players are averaging better than six points per game
• As a team, Montana State ranks second in the league in offense (75.5 ppg) and leads the conference in both assists (15.26 apg) and steals (15.63 spg)
SERIES NOTABLES
• Montana State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 48-14
• The Bobcats won the first meeting with the Hornets in Bozeman earlier this year, 66-31, on Jan. 29, and has won 21 of the last 25
• Sacramento State's last win came at the end of last season, posting a 73-69 victory on the road
• Eight of the Hornets' 14 all-time victories against the Bobcats have come at home, but they have lost the last two dating back to an 82-73 win on Feb. 23, 2023
• Five of the last seven meetings between the two have been decided by nine points or fewer
LAST TIME OUT
• A big night from the Hornets' backcourt helped the home team roll on Thursday night as the duo of Natalie Picton and Benthe Versteeg combined for 45 points, 17 rebounds, and 11 assists en route to a 75-57 victory over Montana
• Picton finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while Versteeg ended the night with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds to go with six assists
• Sophomore Rubi Gray (17) and senior Fatoumata Jaiteh (11) also finished with double-digit points
• The Hornets shot 48 percent for the game and a 60 percent clip in the season half
• Sacramento State used a 16-2 run to erase an early three-point deficit and lead by 11 at the end of one, then used a 12-3 burst to build a nine-point halftime advantage after the Grizzlies made it a one-possession game
• Montana got no closer than six points late in the third as Sacramento State scored seven of the first eight points of the fourth period to rebuild the lead to 14 and hold the Grizzlies at arms length the rest of the way
POINT(S) TAKEN
• With Picton's 24 points and Versteeg's 21 against the Grizzlies, the two became the first Hornet duo to score 20-or-more points in the same game since Jaydia Martin (23) and Versteeg (21) accomplished the feat at Eastern Washington on Jan. 11 of last season
• Coupled with Gray's 17 and Jaiteh's 11, Sacramento State had four players in double figures for the fifth time this year, winning three of those
• Meanwhile, the 75 points as a team were the most since the Hornets had 78 at Northern Arizona on Jan. 15, improving the team to 6-0 this year when scoring 70-or-more points
HOW SWEEP IT IS
• Thursday night's triumph marked only the second regular season sweep of Montana in the history of the series and the first since back-to-back wins in 2017
OUR FOUR POINT PLAN
• There may have been no better defensive effort this year for the Hornets than the one they turned in on Thursday against Montana
• Sacramento State limited the Grizzlies to just 1-of-12 shooting from the field and four points in the fourth quarter of its 18-point win
• The four points allowed are the fewest by an opponent in a single quarter this year and the 15th time overall that the Hornets have surrendered single-digits in a quarter this season
• They were also the fewest since Sacramento State held Northern Colorado to just one fourth-quarter point in a 51-48 victory on Jan. 18, 2025
DON'T WORRY, WE GOT THIS
• Thanks to those four in double figures, Sacramento State's starting five accounted for all 75 of the team's points against Montana
• That's a season-high point total for the Hornets' starting five, which scored every point in a game for the first time since the quintet of Versteeg, Jaiteh, Martin, Katie Peneueta, and Lina Falk scored all 65 in a four-point loss to Northern Arizona in the second round of last year's Big Sky Tournament
• It also marked the most points by a starting five since they scored 75 points in an 82-66 win over the Lumberjacks on Feb. 15, 2024
• Over the last eight games, the Hornets have relied heavily on their starting five, which has accounted for 435 of the team's 504 points (86 percent) in that stretch
• That also 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 eight of the last 11 games and 16 times overall this year
• In those 16 games, Sacramento State is 11-5
HANDS OFF
• Sacramento State was whistled for a season-low eight personal fouls in the win over Montana -- its fewest in a game since committing only six at Washington back on Nov. 6, 2023
CONTINUING TO CLIMB
• Versteeg's 21-point outburst as part of her double-double against Montana moved her up two spots on the school's career scoring list with 1,159 points
• That total pushed her past both Emily Christensen (2007-12) and Seleta Ellis (1979-83), while placing her just 57 points behind Sue Digitale (1973-77) for the No. 11 spot
• 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
• She 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
ON A SCALE OF ONE TO 10...
• Aside from reaching the 1,000 career point milestone in a Hornet uniform, Versteeg has now etched her name among the program's best in a number of categories as we come down the stretch
• Her 447 field goals are now 10th on the all-time list, passing Alle Moreno (2010-14) and Julie Wastell (1995-99) and standing two back of Emily Christensen (2007-12) for ninth
• Versteeg's 167 steals passed Kris Karley (1994-97) and Stephanie Cherry (2003-07) for ninth, standing six behind Adella Randal-El (2014-16) and Wastell for seventh
• Her 123 appearances are now fourth ahead of Kylie Kuhns (2009-13) and are two 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 105 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 3,893 after passing Kylie Kuhns (3,804 from 2009-13)
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 six games and 11 of her last 13 overall
• Over her last six, the senior is averaging 16.0 ppg (nearly four points better than her overall season average of 12.1 ppg) to go with 5.5 rpg and shooting .471 overall (41-for-87) from the field
• She has not shot less than 41 percent from the field in any of those six games, including a .556 clip in the win over Montana
• Adding in the 10 rebounds against the Grizzlies, Versteeg posted her third double-double of the year (all of the points-assists variety) and the seventh of her career
• The 10 makes from the field against Montana (10-for-18) tied her career high -- a mark she has reached now four times in her career
• Versteeg has reached double figures 19 times this season while collecting the seventh 20-point game of her career (second this year) against Montana on Thursday
HISTORIC HELPING HANDS
• Thanks to her six assists on Thursday against the Grizzlies, Versteeg moved past Weber State's Tonya Schnibbe (574 from 2006-10) for ninth on the Big Sky Conference's all-time list with 577
• She now needs just 10 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)
• Versteeg's 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
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 150 boards this season, has 490 caroms to her name during her Sacramento State career
• With 10 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
STAYING ACTIVE
• Versteeg's 577 career assists have her ranked No. 10 among active Division I players, trailing Texas' Rori Harmon (927), while her career average of 4.69 apg is No. 14 among active players as of Feb. 26
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 187 points to reach the mark, accumulating 813 points in her three-year collegiate career -- including a career-high 356 this season with Sacramento State
NAT'S ENOUGH
• Picton's game-high 24 points against Montana came on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 6-of-11 from beyond the arc
• The six three's tied her career high set earlier this year against UC Davis (Nov. 24) and matched Rubi Gray's six makes against Northern Arizona on Jan. 15
• In addition, her seven rebounds and five assists were both one off her season-high totals
• The 24 points marked Picton's fifth 20-plus point game of the season and the most since she finished with a career-high 27 against Simpson back on Dec. 15
MISS CONSISTENT
• Gray's 17-point performance against Montana continued a stellar season for the sophomore, who has hit for 10-or-more points in a game in 22 of her last 26 -- including 11 straight from Nov. 12 to Jan. 1
• Of those 22 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 414 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 (8th), total points (6th), field goals made (t6th), three-pointers made (2nd), three-pointers per game (2nd), and minutes per game (7th)
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 fourth, individually, in makes entering this week's contests
• Gray, who has 66 makes from beyond the arc, and Picton, who has 57 of her own, are two of six in the league with 50-or-more three-pointers along with Northern Arizona's Naomi White (85), Weber State's Lanae Billy (66), Northern Colorado's Heather Baymon (61), and Idaho's Kyra Gardner (61)
• As a duo, the Sacramento State pair ranks second among the top sharp-shooting tandems in the league (123 makes), trailing only Northern Arizona's tandem of White (85) and Audrey Taylor (40), who have 125 combined three's
• Picton's 57 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 66 makes are the most by a Hornet since Kahlaijah Dean (78) and Katie Peneueta (71) in 2022-23
SEND IT BACK!
• Thanks to the team's two swats against Montana, the Hornets' 103 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 seven 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 103 blocks -- one of only four schools in the league with more than 100 along with Idaho (128), Weber State (112), and Montana State (100) -- and fourth at 3.62 blocks per game
• Sacramento State rejected eight Northern Colorado shots on Feb. 12, setting a new season high 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 year, the Hornets knocked down 114 shots, which ranked tied for fifth on the school's single-season list with the 2022-23 team
"PIC"-POCKET
• Picton has been in the pockets of opposing offenses all season, posting multiple steals in 20 of 27 games -- including 10 games with three or more
• She enters this week's contests ranked tied for sixth with 63 steals overall and tied for fifth at 2.33 spg in the Big Sky
• Her four steals at Northern Arizona (Jan. 15), marked her fifth game with at least four swipes in a game this season
• Her 63 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 15 of her last 16 games, Mandaquit is averaging 2.0 spg in that stretch, while posting multiple steals in nine of her last 12
• Of her 39 steals, 32 of those have come during that 16-game stretch
FINDING THE RIGHT COMBINATION
• Sacramento State rolled out the 12th different starting lineup this season in the weekend finale at Idaho on Feb. 21 despite the return of junior guard Natalie Picton to the starting lineup
• Versteeg and Gray are the only two Hornets who have started all 29 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
IN THE MARGINS
• Finally, a close one went the Hornets' way as their nine-point win over Eastern Washington on Feb. 19 snapped a run of four-straight losses 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 eight 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
